Tulsa World: Retirees get wise to thief

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Retirees get wise to thief

By T.J. GREANEY McClatchy News Services
Published: 3/22/2009 3:48 AM
Last Modified: 3/22/2009 4:36 AM

In the fall, Joyce Smith of Centralia, Mo., began getting mysterious visits from an unknown woman. The mystery visitor was cradling an infant, and she looked much younger than anyone in the Sunset Gardens retirement community. She claimed to be looking for a home for her grandmother.

"She asked: 'Could she walk through the apartment just to look at it?' " Smith, 59, said. "And I complied. It seemed totally natural. She seemed pleasant."

The woman returned two times in the coming months, each time making small talk before asking to use the bathroom.

The last time the woman left, Smith drove her motorized scooter around the home to inspect it and discovered nearly all 30 pills of her painkiller Vicodin were missing.

Smith called police and told the apartment's management about it.

In coming weeks the incident appeared in the community newsletter. The residents also saw a talk about avoiding being victimized.

On Monday, the mystery woman returned, but Sunset Gardens residents were prepared.

This time, the woman showed up without a baby. After trying unsuccessfully to enter a neighbor's apartment, the visitor left and headed straight for Smith's apartment. The neighbor called Smith on her cell phone to alert her.

When the visiting woman asked to use Smith's bathroom, Smith agreed, then rushed outdoors to call police. But police were already arriving; her neighbor had called them.

"This was a joint effort," Smith said of the suspect's arrest. "All of us were on the watch for this woman." By T.J. GREANEY McClatchy News Services

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	Report Comment Tony G, Tulsa (3/22/2009 4:58:04 AM) Its really sad what addiction to drugs can make people do. Prosecute her to the fullest extent of the law--but force her into rehab before she is released.
	Report Comment CPT Ron, Lawton (3/22/2009 8:17:01 AM) Well, she needed her painkiller Vicodin. At least she was not robbing pharmacies to get it. The victim was probably paying $10.00 copay on her medical insurance for a 90 day supply, so this is minor theft. And she had permission to be in the apartment, so there is no breaking and entering. This is a misdeameaner that merits reimbursement only. No jail time for a misdemeaner. Any objections?
	Report Comment me, (3/22/2009 8:36:36 AM) CPT Ron,I object you moron.
	Report Comment CWG, Tulsa (3/22/2009 8:54:55 AM) The old lady needed her painkiller too, CPT Ron, that is why she paid her copay.Perhaps she should be locked up for letting the thief in.
	Report Comment seymore1965, Tulsa (3/22/2009 9:23:23 AM) CPT Ron, simply put the victim's medication isn't the thief's medication and has no right to steal it.
	Report Comment HarleyRyder55, Tulsa (3/22/2009 9:26:09 AM) The focus is not what was stolen, but the fact she was there to STEAL, period. The pain meds could have just been handy. All too often things that are easy to steal and sell, such as prescription pain meds, are stolen and sold to support a bigger addiction such as to meth or crack cocaine. Would anyone consider THOSE minor? A thief is a thief. Hats off to the residents of that retirement community for having an effective neighborhood watch.
	Report Comment MATTP, TULSA (3/22/2009 10:15:55 AM) so whose baby was this thief walking around with? what would have happened to the baby if this b!#$h had been caught when she had the baby? i am glad the seniors were ready for her. i feel bad for the lady getting ripped off. i'm sure it is very hard to come up with a co-pay when you are on a fixed income. lock this piece of crap up for theft and indangering a child!
	Report Comment TulGal, Tulsa (3/22/2009 12:02:11 PM) CPT Ron--I usually agree with you, but I'll bet this will be more than a misdemeanor--she supposedly was stealing a controlled drug, but primarily because she had a child with her when this happened. Oh, another time I questioned your reasoning was when you said the young man who threw something off of an overpass onto the highway below was guilty of attempted murder, but the man shooting at his wife in Oklahoma City was not.
	Report Comment okie ridgerunner, small town (3/22/2009 3:02:00 PM) Anative Tulsan, I agree with. you said it right.
	Report Comment T.B'Ville, Bartlesville (3/23/2009 2:18:59 PM) North Tulsa could learn something from this group of old folks.
	Report Comment Twilight in Paris, near the water in SE OK (3/23/2009 4:54:37 PM) Good for them for being prepared this time! It's no wonder people who are addicted to pills resort to stealing. At $80 for an 80mg Oxy, pain pill addiction is fast becoming a very expensive habit. Put her in jail and then send her to rehab, maybe she can turn her life around.
	Report Comment tulsa_common_sense, tulsa (3/23/2009 6:08:58 PM) sorry to say but this is not just a minor theft. if i remember correctly vic is a controlled substance isnt it? and if it is then most likely this is a major possession charge. or it would be if it was a minority like a mexican or black person.

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