Reno resident arrested after allegedly stealing purse from car at Lake Tahoe day care

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - A woman watching a daycare center on Michelle Drive at Stateline on Tuesday allegedly stole a purse from the car of a woman picking up her child at the center. Inside the purse were credit cards and phones.

At approximately 5:26 p.m. on March 21, the victim said she left her purse in her car with the vehicle's key fob attached to it when she went into Tahoe Mountain Academy Day Care to get her daughter. When she returned to her vehicle she saw her purse was missing and called law enforcement. She told a deputy from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) she noticed a white Audi sedan parked across the street at the time that seemed out of place.

The deputy responding to the call saw a white Audi sedan being driven east on Kahle Drive near US50, a few blocks from the daycare center. When he spoke to the victim and she told the story of the Audi he called in for backup to look for the car. At 6:24 p.m., another DCSO deputy found the Audi in question parked at Safeway at Round Hill with a woman inside.

The suspect, identified as Kurina Cota, was questioned and told the deputy she was having a hard time with her salon in Reno, Nevada. She said she was advised by a friend that if she ever needed more cash to go by a daycare and look for purses in vehicles as they are usually unlocked and have "a bunch of cash."

Cota was arrested for driving on a revoked license, possession of stolen property, and burglary of a motor vehicle. The purse and its contents were returned to the victim.

This information comes from an arrest report supplied by Douglas County Sheriff's Office and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.