KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — One alleged member of an organized group of well-dressed pick-pockets has been arrested by Portage Police and others are being sought.
They have been preying on the patrons of restaurants in Kalamazoo and Portage since late last year, snatching wallets out of purses and coats draped over the backs of chairs.
41-year-old Melanie Pickard is being held in the Kalamazoo County Jail on $25-thousand bond for Identity Theft.
Investigators say they quickly hand off the credit cards to accomplices who rush out and use them to buy gift cards or merchandise before the victim even knows they have been stolen.
Some police agencies believed they may be working the I-94 corridor through west Michigan. Police are telling folks not to keep their cash and credit cards together and watch their wallets.
