CAPE CORAL, Fla. – A woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing a purse from an employee at Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Pine Island Road, according to the Cape Coral Police Department.
Cheryl Ann Whittemore, 55, was taken into custody on Thursday, days after Casey Cardini, a restaurant employee, reported her purse missing from the Carside office area where she kept it during her shift.
“I went back to get my purse, which I always keep in the car room, and it wasn’t there,” said Cardini, who has worked at Carrabba’s for four years. “I asked my manager if we could check the security footage. That’s when I saw someone come in and take it.”
Surveillance video showed a woman—later identified as Whittemore—entering the Carside room, wearing a pink shirt, black shorts, pink sandals, and a black glove on her left hand. She arrived in a white SUV and was seen taking the purse.
After the theft, Cardini began receiving fraud alerts on her bank accounts. These included a declined transaction at Mermaids Tobacco & Liquor and an approved fuel purchase at an Exxon Mobil station.
Photos of the suspect were posted on social media by Cape Coral police, prompting numerous tips from the public identifying Whittemore as the woman in the footage.
Officers visited Whittemore’s residence on July 12, where her fiancé claimed she had left town. However, during a follow-up investigation on Thursday, officers spotted her leaving the home. When approached, Whittemore allegedly fled on foot but was located shortly afterward.
Whittemore now faces the following charges:
Petit theft
Illegal use of a credit card
Possession of a stolen driver’s license
She is currently in custody as the investigation continues.
