Iowa City police charged a local man Nov. 3 with unlawful use of a credit card after he allegedly stole a purse and tried to purchase an iPad with one of the credit cards inside.

The police received a report of a stolen purse on Oct. 4, when the woman reporting the incident began to receive calls from her bank about odd transactions, the complaint said. She reportedly said she suspected Devon Ware, 22, of taking her purse.

Ware was charged after the investigation pointed to an attempted transaction at the University Bookstore, where Ware allegedly attempted to use one of the victim’s credit cards to purchase an iPad. The clerk denied Ware after he presented the clerk with a driver’s license that didn’t match the credit card, the complaint said.

Ware then allegedly tried to persuade the clerk the card belonged to his girlfriend, but the clerk didn’t allow the transaction.

The complaint said the clerk was able to identify Ware out of a photo lineup at the police station.

— by Matt Starns