Toronto police have arrested a suspect in their investigation of the case of a blind woman who says she was robbed by a stranger she met on a bus from Sudbury, Ont.
The blind woman, identified only as “Sally,” said she struck up a conversation with a woman sitting next to her on a chartered bus from Sudbury to Toronto on Monday, and eventually agreed to let her share her hotel room for the night.
"She asked to stay here, and I told her she could," Sally told CTV Toronto on Tuesday, recalling how they chatted for hours. But when Sally went to the bathroom, she says the woman rushed out of the hotel room.
"I came back out, and she was passing by me to go out. She said she was going to the vending machine," Sally said. "(It) seemed weird, so I went and checked my jacket and my wallet. All my money was gone. I had $800 in there. She took my money."
Sally said she rushed to the front desk, shouting after the woman. She was told the stranger was last seen getting into a cab. All she had left was the $100 she hid in her bra.
A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign started by Sally’s daughter raised more than $3,800 after CTV News reported the story. Other donors have chipped into help as well.
On Thursday, police announced they were looking for a suspect: Angela Bluecoat, 36, of Manitoba.
Bluecoat surrendered to police on Thursday afternoon. She has been charged with theft under $5,000.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
