LYNN – A Lynn man fell prey to an alleged thief Tuesday night, after he picked up a woman on a street corner who slyly snatched his wallet and phone from his pocket.The suspect, Crystal Anne Rau, 26, of 32 Lewis St., has been charged with larceny from a person and larceny over $250. She was arraigned Wednesday at Lynn District Court by Judge Ellen Flatley and released on personal recognizance. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 23.Court documents show that police responded to a report of a disturbance between a man and a woman on Lewis Street, around 6 p.m. Upon arrival, officers were met by Rau, who was allegedly crying and frantically yelling, “Yo, yo, I did not take anything from him, yo!”While she was yelling, the 39-year-old victim told police that Rau allegedly swiped his cellular phone, wallet and $250 inside it.While piecing together the information, police were told the victim picked up Rau on the corner of Green and Union streets, but when asked why he picked up a complete stranger, he was said to have been very evasive about his intentions.The victim said he got out of his car with Rau near his home on Norcross Street and that Rau gave him a hug. Immediately after, the victim said he noticed that his cellular phone and wallet were missing. As he called out to Rau about his belongings, the victim said she started to run down Lewis Street, but he caught up to her and held her by her jacket.At that point, Rau allegedly threw his cellular phone at him and he reached into her purse and took his wallet back. The money, however, was not found.Police say Rau was also evasive as to why she got into a car with a stranger, only saying she jumped in because it was raining at the time. During her booking, Rau was found to have $45 on her. The $250 the victim claims to have lost was not recovered.
