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53 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, October 20, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 7, 2003 Citizen’s fast action gets stolen purse back Klamath Falls man earns 79-year-old’s gratitude after robbery in Medford Ross store By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Theodora Woodcock was having a fine 79th birthday Sunday afternoon shopping in Medford with a friend as a prelude to dinner and a trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The pair stopped at Ross Dress for Less to inspect some luggage, walking by two scalawag teenagers as Woodcock approached the store door. "They were looking for a pigeon," Woodcock said, "and they found it." In an instant, Woodcock’s purse was wrenched from her right shoulder by one of the teens who fled on foot. Gone were the credit cards, pictures of her four children, her identification as a military widow. Advertisement "I didn’t care about the cash," she said. "I was thinking, oh, how hard it’s going to be to replace all those things." A short while later she would cross paths with Eric Harris, a muscular 29-year-old Klamath Falls man whom Woodcock would soon call "my hero." "Like I told my daughter, ‘Before I launch into this story, it has a happy ending. I met a wonderful man,’ " she said. As Woodcock explained to her fellow Rogue Valley Medical Center volunteers Monday, the two male teens caught her eye as she headed to the store’s entrance at 3:30 p.m. Ross customer Harris had noticed them a few minutes earlier as well. "They just looked obnoxious," Harris said, "and he (the purse snatcher) was smoking." As Harris was walking out the door, one of the boys ran toward Woodcock. "He came up behind me, grabbed the purse, pulled and it was gone," she said. "There was very little physical contact. It was amazing." Harris, who was shopping with a friend, saw the snatching. "The look on her face was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ " Harris said. "I just took off after him." Harris chased the teen into a nearby apartment complex, where he was joined in the hunt by 32-year-old Dion Sariee, who was visiting a friend in the complex. Between two units, Harris could see a figure hiding behind a bush, his tennis shoes sticking out. "He wasn’t hiding very well," he said. Harris yelled to the snatcher to give up the purse. He did, then fled again. By then, Woodcock had made it to the complex, and a resident already had telephoned police when Harris gave Woodcock her bag, contents and all. "I’m so deeply grateful to this young man," Woodcock said. "He’s my hero." Police are looking for a white male 17 to 19 years old who is about 6 feet tall and stocky, with short blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing baggy blue jeans and a blue or black tank top. If caught, he faces a felony third-degree robbery charge, said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran. Harris said he learned something about himself in the ordeal. "You always wonder what you’d do in that situation," Harris said. "Now I know." Woodcock got her birthday dinner, and OSF’s "Present Laughter" added levity to a spirit already buoyed by Harris and the others who helped her. "That young man was just wonderful to me," she said. "This country really is full of good people." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times