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Police are looking for this woman, who allegedly used a walking cane to steal from another woman's purse at a Portland restaurant on March 30.
(Portland Police Bureau)
Nancy Thompson thought her adult daughters were playing a joke on her when she opened her wallet on her birthday.
She insisted on paying for their meals March 30 at Casa del Matador, 2424 E. Burnside St., but her credit cards were missing that afternoon.
"They laughed about it, said they didn't know anything about it and maybe their dad took the credit cards," said Thompson, 55, of Portland. "I really thought I just misplaced them all."
A Bank of America employee called Thompson at home about 30 minutes later and questioned a series of purchases made on her credit and debit cards in that span.
Already $312 was spent at a Fred Meyer store, about $30 at a 76 gas station and about $105 at a Safeway grocery store. The employee asked if she was making a $700 transaction at another Fred Meyer as they were speaking.
"I just couldn't believe it," Thompson said. "I hadn't used my credit cards for maybe three or four days. And now I was apparently racking up charges."
The bank canceled the pending transaction and Thompson called Portland police. Within 10 minutes, an officer came to her home and they went over all the places she had been that day, she said.
Police are looking for a woman (standing top center) who allegedly used a walking cane to steal from another woman's purse at a Portland restaurant on March 30.
The officer left to investigate, then called her about 15 minutes later from the restaurant. Surveillance video showed a woman with a cane sitting with a female companion at a table behind Thompson and her daughters.
The woman hooked her cane on Thompson's purse and slid it across the floor, then took credit cards and pushed the purse back.
"It happened right under our noses and we never suspected a thing," Thompson said.
Thompson said the suspect soon got up and yelled, "You've got to do something about these bugs around here." The outburst drew the attention of customers.
The suspect moved to a table in front of the family and glared at them, then left the restaurant with her companion, Thompson said.
The suspect, dubbed the "cane bandit" by police, is described as about 5-feet-7 and 350 pounds with long, black hair; the companion as about 5-feet-3 and 100 pounds with her hair in a bun.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Tips may be called to 503-823-4357, texted to CRIMES (274637) or posted to crimestoppersoforegon.com.
A Casa del Matador manager said the suspect might have been to the restaurant before, but police are still investigating, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Police Bureau spokesman.
Thompson said the bank has waived the fraudulent purchases.
"Everyone's been very helpful and it could have been a lot worse," she said. "I'll be keeping my purse in my lap from now on."
-- Everton Bailey Jr.