Cape man accused of purse snatching
A Cape Coral man on probation for drug possession was jailed Saturday after a Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted him soon after a purse snatching at Island Park Publix.
Michael Phillip Doster, 24, 903 SE 34th St., was charged with grand theft, driving while license is suspended/habitual offender and driving in violation of license restrictions.
He has several arrests in Lee County including possession of heroin, previous driving while license is suspended, shoplifting and failure to register as a felon.
According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report:
A woman told deputies she was loading groceries into her vehicle when a dark Dodge Dakota approached her nearly hitting other people in the parking lot.
The Dodge pulled up near her cart, a man reached out of the driver’s seat and snatched the purse from the seat of the cart.
The victim “stated the vehicle then sped off nearly hitting her grandson.” The purse contained an undisclosed amount of cash, a cell phone, wallet and several credit cards.
The victim’s daughter told deputies she was near the passenger seat when she heard her mother scream, saw the man grab the purse and the vehicle leave the parking lot. Two other witnesses saw portions of the incident.
A deputy saw the vehicle in the area of Phlox Drive and Alico Road, going east on Alico. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but it made a U-turn going west on Alico then again and headed back west on Alico before stopping abruptly in the area of Capri Drive. A woman also was inside the truck and asked: “Am I in trouble for taking that purse?” She was not arrested.
All the witnesses identified the man.
The man, identified as Doster, and the woman both made statements to deputies, but the information was blacked out from the report.
In addition to the charges he was arrested for, he faces numerous traffic citations.