Theft From Elderly Shoppers

Ill – Aurora police are investigating at least three thefts from elderly people who were grocery shopping.

The three thefts, along with another incident in Oswego, all are similar and may involve the same suspects.

In the latest incident, an 84-year-old Naperville woman said her purse was stolen while she was shopping at Meijer, 808 N. Route 59.

A female suspect is described as black with a small build, about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds with black hair. Her companion is a black man with a medium build, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds. The female suspect matches the description of a woman who stole the checkbooks of two other elderly women in Aurora and one in Oswego in recent weeks.

Anyone with information on the identity of the woman is asked to call Aurora police at (630) 801-6655, Oswego police at (630) 551-7349 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000.

Callers to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Source:
Aurora police investigating thefts from elderly shoppers

>Wanted for Theft From Elder

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CA – Tom Traylor is wanted by the San Diego Regional Fugitive Task Force on a no bail felony warrant for theft or embezzlement of property from an elder or dependent adult.

Traylor is known to frequent the Carlsbad and East County areas of San Diego. He is currently on parole and is considered a parolee at large.

Traylor, 39, is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs about 185 pounds.

He has a tattoo on his back of a dragon coming out of a wave, a skull tattooed on both arms and the name ‘Sarah’ on his chest.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to his arrest. If you have any information, call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. You can also email or text anonymously. To do so, click here.

Source:
Crime Stoppers Seeks Fugitive Of The Week

Wanted for Theft From Elder

CA – Tom Traylor is wanted by the San Diego Regional Fugitive Task Force on a no bail felony warrant for theft or embezzlement of property from an elder or dependent adult.

Traylor is known to frequent the Carlsbad and East County areas of San Diego. He is currently on parole and is considered a parolee at large.

Traylor, 39, is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs about 185 pounds.

He has a tattoo on his back of a dragon coming out of a wave, a skull tattooed on both arms and the name ‘Sarah’ on his chest.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to his arrest. If you have any information, call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. You can also email or text anonymously. To do so, click here.

Source:
Crime Stoppers Seeks Fugitive Of The Week

>Preying On Elderly For Money

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TX – Cayce police are searching for a man they believe is preying on the elderly in an effort to get money.

Officers are searching for 37-year-old James Lynell Ridgeway, Jr.

Investigators think Ridgeway took money in advance from at least one elderly victim, then did little or no work in return. Officers say the man offered to pressure wash a home and perform other maintenance.

Investigators warned the public not to enter into any agreements with Ridgeway.

Officers say he scammed a woman who doesn’t want to be identified. Investigators say Ridgeway pressure washed the woman’s home, but promised a number of other services that he did not provide.

On June 30th, the victim says Ridgeway knocked on her door around 7 p.m. with no shirt or shoes.

The elderly woman said: “He said, could you possibly let me clean your house, because I have two little children and I don’t have any work.”

She says he handed her a flyer and said he could do a number of home repairs, but he needed the money upfront.

“Right then, I was a bit suspicious, but I didn’t stop talking to him,” she said, “I was stupid enough to give him the money.”

But the victim did make him sign a contract and Ridgeway returned the next day with a helper to pressure wash the driveway and house.

“All the time, he was asking me for the money, his friend was out there working on the thing, so, I really didn’t have a reason to suspect he wasn’t going to do everything else,” said the victim.

But when she noticed the contracts were missing off her kitchen table one night, then she knew she’d been scammed.

The victim called the number on the flyer that had worked the day before, and she says it’d been disconnected. But Ridgeway called her, asking to borrow $400 to get his truck out of the shop, and he’d pay her back $550.

Now, she’s out $1,300, but not out of advice for others who may come across Ridgeway.

“Don’t let him get your sympathy, because he will prey on your sympathy,” said the victim.

Ridgeway is 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs 160 pounds.

Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, or e-mail a tip in to http://www.midlandscrimestoppers.com. You can also text information in by texting “TIPSC” plus your message to CRIMES (274637). Either way you choose, your identity will remain anonymous, and you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Source:
Police Believe Man Preys on Elderly for Money

Preying On Elderly For Money

TX – Cayce police are searching for a man they believe is preying on the elderly in an effort to get money.

Officers are searching for 37-year-old James Lynell Ridgeway, Jr.

Investigators think Ridgeway took money in advance from at least one elderly victim, then did little or no work in return. Officers say the man offered to pressure wash a home and perform other maintenance.

