Jackson Jambalaya

I received this email from a fellow Jacksonian. I contacted her in order to make sure this was not some internet rumor and she stated that everything described in this email was written by her and is what she experienced on June 19, 2007. Her name is not published so as to protect her from retaliation from the thugs.

I felt led to tell all of you about an incident (a very true and real one) that I was involved in yesterday, June 19, 2007, around 12 noon. I was sitting inside my car alone at lunch outside Broad Street Bakery on I-55 North in their back parking lot because there were no available parking spaces up front (all doors were locked but driver and passenger windows were down at the time long enough for me to eat my lunch quickly before heading back to work at xxxx).

All of a sudden, a black male suspect heaved himself through my driver side window, reaching across my body to grab my purse which was sitting on the front seat of my car on the passenger side. All he said was, "give me your purse OR give me that purse"! He was successful at grabbing my purse, then he backed out of my window area and got in a black truck that had a driver with him and possibly one or two other black males in the back seat. They drove off with my entire purse (a brand new one which had just been recently purchased), my wallet, my drivers license, all of my credit cards, my checkbook with checks, various other info, and pictures of my family and friends. There was no cash in my wallet, just my debit card. I quickly called to have all of my info cancelled and I have placed a fraud protection on my social security card number (in case something comes up later)...thankfully, my social security card was NOT in my purse!!

I'm okay physically, thank God, but not mentally right now. This was definitely a wake up call for me, to be even more cautious as I usually always am. I have always considered myself a very cautious person, but yesterday was a lesson for sure.

Never assume that something will not happen to you, just because you think, "Oh, I'll only be a minute here, etc."..."the place looks pretty safe to me"...people like these guys are on the prowl looking for an easy target and it doesn't take but just a SPLIT SECOND!!! I am still amazed at how fast everything happened!!! The security people who monitor Broad Street and alot of the area businesses in that area tell me that the suspects who approached me yesterday may be the same suspects who robbed a woman in the parking lot at Walmart in Ridgeland not too long ago. Those particular suspects (still not sure if they are the same ones who "hit" me) were arrested after being linked to the woman's credit cards, but then released I think...students from MS Valley State Univ...

PLEASE warn all of your family and friends about what happened to me...it may happen to someone else!!!! Also, please continue to remember me through all of this...it's going to be awhile before I feel safe again!!!

UPDATE:

CAUGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/NEWS/70627047
June 27, 2007

2 charged in multiple robberiesBy Andrew Nelsonajnelson@clarionledger.com
The Jackson Police Department announced the arrests of two people suspected in four robberies in Jackson in a news conference today at JPD headquarters.
Isaiah Robertson, 18, and Lionel Kyles, 20 are suspected in the following incidents:
An assault and robbery of a 72-year-old woman in the parking lot of a shopping center at 2885 Terry Road on May 22.
An assault and robbery of a 61-year-old woman in the parking lot of the Kroger supermarket on I-55 North on June 4.
An assault and robbery of a 55-year-old woman who was walking to her vehicle at the Walgreens, 945 N. State St. on June 18.
A strong-arm robbery of a 35-year-old woman sitting in her vehicle eating lunch at 4465 I-55 North on June 18.
Robertson is charged with four counts of strong-arm robbery and three counts of aggravated assault. Kyles is charged with two counts of strong-arm robbery, according to a JPD news release. Sgt. Eric Smith of the JPD Robbery/Homicide Unit would not elaborate as to who is suspected of doing what.
Robertson was granted $150,000 bond and Kyles was granted a $50,000 bond in sperate initial appearances in Jackson Municipal Court today.