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Woman accused stealing purse and hiring taxi to Le Roy where she made purchases

By Howard B. Owens

A 26-year-old woman who recently relocated from Florida to Le Roy was arrested today, accused of stealing a purse from a local business and then using debit and credit cards to make purchases at local stores.

Maria A. Matos was taken into custody after an employee of a retail store in Le Roy became suspicious of a woman who was carrying multiple credit and debit cards and so contacted authorities.

The employee said the woman left in a local taxi and Le Roy PD began a search for the cab.

When located on Route 5 in Stafford, the taxi had no passenger and the driver said he had dropped off a woman at a business on Lake Street because she admitted she didn't have cash for the fare.

That led police to the residence of Matos, who was staying in a boarding house on Lake Street.

According to Le Roy PD, Matos was allegedly found in possession of two stolen credit cards and the identification of a Medina resident.

Numerous items purchased with the allegedly stolen cards were also found in the room.

About this time, Batavia PD received a report of a purse being stolen from an office in Batavia.

Police accuse Matos of allegedly stealing the purse and then securing a taxi ride to Le Roy, where she used the stolen credit cards.

Matos was arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of identity theft, two counts of unlawful possession of personal identification, two counts of petit larceny and one count of theft of services (for allegedly not paying for taxi fare).

Following arraignment, Matos was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Further charges are pending in Batavia.

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