Purse snatcher preys on 65-year-old Methuen woman in grocery store lot

By Mark Vogler
mvogler@eagletribune.com

January 09, 2009 01:04 am

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METHUEN — A 65-year-old Methuen woman had her pocketbook snatched out of her shopping cart last night as she was loading groceries into her car outside the Market Basket at 186 Haverhill St.

The woman told police she was in the parking lot at the Merrimack Plaza at about 6:40 p.m. when she overheard a man's voice ask her "Do you need help with your groceries."

"When she turned around, he grabbed it and ran into a pickup truck that fled toward Lawrence," Methuen police Lt. Greg Gallant said.

The pocketbook contained about $40 and personal identification, according to police.

Witnesses to the incident described the get-away vehicle as a dark-colored Chevy S-10 pickup truck with tinted windows.

Detective John Delano and Officer Justin Law are investigating.

"We haven't had many purse snatchings," Lt. Gallant said. "During the holidays, we've been doing extra patrols and trying to cover it," he said, noting that police have also worked to alert the public to this type of crime.

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