Police: Woman allegedly sells stolen instruments

COEUR d'ALENE - Police are looking for a woman who sold potentially stolen instruments and lifted a purse at the Silver Fox bar in Coeur d'Alene Saturday night.

According to a Coeur d'Alene Police Department incident report, the woman, whom patrons described as heavyset with "googly eyes," went into the bar at 1:10 a.m. on Saturday and asked people if they wanted to buy a guitar. The report states that the suspect said she needed gas money and a man at the bar "decided to help her out."

"(He) said she sold him a Yamaha acoustic guitar, (and) fender strap, in a soft case," the report states. "She wanted only $25 for it, and he offered her $20. The female took $20 and also threw in a matched set of four Hohner 'Hot Metal' harmonicas free."

The man told the responding officer that he placed the $20 on the bar and the woman told him to put the guitar in the case. When he was done, according to the report, he noticed that the woman was gone.

And so was his friend's purse.

The woman whose purse was stolen told the officer she had already canceled the debit card and estimated the cost of her missing items was approximately $400.

In his report the officer wrote that, after looking at the instruments, he determined "if she was willing to sell all that for only $20, it was likely stolen."

The suspect was described as being in her late thirties, 5-foot-5, with shoulder-length black hair. She was wearing a hooded jacket at the time of the incident and was last seen driving away from the bar in a dark-colored minivan.