Viral Post Slams Woman Accused of Stealing Purse at San Angelo Church on Mother’s Day

SAN ANGELO, TX — A woman accused of stealing a purse during Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Mother’s Day was located and arrested after a Facebook video posted by the victim’s grandson went viral, drawing nearly 300,000 views.

Gabriel Flores said the woman took his grandmother’s purse during Sunday morning services and left the church. He posted security footage and later confronted the suspect inside a local Walmart. 

“Can you believe that she stole my grandma’s purse at church?” Flores said in one video. “What an awful person, right?”

In the footage, Flores approaches the woman and asks, “Did you go to St. Joseph’s today?” When she denies it, Flores responds, “Yeah, you did, because you stole my grandma’s purse and we have you on camera.”

San Angelo police responded to the scene and arrested the suspect, identified as Denise Riesgo, 60.

She was booked into the Tom Green County Jail on May 11 just before 4 p.m. on a charge of theft of property between $100 and $750. Her bond was set at $2,000, and she was released the next morning at 11:31 a.m., according to jail records.

"The power of social media is insane," Flores stated in an update. "Thank you to everyone who shared my post. We didn't get my grandma's purse back, but we did find the witch who took it." 

You can find the video by clicking here.