Upstate Woman Chases Thief Into Law Enforcement Conference

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Police in upstate New York say a would-be thief being chased on foot picked the wrong getaway route when he ran to a hotel where law enforcement officers were attending a conference.

Authorities in Saratoga Springs tell The Daily Gazette of Schenectady  that Lois Celeste spotted a man going through her purse Wednesday inside her office at the city's Senior Center, where she's executive director.

When she and another staff member confronted the man, he bolted from the building. Celeste and her co-worker chased the man, who ran toward the nearby Holiday Inn.

That's where some of the 100 police officers attending a state Department of Homeland Security conference were taking a break outside. An officer from Albany helped nab the 57-year-old man, who was charged with attempted grand larceny.