Three men busted for purse snatching
Published on December 11th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - A trio of area men were in custody on Tuesday afternoon for allegedly snatching the pocketbook from a woman’s car parked at the Dunkin’ Donuts on Main Street earlier that morning.
According to Stoneham police reports, Brian French, 19, of 26 Pearl Street, Wakefield, Phillip Stone, 20, of 8 Tremont Street, Stoneham and Michael Rubenstein, 18, of 13 Curtis Road, Woburn, were all arrested for larceny from a person and breaking and entering a motor vehicle in connection with the purse snatching collar.
The three were allegedly driving around in a 1991 red Ford Escort, owned by French, when they spotted the unidentified victim head into Dunkin’ Donuts at approximately 9 a.m.
The three men entered the victim’s car and took off with her pocketbook. Officer Tom Day reported to the scene and eyewitnesses were able to give a vivid description of the “bagel-with-cheese-and-ham burglars.”
Within minutes, Officer Cheryl Rotondi had pulled the car over near the Lindenwood Cemetery on Montvale Ave., and had the suspects lined up against Lindenwood’s stone wall.
“Right now, we don’t have any more of a motive than they were simply looking for money,” said Stoneham Police Lt. Rick McCarthy. “We think this one may be related to at least three similar over the last few weeks in Stoneham.”
The three suspects were arraigned at Woburn District Court on Tuesday afternoon stemming from the charges of the same day. McCarthy could not determine when the suspects would be charged with the other crimes, and didn’t want to speculate on possible ties to purse snatchings in other communities.
According to the current week’s police log, a purse snatching did take place in the area of Lindenwood Cemetery and the Montvale Shopping Plaza last Sunday. The thieves reportedly stole the pocketbook from a parked motor vehicle at approximately 2:33 p.m., and made off with credit cards, personal papers and $40 in cash.
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