Police seek clues to theft and assault

Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Graffiti has spread around the downtown.

Greencastle police are looking for three males accused of assaulting a woman in the downtown area Tuesday morning after trying to break into her car.

The victim, who police declined to identify, said she was in the pawn store at the corner Vine and Washington at around 10:30 a.m. when she heard her car alarm going off. She went outside to find a man, who she described as a hispanic or Puerto Rican male, attempting to break into her vehicle.

Greencastle Det. Randy Seipel told the BannerGraphic that the woman confronted the man and as she was doing this, two more men approached her from behind.

The woman told police she was assaulted by the two men and that they grabbed her purse and ran into the alleyway between Eitel's Flowers and Gifts and the Masonic Lodge on Vine Street.

Seipel said the woman continued to chase the men for a distance, but she couldn't catch them. She did, however, find her purse lying in the alley. The men allegedly stole several items out of the purse before dropping it on the ground.

Seipel said the woman went home because she didn't know what to do and later reported it to police. She complained of face and abdominal pain which were attributed to the altercation with the men.

Seipel said the police went to the scene Tuesday afternoon and interviewed business owners in the area, but no one reported seeing anything.

The woman, however, told police there were a number of people in the street who witnessed the attack, but no one tried to help.

"We encourage anyone who saw anything to call the police department," Seipel said.

The first suspect is described as a hispanic male, between 5 feet-4 inches tall and 5 feet-6 inches tall. He was wearing brown corduroy pants and a blue hooded sweatshirt with the initials P.U. on the front.

The second suspect is described as a taller white male with dark, bushy hair, wearing blue jeans and black boots.

The third male is also described as white and was wearing a black, hooded coat or sweatshirt pulled over his head.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Greencastle Police Department at 653-2925.

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