N.H. Woman, 87, Gets Purse Back 5 Weeks After Mugging

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- An elderly woman has gotten her purse back five weeks after being mugged outside a pharmacy in Manchester, N.H.

Police tell WMUR-TV that the man charged with stealing the purse and throwing the 87-year-old woman to the ground told them he threw the purse into a wooded area off a highway in Boscawen. Police say they have recovered the purse, with its contents, and returned it to its rightful owner.

Manchester Police Lt. Nick Willard said the victim has a "renewed sense of spirit" about the community after all the support she received following the purse-snatching.

Twenty-two-year-old Joseph Audet Jr. is being held on a robbery charge for the theft. Audet is also charged with snatching another purse from a 91-year-old woman and throwing her to the ground in Manchester last month.