Thief wrestles purse away from 85-year-old woman; suspect arrested in Ann Arbor
Ypsilanti police arrested a man Friday they said wrestled a purse away from an 85-year-old woman as she sat in her car in a parking lot.
A man approached the woman, a Milan resident, shortly after she got into her car in the parking lot in the 100 block of N. Huron St. about 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Sgt. Troy Fulton said. He asked her for money, and she gave him a dollar. He then reached across and grabbed her purse from the passenger seat of the vehicle.
The woman tried to hold onto the purse, but the man got it away from her and fled. Police searched the area but were not able to find the man. The woman was not injured.
After talking to the woman, investigators were able to identify possible suspects and showed the woman photographs. She was able to identify one as the man who took her purse, Fulton said.
Police found the suspect, a 55-year-old Ypsilanti Township man, in the area of State and Washington streets in Ann Arbor about 1 p.m. Friday and arrested him, Fulton said. He is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail. Charges are pending.
Comments
The Picker
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 2:05 p.m.
There should be a special dark hole in the bowels of the Hogback Hilton for vermin like this who prey on the elderly. The fact that the Police had pictures and the whereabouts of this scumbag, testifies that he is not new to this type of behavior. We need to stop the revolving door to these special predators.Often the elderly do not recover from the trauma of this cowardly act, and tend to finish out their years hiding in their homes, too afraid to leave the house. Many times these events can be the trigger for the downward spiral of dimensia. Please DO NOT allow this special criminal to live amongst us ever again!
Cathy
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 8:08 p.m.
So right, The Picker. Men in their 50's don't just start purse snatching. He most certainly has been a guest of the MDOC in the past. This is what happens when the State saves money by releasing criminals.
Chillyz
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 1:52 p.m.
The story states the crime occurred in Ann Arbor, but your map shows the crime in Ypsilanti. Where did the crime occur?
tinkerbell
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 : 12:54 a.m.
The offense occurred in Ypsilanti but the perp was arrested in Ann Arbor.
JRW
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 2:43 a.m.
Name and photo please after arraignment. This is really a terrible crime against an elderly woman. It could have ended badly for her if a weapon had been involved. Let's get these thugs off the streets, and keep them out of A2!
Doug
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 4:22 p.m.
I hope this is the guy, but if an ID provided by only one witness is the only evidence available (i.e., no fingerprints, no DNA, no other witnesses, no video footage, no GPS tracking if the guy has a cell phone, and I'm sure the purse and its contents are long gone), then he could very well skate or force the prosecution to offer greatly reduced charges.
RJA
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 5:33 a.m.
Great arrest, and great job Ypsilanti Police!
rs
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 2:16 a.m.
Really? You're going to wrestle an 85 year old woman for what little money she may be carrying in her purse. Maybe bringing back the town square pillory isn't such a bad idea for cases such as this.
Stephen
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 12:07 a.m.
Thank you YPD!
observer
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 11:42 p.m.
Great job YPD....again, I amazed that a department that is so short handed continues to such a great job......pass the millage.......
Jim Pryce
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 10:23 p.m.
Probably another upstanding citizen of the community, being hassled by an 85 year old woman. Great job Ypsilanti Police for getting this clown.
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 9:13 p.m.
How low can they (the predators) go? I think we have the answer right here in this story. It's hard to express the disgust many of us must feel about such acts without violating "conversational guidelines." Oh, and I think AnnArbor.com should make an extra effort to provide us with the name of this "man" and a photo (at least, if he is indeed found guilty and sentenced).
JRW
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 2:47 a.m.
Absolutely. How low can they go? Read the national news and look at what is going on around the country. Some go pretty low. The elderly in particular are targeted. I also think the justice system is totally screwed up with all these plea deals and short sentences for thugs who continue to wreak havoc on communities and innocent victims. The revolving door of justice just doesn't work. Sorry to digress.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 8:53 p.m.
This is one of many reasons why I love the police in Ypsilanti. We are really lucky to have such an awesome police force.
smokeblwr
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 8:15 p.m.
I wish we wouldn't let these criminals into our city limits.
Joe_Citizen
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 5:06 a.m.
Hahahahah hahah hahah, if you think it's bad now, just wait, as soon as the mass transit system comes in, then it will disease A2
Meaghan
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 8:04 p.m.
Go Ypsi cops!!!