A College freshman was arrested at Smokey Joe's on 40th Street around 1:45 a.m. Saturday in connection with the theft of three wallets earlier that evening.
Though the victims did not press charges for theft, police charged Kelly Croal with underage drinking.
College senior Kate Holbrook and College freshman Laura Black were both at a party at 211 S. 42nd St. when Croal -- who is a member of the Penn football team -- took their wallets.
Holbrook said a friend told her that he thought he saw Croal remove her wallet from her purse. When she saw it was missing, the two approached him.
"We confronted the guy," Holbrook said. "We were like, ... 'Would you mind showing us your pockets?'"
Croal, who said he had been drinking, proceeded to back away, leave the party and begin to run down 42nd Street. Holbrook and two friends followed him.
While chasing Croal, someone from the group called the Penn Police, who met them at the corner of 40th and Walnut streets.
Police chased Croal to Smokey Joe's -- located at 210 S. 40th St. -- and apparently did not allow Smokey Joe's employees let any customers leave until they located the suspect.
Holbrook said that when police demanded that he hand over her wallet, Croal led them back to 42nd Street and into the bushes near the house. There, police found several items from Holbrook's wallet and two other wallets. A neighbor had already discovered Holbrook's wallet and turned it in.
Croal expressed remorse for his actions and called them out of character.
"I made a mistake in the first place, which is drinking," Croal said. "My judgment was impaired as a result of the alcohol, and I made a mistake that I deeply regret. These actions are uncharacteristic, and I apologize."
Black said she was unaware that her wallet was missing until police called her cell phone around 2:30 a.m. to let her know.
"It was kind of a shock and so surprising," Black said. "But I was also so relieved that they found the guy."
Croal did not take other items from her purse, Black said.
Neither Holbrook nor Black decided to press charges. Holbrook said her decision stemmed from the fact that Croal was already charged by the police.
"They took his fake ID, and he was caught inside a bar," Holbrook said.
College senior Matt Conn -- who lives at the house where the party was held -- said that Croal did not cause any disturbances while at the party.
"There was really nothing suspect about it," Conn said. "He was pretty smooth until he got out the door."
Conn said about 75 to 80 people were at the party.
Holbrook said she was very pleased with how police responded to her call.
"I was so impressed with the police," she said. "They were immediately there. They had everything under control. They were very thorough. ... They were amazing. They didn't just treat me like some dumb kid."
Penn Police could not be reached for comment.
