Woman accused of using child pickpockets arrested in Dallas

A woman captured on video months ago using children as pickpockets at a restaurant in the Dallas suburb of Addison has been arrested by Dallas police, according to Fox 4 News.

The woman, Gail Denise Pratt or “Momma Gail,” was identified as a suspect in January after she was seen on surveillance video shielding a young girl as she lifted a wallet out of a woman’s purse at a Snuffer’s in Addison.

Pratt later used a credit card from the wallet to buy “a large amount of goods” from a retail store, Addison police spokesman David Margulies told Fox 4. She apparently used it at other stores as well, Addison police said in a post on their Facebook page.

The surveillance video and story generated numerous tips of a woman using children to steal from purses in restaurants, Addison police said.

Pratt, who has a criminal history that includes arrests for theft, fraud, aggravated robbery and credit card abuse, according to Fox 4, was on the lam until July 7 when someone called police to say she was in line at a Dallas post office. Police arrived and arrested her.

“I’ve never seen a case in the 30 years that I’ve worked with Addison of children being used to commit a crime,” Margulies told Richard Ray of Fox4 in February. “When you travel internationally, you’re told all the time to watch out for children who will pick your pocket or do something to distract you so that somebody else can pick your pocket, but I’ve never seen that here.”

Pratt is accused of credit card abuse in the Addison case. It’s unknown whether additional charges will be filed regarding the children.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Woman accused of using child pickpockets arrested in Dallas."