Two people were lodged Thursday in the Logan County Jail after they stole $1,000 from the wallet of a homeless woman staying temporarily at Comfort Inn, 260 Northview Drive.
Officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department report Kristen L. Fulkerson, 33, of 417 Garfield Ave., and Cody L. Cloninger, 29, of Bellefontaine, both initially denied taking the money from a wallet they found outside the hotel laying on an ashtray at the rear of the building.
Video surveillance shows the victim place her wallet down and her purse on top of it as she uses a card to open an access door to the hotel. She picks up her purse but leaves the wallet behind.
About 35 second later, Cloninger approaches the ashtray and spots the wallet. Cloninger and Fulkerson turned in the wallet minus the cash to the front desk attendant around 6:15 p.m.
While investigating the theft, officers learned Fulkerson was wanted on a Champaign County warrant and arrested her. A search of her purse and her person at the jail, recovered $1,000.
Meanwhile, another officer was interviewing Cloninger and he admitted to taking money from the wallet before turning it in.
Cloninger and Fulkerson each was charged with one count of felony theft.
• Michael R. Bird, 41, at large, was lodged Thursday in jail on a parole violation.