A Bangor man allegedly ripped the purse away from an 81-year-old woman early Thursday morning but was arrested a short time later and charged with robbery.

The woman told police she was getting out of her car at the Hannaford supermarket at the Broadway Shopping Center shortly before 9 a.m. when she heard a noise behind her.

She turned to see a man running at her and saying something she didn’t understand. He ripped her purse off her arm and the woman told Officer Brad Hanson it felt like he was trying to pull her arm off.

The man got into a car that was driven by a woman.

Police searched the parking lot and Hanson checked with every business that was open. While Hanson was checking Hannaford’s security camera footage, Officer Robert Hutchings reported finding the getaway car on Birch Street.

A woman at the residence where the car was found said her new roommate, Earl Orsie, 51, had been driving the car between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. The alleged victim, while shaken up, provided police with a good description of the man who stole her purse and she was brought to Birch Street where she identified Orsie as the culprit.

The purse contained credit cards, a checkbook and about $50 in cash.

Orsie was charged with felony robbery and with violation of conditions of release. He remained at Penobscot County Jail on Thursday night as no bail was set for the latter charge.

Police were still searching for the woman driver of the car.

A 43-year-old man tried unsuccessfully to apply for a Kohl’s credit card Wednesday using someone else’s identification. The ruse was quickly uncovered when the clerk at the Bangor store recognized the identification as belonging to someone she knew and not the man before her.

Peter Gallagher, 43, who was nine years older than the identification he allegedly presented, was charged with forgery, receiving stolen property and misuse of identification. Authorities were investigating whether Gallagher had applied for credit cards at other stores.

Confronted about the discrepancy, Gallagher told Bangor police Officer James Hassard that he hadn’t taken the wallet and identification, but had found it on the wall near the Bangor Historical Society. As Hassard was speaking to Gallagher, the owner of the wallet was at the police station filing a report that his wallet had been stolen.

Hassard questioned Gallagher about why he would be applying for a card and what address he would use to have it sent to him. Gallagher said he hadn’t thought it out that far and then confessed: “I’m not the smartest crook in the world.”

Gallagher remained at Penobscot County Jail unable to make a $40 personal recognizance bail.

-Compiled by BDN reporter Doug Kesseli