Intended victim of purse theft in Rochester Hills fought back with shopping cart, deputies said.
An Auburn Hills, Michigan, woman is facing felony charges over purse thefts from two shoppers in Rochester Hills, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office reported.
During one of the incidents, deputies said, the intended victim fought back with a shopping cart.
Lynsie Marion Leinenger, 37, is charged with unarmed robbery, which is a 15-year felony, and larceny from a person, which is a 10-year felony, court records show. She was arraigned Friday in 52-3 District Court. Bond was set at $10,000. A probable cause conference is scheduled for Dec. 23, preliminary exam set for Dec. 30.
She is being held in the Oakland County Jail, in the meantime, deputies said.
The two purse thefts happened within 30 minutes of each other on Thursday at the Kroger and Meijer stores in Rochester Hills, deputies said.
Deputies were called to the Kroger store at 65 S. Livernois Road shortly after 8 p.m. on a report of that larceny. A purse that belonged to a 64-year-old Rochester Hills woman was grabbed by another woman out of a shopping cart, and the thief then ran off. The purse held a phone, wallet and prescription medication.
About 8:30 p.m., while deputies were finishing taking the report at Kroger, they got a call of a robbery in progress at Meijer, 3610 Marketplace Circle. The sheriff's office said the description of the suspect at Meijer matched the description of the suspect at Kroger.
The intended victim at Meijer was a 71-year-old Rochester Hills woman. Deputies said that after the suspect grabbed that woman's purse and ran to the back of the store, the victim chased the suspect "and knocked her down with the shopping cart."
The two women then fought over the purse before the thief snatched it away and began running toward the front of the door.
But as she was running, the suspect fell and injured her knee.
The victim recovered her purse, and the suspect was arrested.
"This is a sad reminder that there are individuals who seek to prey on others – particularly the elderly – during the holiday season," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "We urge everyone to remain situationally aware, and we specifically encourage women to keep a close watch on their purses and never leave them unattended in shopping carts."