Shirtless, pot bellied man sought in attempted wallet snatching

A Cottonwood man stopped the theft of his wallet Friday morning after he tripped the alleged thief near a busy intersection in Cottonwood, said Police Chief Jim Smith.

A man wearing no shirt and shoes approached a Cottonwood businessman returning to his car and stole his wallet after asking him for money to buy gasoline. The businessman, who Smith declined to name, told the other man he didn’t have any cash, and in return the man “snatched” his wallet.

The businessman tripped the person police described as a “pot bellied man,“ and he fell hard to the pavement, scraping multiple parts of his body. The businessman recovered his wallet after the other man fell to the ground, Smith said.

Police are looking for the man who attemtped to steal the wallet who is described as about 35 years old with either a shaved or bald head, weighing about 240 pounds and is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall.

The man only wore blue jean shorts at the time of the incident, which happened about 9:50 a.m. near the intersection of Cottonwood and Grove roads. If arrested the man faces a felony first-degree theft of property charge.

“It’s an unusual circumstance because you normally don’t see the theft of that nature in such a well traveled area,“ Smith said.

Anyone with information can call the Cottonwood Police Department at (334) 691-2113.