A Brooke County woman who was arrested over the weekend on drug charges is now the main suspect in a theft investigation.

Kristen Minda, 22, is being held on drug charges involving heroin in Follansbee, and officials said they plan to file formal theft charges stemming from a Wellsburg purse theft.

Wellsburg Police Department Lt. Lester Skinner said he received several reports of stolen purses and a wallet. Officials sifted through hours of surveillance video from the Wellsburg Kroger, and said Minda was caught on tape going into the store without a purse but leaving with one.

"Mainly senior citizens, it seems, were missing their purses and then when they return to their buggy from getting groceries off the shelf, their purses would be gone or the wallet inside their purses would be gone," Skinner said.

After a week of investigating, officials pinpointed Minda as the theft suspect. She was found in neighboring Follansbee accused of committing drug crimes.

"(Minda) was picked up over the weekend by Follansbee police for bringing heroin into the state. At that time one of our officers responded to that stop and talked to her at the scene and she confessed to (taking) four of the purses that we had missing," Skinner said.

He said one theft victim didn't even notice her wallet was gone until she went to check out because her purse was still in the shopping car.

"That's how quiet and sneaky the girl was that walked up behind them and took it right out of their purse," Skinner said. "It can happen in any grocery store you go to. You walk away from your purse and leave it unzipped and someone can reach in and take it or grab the whole purse if you're not paying attention."

He said people should keep their purses fastened, keep them on their person or put purses in the large part of the shopping cart instead of the seat so it's more difficult for a thief to access.