Off Duty Sheriff's Deputy but she fought off three thieves

Off-duty sheriff's deputy fights off 3 in theft attempt
Woman confronted suspect in parking lot before 2 others joined in scuffle
Matthew Walberg Crime scene
February 10, 2009

In nearly 16 years as a Cook County sheriff's deputy, Sgt. Nancy Kelly never once had gotten into a physical altercation.

But on Friday night, while off duty, she fought off three would-be thieves after they tried to steal her wallet.

The former elementary school teacher, 61, was having dinner with a longtime friend at a Panera restaurant on Cicero Avenue near 106th Street in Oak Lawn. After ordering a chicken sandwich, she left her purse underneath her coat in her booth while she went to get a drink.

"I wasn't more than 3 feet away from it, and when I turned around there was this woman sitting in my booth," Kelly said. She said she grabbed the woman by the arm, demanded to know what she was doing and quickly checked her purse. Her wallet was missing.
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