Philadelphia Woman Charged In 'Brazen' Bel Air Panera Theft

BEL AIR, MD — A Philadelphia woman has been charged in connection with several pickpocketing cases targeting Panera patrons in Harford County. She was one of the suspects described as "brazen" by the Harford County Sheriff's Office in a video released from one of the thefts.

In that case, surveillance video showed two women pick up a table and walk it across the room at the Bel Air Panera on Aug. 23 so they could sit close to an unsuspecting victim. While the diner was in the midst of a conversation, one suspect slid the woman's purse off her chair. Then they went on a shopping spree at GameStop, authorities allege.

Latisha Rice, 32, of the 5600 block of Larthwood Avenue in Philadelphia, is currently being held without bail at the Harford County Detention Center, in connection with that incident and several others at Panera restaurants in the area.

Rice faces these charges from Aug. 23 purse thefts at Abingdon and Bel Air Paneras:

• Theft from $100 to $1,500
• Two counts of charging $100–$1,500 on another's credit card
• Stealing a credit card

Rice faces these charges related to a Nov. 28 wallet theft at Abingdon Panera:

• Charging $1,500 to $25,000 on another's credit card
• Two counts of charging $100 to $1,500 on another's credit card
• Attempting to charge $100 to $1,500 on another's credit card
• Stealing another's credit card
• Theft from $1,500 to $25,000
• Theft from $100 to $1,500

The Harford County Sheriff's Office filed charges in those cases after the Aberdeen Police Department picked Rice up in connection with another alleged pickpocketing this week.

Rice was arrested after a woman reported her clutch was taken while she was at Panera in the 1000 block of Beards Hill Road in Aberdeen at 12:28 p.m. on Friday, police said.

When Aberdeen police officers arrived, authorities said they saw a woman leaving the nearby Target who matched one of the suspect descriptions and was walking to a vehicle in the Royal Farms parking lot.

Once she got to Royal Farms, the possible suspect got into a vehicle with New York tags, police said, where officers converged to prevent it from leaving the parking lot pending an investigation.

"Prior to this investigation, detectives were aware of cases involving pickpocketing at Panera Bread locations both locally and countywide," the Aberdeen Police Department reported, since the Harford County Sheriff's Office had sent out an intelligence bulletin in September with suspect photos. "Careful review of that bulletin confirmed that Latisha Rice was one of those persons in need of identification."

In the theft case from Aberdeen, Rice and Whitney Ryder, 32, also of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were charged with theft under $100 and theft from $100 to $1,500.

Ryder (above, right) was released after posting $50,000 bond on Monday, Dec. 17, according to court records.

Rice remains behind bars without bail.

• Panera Purse Thieves Make 'Brazen' Move In Bel Air: Sheriff
• Panera Thieves Strike Again: Harford Sheriff

Main photo of Latisha Rice courtesy of the Aberdeen Police Department. Additional booking photo of Whitney Ryder also courtesy of the Aberdeen Police Department.