On July 8, 2025, at approximately 10:46 PM, Cape Coral Police Department officers responded to a call regarding a past-occurred theft at Carrabba’s Restaurant located at 762 SW Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, Florida.
The victim, an employee at Carrabba’s, told officers her purse had been stolen from the Carside office area of the restaurant. Witnesses at the scene described the suspect, later identified as Cheryl Ann Whittemore (DOB 06/09/1970), as a white female wearing a pink shirt, black shorts, pink sandals, and a black glove on her left hand. The woman arrived in a white SUV. Surveillance footage corroborated the victim’s account, clearly showing the suspect entering the office, taking the purse, and leaving the scene in the same SUV.
Shortly after the theft, the victim began receiving notifications from her bank about suspicious activity on her accounts. These included a declined transaction at Mermaids Tobacco & Liquor as well as an approved gas purchase at an Exxon Mobil station. Officers followed up at the locations where the fraudulent transactions occurred, spoke with employees, and collected receipts. One employee said they recognized the woman whose purchase was declined.
The Cape Coral Police Department posted photos of the suspect on social media, asking the public for assistance in identifying the woman. Multiple tips from the public identified Whittemore.
Simultaneously, on July 9, 2025, members of the Cape Coral Police Department’s Intel Unit used facial recognition software, which provided a lead identifying the suspect as Cheryl Ann Whittemore.
On July 12, 2025, officers went to the address associated with Whittemore. There, they spoke with Whittemore’s fiancé, who stated that she had left town.
On July 17, 2025, during a follow-up investigation at the same address, officers observed a woman matching Whittemore’s description at the rear of the residence. When officers approached, the subject fled inside but was soon located. Whittemore surrendered the remaining property belonging to the victim, including the driver’s license and debit card, but not the Michael Kors purse itself.
Cheryl Ann Whittemore was arrested and transported to Lee County Jail on the following charges:
- 1 count in violation of F.S.S. 812.014(2)(F), Petit Theft
- 2 counts in violation of F.S.S. 817.61, Fraud–Illegal Use of a Credit Card
- 1 count in violation of F.S.S. 322.212(1)(a), Possession of a Stolen Driver’s License
Arrested: Cheryl Ann Whittemore (DOB 06/09/1970)
###