The Dalton Police Department is asking for the public’s help with identifying two men who apparently worked together to steal a woman’s purse from the mall. The victim’s credit card was then used to rack up more than $1,300 in fraudulent charges at stores in Calhoun, Adairsville and Kennesaw.
The theft happened on Saturday at the A To Z Concepts kiosk at Walnut Square Mall. The victim did not realize her purse was stolen, however, until after 4 p.m. when her credit card company called to alert her to unusual activity on her account.
After realizing her purse was missing, the victim checked the kiosk’s surveillance video and saw two Hispanic males approach the kiosk at approximately 10:30 a.m.
One of the men, wearing a navy blue polo shirt with white stripes on the collar and sleeves and a blue baseball hat, appeared to work to distract the employees of the kiosk. While this was happening, a second male wearing a white T-shirt and dark-rimmed glasses picked up and moved the victim’s purse several times as if he was looking at cell phones in the case underneath it. Then the man picked up the purse and walked away quickly.
Later in the day, the victim’s credit card was used to make large purchases at several stores along I-75 south of Dalton. In Calhoun, the card was used for more than $380 at Home Depot and more than $180 at the Coach Outlet. In Adairsville, the card was used for more than $15 at a Burger King. In Kennesaw, the card was used for a pair of purchases totaling approximately $240 at a Famous Footwear and for nearly $530 at Macy’s.
Anyone with information on the identity of the two men is asked to contact Detective Aaron Simpson at 706-278-9085, dial 9 and enter extension 253.