Tip to Crime Stoppers Leads to Charges in Identity Theft Case

A man and a woman have been formally charged with stealing a woman's purse and using her cash and credit cards to go shopping.

Christopher Hanson, 27, and Margaret Stratman, 27, were charged Thursday in Racine County Circuit Court.

Hanson is charged with three counts of felony identity theft and one count of misdemeanor theft. If convicted, he faces 18 years, nine months in jail and/or up to $40,000 in fines. Because Hanson is considered a repeat offender, he could get extra time tacked onto any sentence he might receive.

Stratman was charged with two felony counts of identity theft. If convicted, she could face up to twelve years in prison and/or up to $20,000 in fines.  

According to the criminal complaint, Hanson and Stratman were dropping Stratman's son off at North Park Elementary on Jan 3 when Hanson took a woman's purse from a car in the school's parking lot. From there, the pair went to several area stores - including Goodwill - and used the woman's cash and credit cards to purchase a variety of goods.

Security at Goodwill provided police with a photo from surveillance video, and a tip from Crime Stoppers on Feb. 5 provided officers with Hanson's and Stratman's identity, the complaint reads.

Police say Hanson told officers Stratman is his fiance, and she took the purse. He claimed he wasn't at North Park until the afternoon to pick up Stratman's son. The story he told officers also included Stratman using a credit card she claimed was hers at Goodwill and what she said was a gift card at KMart to buy a video game system and several games.

Stratman told officers the pair were together to drop off the boy at school the morning of Jan. 3, but it was Hanson who walked him to the door of the school and stole the purse on his way back to the car, police say. From there, Stratman said Hanson gave her a credit card and threatened her into using it first at Goodwill and then again at KMart.

Hanson is currently incarcerated at Dodge Correctional Institution and will next be in court on these charges on May 8. Stratman was released on a $1,000 signature bond and will have her preliminary hearing on April 17.