By Brian Smith
Police charged a N. Second Street man with receiving stolen property and two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card Tuesday in connection with a purse stolen from outside the Hall of Justice.
Joshua Sizemore, 31, was charged in connection with the Jan. 13 theft of a purse from a vehicle parked near the Madison Hall of Justice, which houses Madison District Court.
According to Richmond Police Department spokesman Sgt. Willard Reardon, the purse contained a number of items including a debit card, which a man later identified as Sizemore used to purchase cigarettes at a Redi Mart.
Reardon said a man and woman later attempted to use the card at Walmart to purchase $400 of merchandise, but the cashier became suspicious and the couple fled without the card.
Sizemore was interviewed by police Monday and charged, Reardon said.
Robberies
A pair of home invasion-style robberies also are under investigation, Reardon said.
One robbery took place Friday at a room at the La Quinta Inn. Reardon said the victim told police an acquaintance from Richmond had traveled to Florida to bring her and two friends to Richmond.
While the group from Florida was at the motel, the acquaintance knocked on the door and when it opened, two men brandishing knives burst in and demanded money.
The robbers and the acquaintance left with $250 in cash, Reardon said, and were gone when police arrived. No injuries were reported.
The second robbery happened Monday afternoon at an apartment in the 100 block of Boggs Lane.
The victim told police she heard a knock at the door, told the visitor to enter and was confronted by two white males armed with a handgun, Reardon said.
The men took the victim’s purse, which Reardon said contained $130 in cash, three bottles of prescription medication and personal identification.
The suspects fled in a silver Chevrolet Corsica sedan, the victim told police.
Other crimes
• A burglar who broke into a home in the 500 block of N. Madison Avenue on Saturday took numerous items, vandalized the home and strangled the resident’s dog.
The victim told police a rear window was broken to gain entry, and police were still compiling a complete list of the stolen items. The incident remains under investigation.
• Two residents in the 100 block of Oakland Avenue were the victims of break-ins over the past week. The first break-in was reported Jan. 14 at a storage building behind a home.
The stolen items included four 26-inch passenger car wheels, three 15-inch Kicker speakers, a CD player and 200 to 300 CDs, all valued at $5,120.
Another residence was burglarized Tuesday when the rear door of the home was forced open. Reported stolen were an XBox 360 video game console, a Kodak digital camera and a backpack, all valued at $705.
• Electronics and watches were reported stolen Monday from a home in the 1000 block of Altamont Street.
A 36-inch Vizio flat-screen television, a Sony PlayStation 3 video game console, an XBox 360 video game console and five watches, all valued at $1,900, were reported missing.
• A safe was reported stolen Jan. 14 from a home in the 100 block of Holly Street. Police found no signs of forced entry, but a safe containing $250 in cash, prescription medication and personal papers was taken.
• An apartment in the 100 block of Willis Manor Drive was broken into on Saturday evening, and a 32-inch Vizio flat-screen television, an XBox 360 and a green hookah pipe were reported stolen. The items were valued at $708, and police found no signs of forced entry.
• A Benelli 12-gauge shotgun valued at $600 was reported stolen Saturday from a home in the 100 block of Smith-Ballard Street.
• A $1,500 diamond solitaire ring and some prescription medication was reported stolen Friday by the resident of an apartment in the 900 block of Spanish Grove Drive.
The 3/4-carat round diamond was mounted on a size 6 gold band in a six-prong setting, the victim told police.
• A Magellan GPS unit valued at $200 was stolen Friday from a car parked outside an apartment in the 200 block of Keystone Drive. Police found no signs of forced entry.
• Two Rockford Fosgate subwoofers, a 1,000-watt Kenwood amplifier and a North Face jacket were reported stolen Jan. 14 from a vehicle parked outside an apartment in the 300 block of Kristin Drive. The items were valued at $430.
• A pair of checkbooks and a Sony GPS unit were stolen Jan. 14 from a vehicle parked outside an apartment in the 400 block of Jason Drive. The items were valued at $301.
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Richmond Police Department at 623-1162 or 623-8911.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
