Roanoke Police arrest wallet thief suspect

6:10 p.m.

“That’s my life, my driver’s license, my insurance, my money, everything,” said shopper Sandra Loback.

It’s what just about everyone is talking about at the Towers Kroger, pocketbooks.  Women are holding on, clutching their purses tighter than ever.

“I put it in the back of the basket but I keep my hand through it because I’m afraid somebody will take it,” said shopper Linda Basham.

And somebody did.  In the last month, police say a man has been distracting elderly women and stealing their wallets at Kroger stores in Salem and Roanoke.  Some of the thefts happened inside the store and some in the parking lot.

Saturday Roanoke City Police arrested Mark Anthony Johnson at a home in the 700 block of Harrison Avenue.  He was charged with seven counts of felony larceny, four counts in Salem and three counts in Roanoke City.
   
While the suspect has been picked up, its lessons learned for some shoppers.  Linda Basham says she’s seen other women get distracted easily.

“I’ve seen people in other stores just walk off and go down an aisle and leave their bags. And I’ll watch it and tell them to please not do that,” said Basham.
   
Sandra Loback says she’s guilty of not paying enough attention to her belongings.   

“I try to find a place up there where I’m close by, but still I throw my pocketbook in the car and the door is still open.  The pocketbook kind of gets left behind.  So it would have been easy for them to take mine,” said Loback.
   
She says for now on, she’ll be keeping one eye on her groceries and the other on her purse.

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12:50 p.m.

From Jarett Henshaw, in the field
WSLS Digital Journalist

Roanoke City Police say they’ve arrested the man both they and Salem Police believe stole wallets from elderly women at Roanoke Valley Kroger stores.

Officers arrested Mark Anthony Johnson on Harrison Avenue.  He faces multiple charges in both Roanoke and Salem.

I’ll have more on what led to Johnson’s arrest tonight on WSLS at 6:00 p.m.