OC Sheriff Warns of Grocery Store Thefts

Seniors shop for groceries during special hours open to seniors and the disabled at Northgate Gonzalez Market, a Hispanic specialty supermarket, in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 19, 2020. Mario Tama/Getty Images

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS)—Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators on Aug. 19 warned the public about a noticeable uptick in wallet thefts, primarily in south county grocery stores.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected crime trends in Orange County, California—most notably with thieves focusing on shoppers’ purses in markets, which have remained open amid other retail business closures resulting from the pandemic.