SALEM — Two older women raised in a more trusting era were targeted by a 42-year-old Salem woman who stole their handbags from their carts as they shopped, police said.
Tammy Ward was arrested Sunday afternoon after a store security officer at the Salem Walmart spotted her grabbing a purse out of the cart of a 66-year-old shopper from Peabody.
The security officer, Syed Paikar, recognized Ward because he had suspected her of being involved in prior shoplifting incidents at the store, he told police.
He caught up with Ward, then went back to the victim, who hadn't even realized her purse was missing, police said.
Ward was arrested on a charge of larceny from a person 65 or older.
Then, as Salem police Lt. Conrad Prosniewski was preparing a criminal complaint against Ward yesterday morning at Salem District Court, he mentioned the case to his Danvers counterpart, Sgt. David Joyce. The two share an office in the basement of the courthouse.
Joyce recalled that a couple of days earlier, on Friday, Danvers police had taken a complaint from a 70-year-old woman shopping at the Danvers Walmart, who said her purse had been taken from her cart.
Prosniewski showed Joyce a photo of the woman, who looked similar to a woman who was seen on the Danvers store's surveillance video.
Danvers Patrolman William Cassidy also compared the images and concluded it was the same person.
Bolstering the case is the fact that the person who stole the purse in Danvers left the store in a blue minivan; Salem police confirmed that Ward owns a blue 2002 Dodge Caravan. Danvers police then lodged their own charge of larceny against Ward, who has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
The Danvers woman lost about $400 when her purse was taken. Police later found the purse along the side of the road near the junction of Route 62 and Interstate 95, prosecutor Janelle Amadon said.
Amadon and Prosniewski asked Judge Robert Brennan to set a total of $3,000 cash bail.
"It appears this is a pattern she's developing of stealing purses from older women," Amadon said.
Ward's lawyer, James Craig, asked the judge to release Ward, a mother of six who lives on Social Security disability income because of bipolar disorder.
Craig said Ward told him she cares for her six children with the help of a boyfriend.
The address Ward gave police and the court, 116 Lafayette St., is the Lafayette Hotel, a rooming house.
Brennan set her bail at a total of $2,000 cash, an amount she is not expected to post immediately.
Ward is due back in court June 27, when she's also facing charges of violating her probation in an earlier case.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis may be reached at 978-338-2521 or jmanganis@salemnews.com.
Staff writer Ethan Forman contributed to this report.
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