a thief takes the woman’s purse in the Longmont car park; The app leads to the suspect’s iPhone – Longmont Times-Call

Longmont police Thursday traced a cell phone that arrived at the home of a man matching the description of the robber who took a woman’s bag in the store’s parking lot Wednesday night.

The woman gets her phone back, but the police are asking for the public’s help in finding her wallet and car keys.

At about 5:14 p.m. Wednesday, an officer was dispatched to a store in the 1600 precinct of Hoover Street regarding a report of a burglary, according to police spokeswoman Robin Erickson.

“The victim was moving her purchases to her car when she was approached by an unknown party who offered to help,” Erickson said in an email. “The female stated that she did not need help. The unidentified party then grabbed her bag from her shoulder and ran with it. The victim tried to grab her handbag. The unidentified party took the bag and fled the scene.”

The robber took the woman’s phone, maroon wallet, and keys. The wallet contained an ID and credit cards that fell out of the wallet during the incident and were found at the scene, according to police.

Using a phone-finding app, a family member traced the victim’s phone to the 2900 block of Bow Line Place and shared the exact location with police. One of the officers called a resident at the address, a 19-year-old man who denied leaving the house or having the phone.

On Thursday afternoon, a store security video of the theft was seen by an officer. Erickson said the thief in the video was wearing clothes that matched those of the 19-year-old. With a search warrant, the officer recovered the iPhone but not the stolen wallet and keys.

Police are asking anyone on the 17th and Hover precinct who has located a combination of keys and a maroon purse to call 303-651-8555 and refer to Longmont Police Report 22-11119.