Man charged in purse snatching, theft

A Brooklyn Park man was charged Tuesday in connection to a purse snatching and a theft that occurred within 12 hours in Glen Burnie.

County police were called to the 7900 block of S. Crain Highway around 4 p.m. Monday, where a 65-year-old woman said a man knocked her to the ground and pulled her several feet in a struggle to take her purse. After the man was able to free the purse from her grasp, he fled in a Mitsubishi Eclipse, police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said.

The woman suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, police were called to the Walgreens in the 6700 block of Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park, where employees said a man grabbed money from the cash register after making a purchase and then fled in a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

Officers located a car matching the description at a gas station in 7200 block of Ritchie Highway. Officers detained the driver George Kuespert, 39, of the 600 block of Sunset Strip.

Kuespert matched the description of the suspects in both incidents. Police recovered money that was returned to Walgreens. Inside the vehicle, police located the woman's purse, as well, as the majority of her property that was taken Mulcahy said.

Kuespert was charged with robbery, second-degree assault and theft under $1,000, according to online court records.