Wawarsing Woman Stole Wallet from Walmart Shopper, Police Say

A local woman is accused of stealing a wallet from another person while both shopped at Walmart.

On March 30, 2016, a women reported her wallet was stolen while she shopped at a Walmart in Napanoch. State Police at Ellenville reviewed the surveillance footage and were able to see an unknown woman removing the victim’s wallet from a shopping cart.

As the investigation continued police identified the suspect at 55-year-old Maria Martinez of Wawarsing. Further investigation revealed that Martinez allegedly removed cash from the wallet and tossed the wallet and its contents into a nearby stream to prevent further identification.

On Thursday, police arrested Martinez for tampering with physical evidence, a felony, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor.

Martinez was released on an Appearance Ticket returnable to the Town of Wawarsing Court on May 20.