Publix purse thief caught, arrested for grand theft

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Police identified and arrested a woman after sharing surveillance photos of her stealing a woman’s purse from a Publix last week.

MORE: Suspect steals purse from Publix shopping cart in Cape Coral

November 29, around 3:39 p.m., police responded to the theft call at the Publix located at 1735 NE Pine Island Road in Cape Coral.

Jean Lauren Juliano, 37, photo courtesy of LCSO.

A woman says she left her purse in a shopping cart by accident. When she realized she left her purse, she immediately walked back into the store to get it but both the purse and the cart were gone, police said.

Surveillance video showed another woman walk into the store, select the cart with the purse and take it inside, walking around for a few minutes.

Police say the video then showed the suspect going into the restroom and then exiting the store without buying anything, with the purse still in the cart.

Police released the surveillance photos and were able to identify her after receiving “numerous” tips from the community.

Detectives confirmed her identity and located Jean Lauren Juliano, 37, on Pine Island Rd. Juliano was arrested based on evidence from the surveillance video and through the investigation and faces grand theft charges.

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