Thief nabs Kincade Fire evacuee’s bag as she eats at restaurant, California cops say
A California woman fleeing fires raging north of San Francisco Bay was eating at a restaurant in Fairfield Monday when her bag was stolen, according to local authorities.
The woman was on her way to a temporary residence after she was evacuated from her North Bay home, Fairfield police said in a news release Tuesday.
Police said the bag held “all the items she was able to take with her when she was evacuated,” and that it was snatched “when she was not looking.” The Marin County woman and her family were fleeing the Kincade Fire, according to Bay City News Service.
Management at the restaurant helped the woman by combing through video footage, which showed a suspect stealing her bag, according to police.
The woman reached out to police to file a report, then returned to the restaurant to leave her information in case the bag turned up. That’s when the woman and management spotted the man who had stolen her bag, according to police.
The woman called police, who responded to the scene and discovered a bag matching the description of the evacuee’s bag, according to police.
The woman confirmed it was her bag — “and luckily, all of her items were still inside,” police said.
Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen said the bag held her laptop, checking account information and more, Bay City News Service reports.
The suspect, 59-year-old Shawn Spontini of Fairfield, was booked at the Solano County Jail on charges of felony theft, as well as on four outstanding warrants, according to police.
“Even though it seems everything is coming apart with the fires, winds and power outages, it’s times like this that show we can all come together to make things right,” police said. “We would like to thank the victim for reaching out to us, the restaurant management for quickly reviewing the video and everyone working together to get the property back.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Thief nabs Kincade Fire evacuee’s bag as she eats at restaurant, California cops say."
