Pickpocketing duo targeting Hobby Lobby customers
An attractive young couple is wanted for a series of thefts at Hobby Lobby stores in Georgia and Florida.
The serial pickpockets last struck on Oct. 17 at the Douglasville Hobby Lobby, pilfering credit cards from an unsuspecting customer and charging $5,000 on electronics and other items, said Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sean Williams, adding he knows of five similar robberies in the two states.
“Usually, the female suspect distracts usually an older, female customer and the male swipes the wallet,” Williams said.
In the Oct. 17 incident, the thieves charged nearly $3,000 on the woman’s credit cards for iPads and gift cards within 10 minutes of the robbery, Williams said. The other charges followed within 20 minutes.
The thefts, which stretch back to 2011, have been limited to Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts retailer with stores across the nation, Williams said. The Douglasville location doesn’t employ any security personnel, making it attractive to the pickpockets, he said.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
