A Longmont couple’s hankering for pizza led police to arrest them as suspects in purse snatchings of at least two women.
Carlos Hernandez-Flores, 26, and Vanessa Valdivia, 22, of Longmont were arrested Sunday as suspects in two purse snatchings, Longmont police said today in a news release.
Investigators had limited leads from the Jan. 8 and Feb. 26 incidents, but the suspects used victims’ credit cards to order pizza deliveries to an address on the 1300 block of Vivian Street, police said.
Local pizzerias, including a Dominos, Pizza Hut, and Black Jack Pizza, helped investigators gain additional leads, police said.
On Sunday, Officer Daniel Kilian spotted a suspect vehicle in the case. He connected the vehicle to the suspects, interviewed and arrested them, police said.
One of the victims in the purse snatchings was a 92-year-old woman, the other was 58, police said.
In both cases, the women were putting groceries into their cars when the purse snatcher, a man, grabbed their purses and ran to a waiting car.
The 92-year-old victim was parked in a handicapped spot when her purse was taken.
On Wednesday, police took a complaint from a citizen about an empty gas can being thrown from a vehicle in Longmont. The report on that incident also helped investigators zero in on the suspects, police said.
The couple were cooperative with police when they were arrested Sunday at 116 E. 6th Ave., police said.
They are being charged with robbery of an at-risk adult, identity theft, and theft over $500, among other charges, police said.
The pair is being held at the Boulder County Jail.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