Investigators warned the public not to enter into any agreements with Ridgeway.

Officers say he scammed a woman who doesn’t want to be identified. Investigators say Ridgeway pressure washed the woman’s home, but promised a number of other services that he did not provide.

On June 30th, the victim says Ridgeway knocked on her door around 7 p.m. with no shirt or shoes.

The elderly woman said: “He said, could you possibly let me clean your house, because I have two little children and I don’t have any work.”

She says he handed her a flyer and said he could do a number of home repairs, but he needed the money upfront.

“Right then, I was a bit suspicious, but I didn’t stop talking to him,” she said, “I was stupid enough to give him the money.”

But the victim did make him sign a contract and Ridgeway returned the next day with a helper to pressure wash the driveway and house.

“All the time, he was asking me for the money, his friend was out there working on the thing, so, I really didn’t have a reason to suspect he wasn’t going to do everything else,” said the victim.

But when she noticed the contracts were missing off her kitchen table one night, then she knew she’d been scammed.

The victim called the number on the flyer that had worked the day before, and she says it’d been disconnected. But Ridgeway called her, asking to borrow $400 to get his truck out of the shop, and he’d pay her back $550.

Now, she’s out $1,300, but not out of advice for others who may come across Ridgeway.

“Don’t let him get your sympathy, because he will prey on your sympathy,” said the victim.

Ridgeway is 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighs 160 pounds.

Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, or e-mail a tip in to http://www.midlandscrimestoppers.com. You can also text information in by texting “TIPSC” plus your message to CRIMES (274637). Either way you choose, your identity will remain anonymous, and you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Source:
Police Believe Man Preys on Elderly for Money

>Elderly Missing From Nursing Home

>

NM – Authorities continue to search for a 77-year-old man missing from a Las Cruces nursing home for over a week.

The family of Brayton Smoot is now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his safe return.

Police said Smoot walked away from the Golden Mesa Assisted Living Center around 6:30 p.m. on July 3. He is experiencing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and becomes confused.

Smoot is white with blue eyes and thick, grayish salt-and-pepper hair. He is six feet tall and weighs 185 lbs. He wears glasses and he was last seen wearing khaki pants, a plaid shirt and black boots.

Smoot’s daughter, Kathy Smoot, told ABC-7 that her father can respond to his name. She said he was last seen on July 6 on Doniphan in West El Paso when he talked to a police officer. New Mexico state police said Smoot has also reportedly been seen near the Hotel Encanto at Telshor/Foothills, at the corner of El Paseo and Idaho and at the Bridge of the Americas.

Kathy said she believes sudden hard times may have caused her father to leave the nursing home. His wife suffered a heart attack in June and is still being treated, and one of his sons died on July 3. The funeral for his son was Saturday.

Kathy says the family is heartbroken and desperately wants their father back.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Brayton Smoot is asked to call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at (575) 526-8000 or outside the Las Cruces area at 1-800-897-2746. You can also contact the Las Cruces Police Department at (575) 526-0795.

Source:
Elderly LC man still missing; family offers reward money

Elderly Missing From Nursing Home

NM – Authorities continue to search for a 77-year-old man missing from a Las Cruces nursing home for over a week.

The family of Brayton Smoot is now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his safe return.

Police said Smoot walked away from the Golden Mesa Assisted Living Center around 6:30 p.m. on July 3. He is experiencing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and becomes confused.

Smoot is white with blue eyes and thick, grayish salt-and-pepper hair. He is six feet tall and weighs 185 lbs. He wears glasses and he was last seen wearing khaki pants, a plaid shirt and black boots.

Smoot’s daughter, Kathy Smoot, told ABC-7 that her father can respond to his name. She said he was last seen on July 6 on Doniphan in West El Paso when he talked to a police officer. New Mexico state police said Smoot has also reportedly been seen near the Hotel Encanto at Telshor/Foothills, at the corner of El Paseo and Idaho and at the Bridge of the Americas.

Kathy said she believes sudden hard times may have caused her father to leave the nursing home. His wife suffered a heart attack in June and is still being treated, and one of his sons died on July 3. The funeral for his son was Saturday.

Kathy says the family is heartbroken and desperately wants their father back.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Brayton Smoot is asked to call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at (575) 526-8000 or outside the Las Cruces area at 1-800-897-2746. You can also contact the Las Cruces Police Department at (575) 526-0795.

