FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS  •  Police here are asking for help identifying a man who breaks into employee-only areas of stores and steals items including purses.
The thefts began Dec. 24 at The Children’s Place in St. Clair Square Mall and have continued through Friday.
Police have taken seven reports of thefts they believe the man committed at stores including Babies "R" Us, Big Lots, and Hollister in the mall, and at the Here Today department store, police said. Thefts occurred between 9 a.m. and late afternoon.
An employee of Babies "R" Us reported her purse, with her car keys inside, was stolen Friday afternoon from a locked locker. The thief stole her car —  a white 2008 Saturn Aura with Illinois registration P521521 — and drove to south St. Louis County, where he allegedly committed several thefts from another Babies "R" Us store and a Sally Beauty Supply, police said.
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The man being sought is black, in his early 30s and stands about 5-feet-9-inches tall with a heavy build. He has worn a red hooded sweatshirt with a zipper and a large R on on the left side, as well as a dark-colored baseball cap with KC in the front and Kansas City embroidered across the back. He also has been seen wearing a dark pullover hoodie with white lettering on the front.
Anyone with information is asked to call Fairview Heights police at 618-489-2100 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).
