PHOTOS: Two steal purse left on Cedar Rapids bus by special-needs woman

Cedar Rapids police are asking the public for help to identify two people they say stole a purse left behind on a city bus.

The purse was left behind on Dec. 11 when a 23-year-old female with special needs got off a bus near Lindale Mall. According to police, the woman was on her way home from her job at Goodwill around 4:15 p.m. but got off at the stop near Lindale when she realized she had gotten on the wrong bus.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said a male and female who were also on the bus took the purse. Around 6 p.m., the same two passengers used the victim's credit card at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Marion, police said.

Police reviewed surveillance video and on Wednesday released three images from the bus that match images from the Wal-Mart where the credit card was used.

“The two people on the bus who stole it knew that she was special needs,” Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said. “They waited until others weren't around to take the purse.”

It appears from the video that a younger black male tries to talk the pair out of taking the purse, Hamblin said. She said officers would like to speak to him, if possible.

The white female suspect, who appears to be in her 20s, has brown hair and was wearing a white jacket with a dark-colored swirl pattern on it. The white male suspect has brown hair but is balding on top, with a small patch of hair at the front of his head. He may also have a goatee. He was wearing a black jacket and black stocking hat.

When the pair left the Marion Wal-Mart, they got into a white sport-utility vehicle, police said.

Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has more information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-CR-CRIME or the police department investigative bureau at (319) 286-5400. Callers who supply information that leads to an arrest will be eligible for a reward through CrimeStoppers.

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