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Purse snatcher injures elderly Clearwater woman

 
Published Jan. 1, 1999|Updated Sept. 28, 2005

An elderly Clearwater woman sustained minor injuries Thursday when a purse snatcher knocked her down as she was leaving church.

Police spokesman Wayne Shelor said Elizabeth Smith, 82, was treated by paramedics at the scene. Smith and her husband walked out of St. Cecelia Catholic Church at 820 Jasmine Way about 9 a.m. when a man stopped them and asked for directions to the church office. After they spoke, the Smiths continued to walk toward their house a few blocks away. The man came up behind them, grabbed her purse and knocked her to the ground. He escaped with a small amount of cash.

He was described as black, in his late 20s to early 30s, 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, with close-cropped hair. He was wearing light blue pants and a dark blue jacket.