Source:
Elderly LC man still missing; family offers reward money

Woman Accused of Victimizing an Elderly

CA – Bakersfield Police need help finding a woman accused of victimizing an elderly person.

Police say the suspect stole property, and money from the victim’s northeast Bakersfield home.

The suspect is 24-year-old Lauren Ruth Vance, the incident she’s wanted for stems from a burglary in April where authorities say Vance was familiar with the elderly victim, and cased the home prior to burglarizing it. Detective Mary DeGeare: “The elderly are more vulnerable, they come from a time period where they want to trust people.” It’s that trust police say may have been violated Vance allegedly broke into a home in April, stealing money, and property from an elderly resident.

DeGeare: “She knew them, she was familiar with their habits, with their assets, and waited until they were not home, and planned and participated in the burglary.”

Police say Vance is wanted for residential burglary, grand theft and financial elder abuse.

Sandy Morris, with the BPD’s crime prevention unit: “Financial abuse to an elder is financial suicide.”

Morris say in these types of situations, where the suspect knows the victim, then takes advantage of them, it can be especially damaging.

Morris: “If you and I get taken advantage of, we buy something that’s bogus and we have to recoup the money, we can go to work tomorrow and make it back. But a senior has no way of doing that.”

That’s why Morris says it’s important to keep a watchful eye on your elderly residents.

If you have any information on this case, or know the whereabouts of Lauren Vance, you are asked to call police at 327-7111.

Source:
Bakersfield police need help finding a woman accused of elder abuse

Woman Accused of Victimizing an Elderly

CA – Bakersfield Police need help finding a woman accused of victimizing an elderly person.

Police say the suspect stole property, and money from the victim’s northeast Bakersfield home.

The suspect is 24-year-old Lauren Ruth Vance, the incident she’s wanted for stems from a burglary in April where authorities say Vance was familiar with the elderly victim, and cased the home prior to burglarizing it. Detective Mary DeGeare: “The elderly are more vulnerable, they come from a time period where they want to trust people.” It’s that trust police say may have been violated Vance allegedly broke into a home in April, stealing money, and property from an elderly resident.

DeGeare: “She knew them, she was familiar with their habits, with their assets, and waited until they were not home, and planned and participated in the burglary.”

Police say Vance is wanted for residential burglary, grand theft and financial elder abuse.

Sandy Morris, with the BPD’s crime prevention unit: “Financial abuse to an elder is financial suicide.”

Morris say in these types of situations, where the suspect knows the victim, then takes advantage of them, it can be especially damaging.

Morris: “If you and I get taken advantage of, we buy something that’s bogus and we have to recoup the money, we can go to work tomorrow and make it back. But a senior has no way of doing that.”

That’s why Morris says it’s important to keep a watchful eye on your elderly residents.

If you have any information on this case, or know the whereabouts of Lauren Vance, you are asked to call police at 327-7111.

Source:
Bakersfield police need help finding a woman accused of elder abuse

>Woman Accused of Victimizing an Elderly

>

CA – Bakersfield Police need help finding a woman accused of victimizing an elderly person.

Police say the suspect stole property, and money from the victim’s northeast Bakersfield home.

The suspect is 24-year-old Lauren Ruth Vance, the incident she’s wanted for stems from a burglary in April where authorities say Vance was familiar with the elderly victim, and cased the home prior to burglarizing it. Detective Mary DeGeare: “The elderly are more vulnerable, they come from a time period where they want to trust people.” It’s that trust police say may have been violated Vance allegedly broke into a home in April, stealing money, and property from an elderly resident.

DeGeare: “She knew them, she was familiar with their habits, with their assets, and waited until they were not home, and planned and participated in the burglary.”

Police say Vance is wanted for residential burglary, grand theft and financial elder abuse.

Sandy Morris, with the BPD’s crime prevention unit: “Financial abuse to an elder is financial suicide.”

Morris say in these types of situations, where the suspect knows the victim, then takes advantage of them, it can be especially damaging.

Morris: “If you and I get taken advantage of, we buy something that’s bogus and we have to recoup the money, we can go to work tomorrow and make it back. But a senior has no way of doing that.”

That’s why Morris says it’s important to keep a watchful eye on your elderly residents.

If you have any information on this case, or know the whereabouts of Lauren Vance, you are asked to call police at 327-7111.

Source:
Bakersfield police need help finding a woman accused of elder abuse