Bend police seek tips to find wallet theft suspect

Bend police asked the public for help Sunday in finding a woman who stole a wallet and quickly racked up nearly $2,000 in fraudulent purchases in less than an hour.

Police said in a Facebook post the woman in TJ Maxx security photos had removed the wallet while its owner’s back was turned and left the store on Saturday. They said she visited three other stores and made several fraudulent transactions with the victim’s credit card, buying nearly $2,000 worth of items within an hour of the theft.

The victim’s wallet also had about $100 in cash and several gift cards, police said. They noted that the victim, a teacher for Bend-La Pine Schools, received the gift cards from her students for Teacher Appreciation Week.

The victim’s husband said in a Reddit post the wallet was stolen out of a shopping cart and there were over $300 worth of gift cards in it.

Police said they have probable cause to arrest the woman on several felony theft and fraud charges.

Anyone with information to help police identify and locate the suspect was asked to call Deschutes County’s non-emergency dispatch number at 541-693-6911, reference Bend Police Case No. 2019-00157232.