2 face charges in purse thefts

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Gertrude P. Gastaldo

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Frank J. Karcher III

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Two people accused in a string of purse thefts from local stores were in court Tuesday for arraignment.

Gertrude P. Gastaldo, 48, of Struthers, faces three counts of felony theft, and Frank J. Karcher III, 45, of Struthers, faces three counts of felony complicity to theft. Neither entered a plea.

Bond for Gastaldo was set at $2,500 on each count; she’ll be back in court on Thursday.

Karcher’s bond also was set at $2,500 on each count; he returns to court Tuesday.

Police said the two were arrested Friday afternoon and that they believe they are responsible for a theft and attempted theft of purses at Aldi on South Avenue and Marc’s on Tiffany Boulevard last week.

Last Wednesday, officers were called to Aldi, 6131 South Ave., around 8 p.m. when a woman tried to steal a 24-year-old Struthers woman’s purse. Reports stated that a store employee struggled with the suspect and retrieved the purse, but the suspect fled to the passenger seat of a Ford pickup truck, which Karcher is accused of driving.

Police said the suspect was described as a tall woman wearing a purple coat and purple fuzzy hat. Twenty minutes later, a 51-year-old Pennsylvania woman reported the same female suspect snatched her purse while she was shopping at Marc’s, 7121 Tiffany Blvd., according to reports.

Gastaldo and Karcher also face charges stemming from a January purse theft at the same Aldi store.