Man Arrested For Allegedly Swiping Elderly Woman’s Purse After Fall

A Douglas County man is behind bars after police say he committed a crime of opportunity at a local grocery store on Monday morning.

Assistant Chief Erik Hampton with the East Wenatchee Police Department says it happened at 10:22 a.m. in the 500 block of Grant Road when a woman in her 90s fell and suffered injuries.

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"A female shopper fell outside the Safeway store and hurt herself. When she fell, her wallet dropped to the ground beside her, and while a woman in the parking lot was rendering her assistance, a man took the wallet while she was incapacitated and left the scene with it."

Police used surveillance footage from the store to circulate a picture of the suspect online and within a few hours, received several tips about his identity and possible whereabouts.

Witnesses also reportedly told police they saw Martinez tossing the stolen purse into an irrigation canal after taking several items of value, including cash and credit cards.

Hampton says the suspect, 28-year-old Noel Martinez, was tracked down at his residence in the 800 block of Garden Plaza at around 6 p.m.

He was arrested and booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center on theft charges and for an outstanding felony warrant.