Police Charge Brooklyn Park Man in 2 Thefts

Police said they arrested a Brooklyn Park man early Tuesday morning in connection with a purse snatching and a theft from a Glen Burnie Walgreens.

George Nicholas Kuespert, 39, of the 600 block of Sunset Strip in Brooklyn Park, was charged with robbery, second-degree assault and theft under $1,000, police said.

According to a police press release, officers responded to the 7900 block of Crain Highway South at about 4 p.m. Monday for a reported purse snatching.

Police said a man knocked a 65-year-old woman to the ground, pulling her several feet before stealing her purse. The man then fled the scene in a silver-colored Mitsubishi Eclipse, according to witness accounts.

Then at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to an incident at the Walgreens located in the 6700 block of Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie.

Police said a suspect was making a purchase when he reached across the counter and grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. The suspect fled the scene and was seen heading south on Ritchie Highway in a silver-colored Mitsubishi Eclipse, police said.

Responding officers saw the suspect pull into the Mobil gas station located in the 7200 block of Ritchie Highway and apprehended him, noting that he matched the description of the suspect in the purse snatching the previous afternoon, according to the news release.

Police said officers recovered money taken from Walgreens from Kuespert as well as personal items belonging to the woman whose purse was stolen.

Police found the woman's purse inside the Eclipse and the majority of her belongings were recovered from either the car or Kuespert, according to the news release.