[May 20, 2013] BRIEF: Portland police seeking public's help to identify purse-snatcher at city hospital Tweet May 20, 2013 (The Oregonian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Portland police are looking for a thief stealing purses and backpacks from city hospitals. The Police Bureau, along with Crime Stoppers of Oregon, are offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest. About noon on May 14, a man walked into the volunteer break room at the Portland Shriners Hospital and stole a woman's purse. It contained cash, ID cards, credit cards and an Apple iPad, police said. When the victim realized her purse was gone, she alerted security staff who pulled surveillance video and located an image of the thief. A similar incident occurred that afternoon at OHSU Hospital. A backpack was stolen from a hospital employee's office, police said. The thief is described as a man in his 50s with tan or olive-colored skin, shaved or bald head, 5 foot 8 inches tall, 190 pounds, wearing a dark-colored T-shirt and jeans. Anyone with information on the suspect can leave a tip on the Crime Stopper's website; text CRIMES to 274637 and put 823HELP in the subject line; or call 503-823-4357. A Crime Stopper's app for iPhone and Android phones is also available online. Portland Det. Eric McDaniel is the investigator, and can be reached at 503-823-0577, or by email. --Maxine Bernstein ___ (c)2013 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]