The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A woman in Florida has been accused of approaching men that she does not know and hugging them for the alleged purpose of stealing their wallets to use their credit cards.
65-year-old Kathy Stevens lives in Clearwater, Florida.
According to the local authorities, Stevens is known as the “hugging bandit” for allegedly bestowing costly embraces upon men she has never met before. It is purported by the police that she does so because it affords her the opportunity to take their wallets without it being immediately detected by the alleged victims.
It was reported that Stevens would find men outside of stores and act as if they knew each other. The woman reportedly gave the alleged victims a hug while sneakily snatching their wallets.
When Stevens allegedly took possession of each alleged victim’s wallet, she reportedly went to a store and used their credit card to make purchases.
The authorities reviewed surveillance camera footage from several stores where the cards were reported as being used. After locating the parts of the videos that showed a woman in the process of using the victim’s cards to pay for her goods, the police released screenshots of the footage to the public and asserted that Stevens was the perpetrator of the thefts.
Stevens was taken into custody and booked into the Pinellas County Jail. She is facing over a dozen charges including fraudulent use of personal information, robbery by sudden snatching, unlawful possession of someone else’s identification, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, and unauthorized use of a credit card. Stevens is being held in lieu of a $113,750 bond.
According to jail records, Stevens is still incarcerated while she awaits trial.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.