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Jan 8, 2009 6:33 am US/Central
Hurst Police Arrest 2 Women In Distraction Thefts
HURST (AP) ―
Two women police believe were involved in a scheme to steal wallets by distracting unsuspecting older female shoppers in Tarrant County have been arrested.
Hurst police Sgt. Craig Teague said Carlotta Barnes, 39, of Garland, and Lesia R. Bell, 36, of Carrollton, face seven charges each of theft and credit card abuse.
They were in the Hurst Jail on Wednesday but jailer Victor Barlag said he did not know whether they had attorneys. Barnes' bail was set at $28,500 while Bell's was $20,000, Barlag told The Associated Press.
In so-called distraction thefts, one suspect distracts a shopper by talking to her while a second suspect goes through her purse and steals a wallet. Within minutes of the theft, the suspects then go to nearby stores and use the credit cards that were stolen from the wallets, police said.
Investigators said they believe the women could be involved in almost a dozen of the 17 similar distraction thefts reported to authorities since July 2007.
Barnes and Bell were arrested Saturday afternoon after officers set up surveillance on stores near North East Mall, stopped a vehicle that matched the description of one used in previous thefts and found a wallet that didn't belong to the women.
An 83-year-old Benbrook woman and a 79-year-old Hurst woman were victims of distraction thefts in November and December.
Barlag said Barnes and Bell were also in custody for unrelated warrants from other North Texas municipalities.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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