Community crackdown on theft ring results in arrest of Sacramento woman
Elizabeth Simmons arrest photo
SACRAMENTO — This past Sunday, local community members cooperated with the Folsom Police department to catch a woman who went into Trader Joe’s, not to buy organic produce, but to steal wallets and instead took the express checkout to jail.
On Sunday, February 26, Folsom Police Officers arrested Elizabeth Simmons, 37, from Sacramento at the Trader Joe’s on 850 East Bidwell Street in Folsom for multiple crimes including theft and identity theft.
Simmons is no stranger to the authorities in Folsom, nor the state at large. As a matter of fact, police say there are dozens of cases involving Simmons all over California. They allege that she is part of a larger operation, a large ring of thieves who specialize in identity theft and are working hard to identify the other members of the group.
“Over the past couple of years, Simmons continued to steal wallets out of unsuspecting victim’s shopping carts while at Trader Joe’s before using the victim’s credit cards to purchase gift cards. We knew she would be back so we took a proactive approach and reached out to Trader Joe’s,” said Det. Wells of the Folsom Police Department.
It didn’t take long for Detective Wells’ assumptions to be proven correct as Sunday evening an employee working away at the grocery chain contacted police to inform them that Simmons was inside the store, and she wasn’t there for the free samples.
Police arrived on the scene promptly and arrested Simmons.
Det. Wells went on to say, “This is a great reminder to always keep an eye on your belongings while shopping. Simmons was incredibly fast and would steal the wallets in a matter of seconds. We are very grateful to Trader Joe’s, the employee who called, and the quick response from Patrol.”
This is a fantastic example of what can happen when would be victims cooperate with the local police to identify criminals and clean up their respective communities.
Simmons is currently being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on seven felony warrants totaling $735,000.
