PDF: Field offense report

Seventy-one-year-old Barbara Jolley was putting groceries in her car trunk when a thief yanked her purse from her shoulder.

The retired registered nurse lost her balance, fell to the parking lot at the Ringgold Road Bi-Lo, cut her face and suffered two broken vertebrae in her neck.

The thief got away with $20, her car and house keys in the Oct. 28 robbery.

"I don't know why he had to hurt me," said Ms. Jolley, who remains in the hospital and must wear a neck brace for at least three months. "He could have had the $20."

Ms. Jolley is the second area resident robbed near a Bi-Lo grocery in the last week.

Chattanooga police are looking for a man who robbed a Mayfield delivery man behind the East 23rd Street Bi-Lo on Friday. The delivery man told police he was leaving the cargo area of his delivery truck when a man with a gun ordered him to the ground and had him hand over his wallet.

Parking lots sometimes represent more opportunities for thieves, Chattanooga Police Department spokeswoman Officer Rebecca Royval said. Too often, people are distracted by talking on the phone, sending text messages or digging through purses or pockets for keys.

"The main thing is, when you go out into a parking lot, you just want to make sure you're aware of your surroundings," she said.

Ms. Jolley and her sister, Linda Timms, want others to be aware and more careful, no matter the time of day. Ms. Jolley was robbed about 6:45 p.m.

"I've never really been that fearful before, and I'll be more cautious now," Ms. Jolley said. "I think everyone should be more cautious because things don't always appear as they are."

With the holidays approaching, police are reminding shoppers to be safe and letting thieves know they're being watched. Last month, a sting operation netted eight arrests after police used decoys to leave purses on the backs of vehicles and arrested those who took them.

Police and Bi-Lo employees were helpful during the incident, Ms. Timms said, but she wants to remind others to stay safe.

Ms. Jolley is "going through a lot of pain and suffering for somebody who just got $20," Mrs. Timms said.