Woman Charged with Stealing Purse, Jewelry

A 20-year-old woman was charged May 27 with stealing a purse and jewelry from Wal-Mart on Veteran's Memorial Parkway last week.

Ariel A. Vernon, whose address is listed as 208 East Ninth Street in Eldon, Mo., was charged with one count of felony stealing a credit card, punishable on conviction with up to 7 years in prison, and one count of misdemeanor stealing, punishable on conviction of up to a year in prison.

According to the probable cause statement signed by a St. Charles Police Officer, Vernon took a purse out out of a shopping cart that was outside May 24. The purse had two credit cards inside of it and Vernon tried to use one card at China Buffet around 7:30 p.m. that night but was denied because the card had already been canceled.

Video from Wal-Mart showed Vernon taking several pieces of jewelry worth about $78 total from the store on May 26, according to the probable cause statement. Vernon confessed to stealing the purse and provided a written statement.

Bond was set at $25,000, cash only. A case review is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 7.