Thief snatches mother's purse out of child's hands - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

Thief snatches mother's purse out of child's hands

Rebekka Edwards learned a lesson Monday morning -- she will never leave her children or her purse in her car again, even for a quick trip inside a building.

Her daughter, 8-year-old Voenaisia, says a woman opened the passenger door where she was sitting. This happened outside the Westside Head Start in Jackson.

"She asked me for the purse. I said no. I was hugging it. She pushed me, then snatched it out of my hands," Voenaisia says.

Edwards says she's getting no help with the purse theft from Head Start, a free county-run child care service, or police.

"My children know what kind of car she drove. They seen her go into the school with her child, come back out, take my purse," Edwards says.

There are video cameras outside the Head Start and signs warning people they're under video surveillance. But Edwards believes the entire system will be rendered useless in her case.

"(The worker inside is) saying if she rewound the camera back, it's gonna erase everything. I'm not understanding that. She said they have security, but they're so short teachers the security is in the school helping with the children," Edwards said.

The Hinds County Human Resource Agency, which runs Head Start programs, tells us a different story. They say the cameras do work, and they're reviewing to see if any footage of the incident is available. To the best of the agency's knowledge, a security guard was out directing traffic when the theft occurred, but that is also under review.

Jackson Police say Edwards may not have asked for a report of the incident. 

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