A 45-year-old Wildwood man is serving a six-month jail sentence in connection with a purse snatching last year at a thrift shop in Wildwood.
The purse had been stolen from a 67-year-old woman on May 13, 2016 outside the Bargains & Blessings thrift shop on Main Street in Wildwood.
The woman had walked to her car in the parking lot, carrying a basket she had purchased in the thrift shop. Her purse was strapped to her wrist. As she was placing the basket in her car, Eugene Dixon came up behind her and suddenly snatched her purse which contained cash, credit cards, a diamond ring and a Galaxy 5 cell phone.
He admitted to police he had taken the purse. He said he kept $30 in cash and discarded the purse not long after taking it. He told police the robbery had not been planned, but rather it was an impulsive act.
On May 31, he entered a plea of not contest in Sumter County Court to a charge of robbery. He was sentenced to six months in jail and has been placed on three years probation. He also has been ordered to perform 75 hours of community service.
