Wegman’s surveillance video caught a man walking through the aisles of a store on Carl D. Silver Parkway as he spotted his target -- a 64-year-old woman from Stafford County leaving her purse unattended at about 6 p.m. Sunday.
With his young daughter in hand, the suspect doubled back and in a matter of seconds swiped the purse and stashed it underneath his daughter, police said.
“We don’t recommend that you turn your back on your valuables, however, she had no reason to believe that her purse was vulnerable at that moment,” said Fredericksburg Police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe. “She turned for just a few seconds and that’s all it took.”
Shoppers were outraged anyone would use a child to commit a crime.
“I think it’s disgusting he should be ashamed of himself,” one said.
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This crime also has to fall into the dumb crooks category. This Wegman’s is less than a year old, so it’s equipped with the latest technology. There are cameras everywhere inside and outside, catching shoppers' every move.
With the crystal clear surveillance video, police blew up the image and a detective recognized the man. Police believe he is 33-year-old Kevin Maiden, who has at least three priors for domestic assault and possession of marijuana. He is now in custody facing a felony larceny charge.
Even though the thief is behind bars, women at Wegman’s said they’ll be more careful.
“I’m looking over my shoulder," one shopper said. "I’m kind of checking when I’m coming out of the parking lot. It’s just something that everyone should probably do unfortunately.”
The suspect's daughter will live with her grandmother now that her father's facing a felony charge. Her mother is already in jail on an unrelated charge.
