Purse Snatching / Arrest

On Thursday, September 25, 2008 the Martinsburg Police Department received a complaint of a purse snatching at the Martinsburg Mall located at 800 Foxcroft Avenue. Officers responded to the scene and relayed information for a be-on-the-lookout for a green Ford Mustang being operated by a black male. The 57 year-old female victim from Winchester reported she had just arrived at the mall and parked in front of Bon Ton. As she was walking to the entrance she heard someone running and the individual yelled “Hey, hey!” The victim turned around thinking it was someone she knew and the suspect forcefully grabbed the purse from her arm. The suspect fled the scene in the Mustang and the police were called. The Berkeley County Sheriff Department located a suspect and vehicle matching the description given. The investigation resulted in the purse belonging to the victim being located within the vehicle found by the sheriffs department on Kaufman Avenue. The driver and sole occupant of the Mustang, Matthew Lonelle Brown, 25 years of age, of 616 North Queen Street, Martinsburg stated he had found the purse on Mall Drive. Brown was subsequently arrested and charged with the felony charge of Aggravated Robbery. Brown was incarcerated in the Eastern Regional Jail to await arraignment by a Berkeley County Magistrate.