TURLOCK: Arrest made in robbery of elderly woman

A Turlock woman was arrested Monday on suspicion of knocking down an 88-year-old woman and stealing her purse earlier this month.

The incident occurred the afternoon of Nov. 13 when the suspect grabbed the woman’s purse as she was walking up to the Olive Garden on Countryside Drive for lunch, according to police officer Mayra Lewis.

The victim suffered minor injuries from being knocked to the ground and was taken to the hospital.

A man who witnessed the strong-arm robbery was able to take note of a partial license plate number of the Mercury Grand Marquis in which the suspect left the scene, Lewis said.

A week later an officer saw the Mercury on West Main Street and pulled it over.

The driver, 20-year-old Monica Menchaca, was arrested for an unrelated misdemeanor warrant, Lewis said.

Later, Menchaca was identified in a photo lineup as the suspect in the robbery. She no longer was in jail at that point, but officers found her Monday when they responded to a report of a verbal dispute between her and another woman at First and D streets, Lewis said.

Menchaca was arrested on suspicion of robbery and elder abuse.

This story was originally published November 25, 2014 at 6:06 PM with the headline "TURLOCK: Arrest made in robbery of elderly woman."