Man arrested in purse snatching

STATELINE - A man accused of grabbing a 70-year-old woman's purse while she was at a slot machine will spend Christmas in jail.

Steven Little, 30, of Reno, was arrested Wednesday for robbery and abuse of a senior in South Lake Tahoe.

According to Sgt. Tom Mezzetta of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the woman had her purse across her chest with the straps wrapped around her arms when a man ran past her and grabbed the purse, pulling her from the seat at about 10:35 a.m.

The woman told authorities that she felt the purse come loose as she tumbled, but managed to land on her feet.

She chased the man out the door and west on the sidewalk along Highway 50 into South Lake Tahoe, where a jogger joined the chase. The alleged thief dropped the purse and his jacket during the chase.

The woman recovered the purse, but said $500 was missing.

The jogger contacted South Lake Tahoe Police and told them he saw the man run into the Best Tahoe West motel.

Police spotted the man trying to climb out of a window on the second floor of the motel and arrested him.

Little was identified by the jogger and $500 was found in his possession.

The money was taken as evidence and later returned to the woman. Douglas County will seek extradition from South Lake Tahoe, according to Mezzetta.