Eureka Police are seeking charges against two women from California who investigators believe worked together to steal cash and credit and debit cards from a purse that was stored in a locker at the Timbers of Eureka, 1 Coffey Park Lane. One suspect allegedly attempted to use a stolen credit card at the Best Buy store in Chesterfield, police reported.
A 56-year-old Pacific woman reported the theft at about 1:35 p.m. April 28. She arrived at the Timbers at about 11:20 a.m. that day, and she had stored her purse in a locked locker in the women’s locker room, the report said.
She told investigators she thought the lock fell off when she unlocked it, but she did not notice anything disturbed in the locker. She left the Timbers at about 12:30 p.m., and when she went to make a purchase at a nearby store, she discovered her credit card was missing, according to the report.
The woman also said when she looked through her purse, she discovered $470 in cash and her debit card also was stolen. She said at about 12:55 p.m., she received an alert that someone had attempted to use her credit card to make a $1,500 purchase at Best Buy, the report said.
The purchase at Best Buy was declined, police reported.
When Eureka Police reviewed surveillance, investigators saw a woman, who was later identified as a 40-year-old Irving, Calif., woman, go in and out of the locker room during the time the alleged victim had her money and cards stolen. They also saw a different woman, who also was identified as a 40-year-old Irving, Calif., woman, who appeared to be acting as a lookout outside of the locker room, the report said.
The same two women were then seen in surveillance video meeting up with each other outside of the Timbers. They are then seen getting into a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe together and leaving the area, according to the report.
The Santa Fe is seen in surveillance near the Best Buy in Chesterfield, and the woman, who appeared to be acting as a lookout, allegedly was seen in the electronic store’s surveillance video attempting to make a purchase with the stolen credit card, the report said.
On May 2, the Santa Fe was stopped by police in Maywood, N.J., and the two women seen in surveillance at the Timbers and Best Buy were in the SUV. The women were not arrested, but they were identified by police, who reported their findings to the Eureka Police, according to the report.
Eureka Police will seek charges against the woman who allegedly was seen entering and exiting the locker room through the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for felony stealing of a credit card and stealing less than $500, Lt. Michael Tapp said.
He also said the Eureka Police will seek a charge against the woman who allegedly was seen attempting to use the credit card through the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for fraudulent of a credit card device.
As of Monday, the women had not been arrested, and the stolen money and cards had not been recovered, Tapp said.