Alleged Purse-Snatcher Arraigned in Vista

An Escondido man who grabbed the purse of a woman in the parking lot of an Encinitas shopping center last week was out on bail for a drug-possession arrest three weeks earlier, a prosecutor said at the Vista courthouse on January 4.

Fletcher Everingham Calen, 25, was found with Suboxone (used to treat opiate addiction) on December 7 and then on December 29 he snatched a purse, according to allegations in two different criminal complaints.

In the most recent incident, bystanders heard a 52-year-old woman screaming for help and chased down a man who still had her purse. The good Samaritans held the perpetrator until deputies arrived, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

When officers searched the man, “He had additional stolen items in his pocket,” according to prosecutor Elisabeth Silva. Calen pleaded not guilty to robbery and possession of stolen ID through a public defender at his arraignment.

Pictured: Fletcher Calen

Photo credit: Nick Morris