Watsonville purse thief arrested

A man is behind bars after stealing a woman’s purse in Watsonville.

According to police, it happened at a Mobile Gas station on Freedom Boulevard on August 20th.

Police said 57-year-old Jeffrey Ramirez approached a gas station employee who was on her way to make a very large deposit for the business and asked her for some spare change. He then grabbed her purse and ran across the street.

Two other employees then saw Ramirez get into a car and take off.

The Watsonville Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit then identified the thief less than a month after the crime and tracked him down at his Salinas home.

On Friday, September 14th, Ramirez was arrested after investigators found evidence linking him to the crime.

He was then booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail and is facing felony charges.