82-Year-Old Burglar Arrested, Has Rap Sheet Spanning 50 Years
Doris Thompson is not your typical 82-year-old and has the history to prove it. She was recently arrested again by Torrance police in California and has a 50-year-old rap sheet that includes nine burglaries and other charges.
Thompson regularly targeted doctors' offices, hiding out in the building until closing and then taking the keys to the cash box, according to police. In all, Thompson managed to steal $17,000 from the offices- a substantial amount in any heist. Police were able to track her to a local hotel and discovered evidence of her crimes.
She is currently being held on seven counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary, with bail set at $80,000. Thompson has already served time for burglary throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Her rap sheet is a lengthy 20 pages long and dates all the way back to 1955.
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Two years ago Thompson was found guilty of theft after taking $400 in cash and checks, $25 worth of stamps, a urine container, and a piece of medical equipment to test children's hearing. Police recognized her from an earlier bulletin that was distributed to authorities.
"That's her M.O.," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Paulette Paccione told KTLA. "What she does is she goes in with her little burglar bag. She takes cash, stamps, whatever she can find."
Thompson has promised to stop stealing, but Paccione doesn't believe she is as repentant as she claims.
"I don't think this will stop her from doing this again. She's not really apologetic about it. This is her thing," she explained.
Burglary has actually declined across the United States, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 2010, burglary fell by 2 percent, while larceny-theft fell by 2.4 percent. The largest decline, though, was robbery, which fell an astonishing 10 percent when compared to 2009 statistics.
