Police seek Maplewood woman who stole from purses in schools

The suspect sneaked into school and stole credit cards from teachers' purses.

By KEVIN GILES, Star Tribune

Last update: October 21, 2009 - 10:10 PM

A Maplewood woman accused of ransacking teachers' purses for credit cards in several east metro schools was being sought for questioning Wednesday in a widening investigation.

The woman somehow entered classrooms when teachers were working elsewhere with students or helping them leave for the day, said Sgt. Andrew Ellickson of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

The woman's identity became apparent to law enforcement after at least 40 people, including her employer, called the Sheriff's Office after seeing published photographs showing her allegedly using the stolen credit cards, Ellickson said.

He wouldn't identify the woman, who has not been charged. He said, however, that she isn't a school employee and doesn't appear to have children attending any of the targeted buildings.

Police went to her house Wednesday with a search warrant, but she wasn't there, Ellickson said.

Schools in Mahtomedi, Lake Elmo, Wyoming and Hudson, Wis., reported thefts in recent weeks, he said. Stolen credit cards were used in Stillwater, Vadnais Heights and Roseville, and a possible theft in a Roseville school also is being investigated, he said.

"I'm assuming she probably did a rash of these things, and we don't even know the extent of it right now," said Ellickson, who works in Washington County's investigative unit.

Officials in the Mahtomedi and Stillwater Area school districts have alerted parents. Security measures in the Stillwater schools are being reviewed, administrators told parents, and a letter said that "at no time during this incident were our students in any danger."

Security in schools tends to lessen once someone goes past the entrances and heads farther into the building, Ellickson said. He encouraged all schools to re-examine their security.

Photographs obtained from stores where the suspect allegedly used the credit cards clearly show a middle-aged woman, dressed in a blue shirt in one instance and a red shirt in another. One photo appears to show her signing a credit card receipt.

The incident at Mahtomedi High School happened between 6:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 30, Ellickson said. Two incidents occurred Oct. 13 at Lake Elmo Elementary in the mid-afternoon while the purses were in classrooms, he said. Related thefts also were reported at the junior and senior high schools in Hudson and at schools in Wyoming in Chisago County and possibly Roseville in Ramsey County.

A criminal complaint should be filed against the suspect this morning, Ellickson said.

The Sheriff's Office has increased patrols in and around Washington County schools with school resource officers, deputies and detectives, he said.

Anybody with information about the suspect's whereabouts can contact the Washington County Sheriff's Tip Line at 651-430-7850 or visit the Sheriff's Office website at wcsheriff.net/tipline.

Kevin Giles • 612-673-4432