Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #542

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Elderly Woman Dubbed ‘The Hugging Bandit' Pickpocketed Victims After Pretending To Know Them, Police Said
By Minyvonne Burke
An elderly Florida woman is accused of pickpocketing strangers by pretend- ing she knew them and while giving them a hug swiping their credit cards and wal- lets, police said.
Kathy Stevens, nick- named "the hugging bandit" by police, is being held in the Pinellas County Jail on more than a dozen charges from the Clearwater Police Department and other law enforcement agencies across the Tampa Bay area.
Stevens, 65, allegedly targeted older men and would approach them outside of stores. Clearwater police said she would act like she knew the men, give them an unwanted hug, and steal items from their
pockets.
In one October inci- dent, Stevens allegedly walked up to a victim and gave the victim a hug while reaching into a back pants pocket, accord- ing to an affidavit. The victim told the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office that after the strange encounter, the victim noticed a credit card was missing from their wallet.
The victim had just used the card and said it "was in a posi- tion in the wallet which could have easily been accessi- ble," the affidavit states. The identity of the victim was redact- ed from the com- plaint.
The sheriff's office said Stevens alleged- ly spent nearly $1,000 on the stolen credit card.
Stevens is connected to at least four inci-
dents in the Clearwater area, police said. It's not
clear if she has obtained an attorney.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine