String of purse thefts under investigation in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville authorities are investigating a string of purse thefts that have occured in the area over the past month.

According to Gainesville Police Cpl. Joe Britte, the initial incident occured during the first weekend of January, with several more thefts being reported in the following weeks.

Britte said that the thefts have so far been committed from south of Gainesville to west of the city, adding: "The incidents don't seem to be centralized to any particular group or individual, but the incidents involved have various descriptions of individuals, random locations, various times..."

The Gainesville Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division is leading the investigation into the thefts.

"Our investigators are working diligently to keep all this information together to see if they come up with a suspect or suspect vehicle so we can try to eliminate this as quickly as possible," Britte said.

Anyone with information regarding the thefts is asked to contact authorities.