Oxnard Pair Held After Purse Stolen

A feisty Ventura woman whose purse was stolen at a local grocery store and several witnesses helped police catch two suspected thieves Wednesday afternoon.

Ventura police arrested 34-year-old Keri Kolmer and 33-year-old Ryan Collins, both of Oxnard, after the pair allegedly grabbed the purse of a 37-year-old Ventura resident who was shopping at the Vons on Telegraph Road, Sgt. Randy Janes said. Police did not release the victim’s name.

While Collins allegedly waited in a getaway car, Kolmer went into the store, bumped into the victim and grabbed her purse, Janes said. With the victim in pursuit, Kolmer ran for the waiting car as the woman tried to get her purse back, Janes said.

As the car sped off, it ran over the victim’s foot, but she was not seriously injured, Janes said.

A Vons employee who witnessed the robbery took down the license number and phoned police, who arrested the suspects a short time later.

“The neat thing about this was the witness involvement,” Janes said. “That really helped us get these people.”

Kolmer is being held in Ventura County Jail on robbery charges. Her bail is set at $50,000, a jail spokeswoman said. Collins is being held on charges of driving under the influence of a controlled substance. His bail is set at $5,000, she said.