Chicago woman nabbed for credit card theft, forgery in Schaumburg

A Chicago woman with a string of 74 arrests added two more to her total Friday after Schaumburg police nabbed her for stealing a woman’s wallet and then using a credit card to purchase two iPads, authorities said.

Bridgette T. Harbin, 44, of the 5100 block of South Princeton Avenue, has been charged with felony counts of unlawful use of a credit card and forgery.

According to police reports, Harbin stole a wallet from a woman’s purse at Fuddruckers in the 400 block of East Golf Road. A short time later police arrested Harbin at the nearby Best Buy, also on Golf Road.

“It is very common that wallets get taken from grocery stores and restaurants and quickly get used to buy expensive items.” Schaumburg St. John Nebel said. “We continually remind the public not to leave purses unattended or hanging off the backs of chairs.”

According to assistant states attorney Jerome R. Allen, Harbin has a string of run-ins with area police and has been sentenced to jail time more than once for retail thefts and aggravated battery.

Judge Thomas P. Fecarotta Jr. set bond at $30,000. Harbin’s next court date is Feb. 16 in Rolling Meadows.