PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Port Orange Police say they’ve arrested the man responsible for at least two purse snatchings at the same CVS store.
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The first incident was reported on July 31 after police say a 77-year-old woman was walking in the parking lot of the CVS at 3771 Clyde Morris Blvd. when a man ran up to her and grabbed her purse, knocking her to the ground and injuring her in the process.
Police say the suspect then left the area in a black, older-model Ford Expedition.
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Days later, on Aug. 12, Port Orange Police officers responded to the same CVS after a 64-year-old woman reported having her purse taken by a man who matched the description of the suspect from the previous incident.
Again, police say the victim was injured when the suspect knocked her to the ground as he grabbed her belongings.
According to the police department, the suspect again fled the area in a dark-colored, older-model Ford Expedition.
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That time, police say they were able to quickly find the suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Charles Nelson.
With help from the South Daytona Police Department, officers stopped Nelson on US-1 and took him into custody.
When interviewed by investigators, police say Nelson confessed to committing both CVS robberies, as well as a third robbery that occurred previously in the City of South Daytona.
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Nelson was booked into the Volusia County Jail Monday on a long list of charges, including robbery by sudden snatching, battery on a person over the age of 60, grand theft, and fraud.
He remains there on no bond.
Police say additional charges against Nelson are forthcoming.
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