For the second time less than a week, a purse snatcher preyed upon an unsuspecting woman as she entered a Nicholasville chain store. Only this time, Nicholasville police made an arrest.
James “Colton” Mahan, 22, has been charged with second-degree robbery for allegedly stealing the woman’s purse off her shoulder as she walked through Kroger parking lot off South Main Street on Sunday.
According to a news release, officers chased Mahan and eventually found him hiding inside someone’s backyard storage building.
In addition to the robbery charge, Mahan was also charged with fleeing and evading, third-degree burglary, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence.
According to police, Mahan may also be responsible for two other purse-snatching incidents in the Walmart parking lot on May 17 and May 19.
The May 17 incident in the Walmart parking lot send an 84-year-old woman to the hospital with a broken hip.
According to a news release on Friday, the man involved in Thursday’s incident was described as a white male, standing 5 feet 10 inches to six feet one inch tall with a thin build. Witnesses said the man had light brown or blond hair and was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and work boots.
According to Harvey, a man swiped another purse in Walmart’s parking lot on Saturday.
“It was a real similar situation, and he fit the description of the man from Thursday,” Nicholasville police Sgt. Scott Harvey said.
Neither the victim on Saturday or Sunday were injured, Harvey said.
According to the news release, police are continuing to investigate those incidents, and more charges against Mahan are possible.
