A Newport News woman pleaded guilty to a grand larceny charge she received after stealing cash from a woman’s purse.
Belinda Stuart, 37, pleaded guilty to one charge of grand larceny in Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Stuart was accused of taking about $1,000 in cash from a woman’s purse at Buffalo Wild Wings in New Town.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Nate Green said the victim left her purse at the restaurant March 15. When the victim returned the next day to retrieve the purse, she reported jewelry and about $1,000 in cash were missing.
Police reviewed surveillance video from the restaurant and saw Stuart, who was working as a shift manager at the restaurant at the time, taking the purse and removing items from it. Stuart was arrested and charged with felony grand larceny March 26.
Stuart pleaded guilty to the charge, but her attorney, Leslie Siman-Tov, disputed the state’s list of missing items. Siman-Tov said the amount of cash taken was about $500, and the victim later found the jewelry reported as missing at her home.
WJCC Circuit Court Judge Michael McGinty accepted Stuart’s guilty plea, but withheld his finding in the case until a pre-sentencing report could be prepared.
Stuart will be back in court for the ruling at 1 p.m. Oct. 13.
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