Arthritic Granny Was Pickpocket Mastermind

— -- W E S T P A L M B E A C H, Fla. — Police say she was the mother of all pickpockets.

Ernestine Williams, a 67-year-old wheelchair-bound grandmother with arthritis, pleaded guilty to running an elaborate pickpocketing ring targeting elderly shoppers in Florida and Georgia.

She faces up to eight years in prison for various charges, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand theft and petty theft.

"She'd been doing this for years," said Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Michael Rachel. "Ernestine would never get arrested, because she looked so feeble that [police and prosecutors asked] how could she have been a part of this, how could she have known?"

"She was always in total control," he said. "She always used that act of being out of it or being a little old lady."

The pickpocket ring went to supermarkets and retail stores, where Williams would direct the crime, Rachel said. She would instruct one accomplice to distract the victim, while another reached into his or her pocket or purse.

Police say she coached her accomplices in different techniques, and would wait in the parking lot while the crimes took place.

"They would go after 70-year-olds and up," Rachel said.

Police said the ring — which included family members — would use the stolen credit cards to buy clothes, computers, and other equipment, which they would resell.

Williams' attorney said she pleaded guilty because a trial would have been too wearing on the septuagenarian. Williams has kidney problems and high blood pressure.

When asked by the judge to comment on the charges against her, she responded, "Most of them lies."

Williams has been arrested dozens of times over the last 40 years — including many shoplifting and drug-related charges.

Rachel said there were other pickpocket rings active in Florida, and he wouldn't rule out the involvement of other senior citizens.

"I don't know," he said. "Nothing surprises me anymore."

Bad for the Department’s Image

V A L P A R A I S O, Ind. — It wasn't exactly a picture perfect way to investigate a crime.

After somebody illegally used another person's bank card at an ATM machine at the First National Bank in Valparaiso, police decided to release the surveillance photo to the public.

The image appeared in local newspapers last Wednesday, prompting a number of tips from concerned citizens.

But there was one problem: it was the wrong picture.

"We were provided with a photo from the bank," said Cpl. Michael Grennes. "The photo was incorrect."

The woman in the photo was vacationing in Florida when she started getting calls about the incident. She contacted police, who quickly discovered the mix-up.

Meanwhile, the $400 theft is still under investigation. Police have yet to release a corrected image of the suspect.

"We're still determining the correct photo," Grennes said.

Thieves Swipe In-Ground Pool

I N D I A N A P O L I S — Somebody in Indianapolis is swimming in illegal property — literally.

A 3,000-pound in-ground pool disappeared last Thursday night from the Perma Glass store on the south side of the city.

The fiberglass pool was on display on a trailer outside the store. The trailer, attached to a pickup, went missing during the night, store officials said. It turned up outside the home of a sheriff's deputy the next day, without the pool.

"Somebody's thinking they're going to put it in their back yard," said Bill Lambert, the company's owner.

The thieves may have a tough time enjoying their ill-gotten gains, however, Lambert said. Without the proper equipment it will be hard or impossible to install, he said.

Crime Blotter, a weekly feature of ABCNEWS.com, is compiled by Oliver Libaw.

ABC Affiliate WRTV in Indianapolis contributed to this report.