Lancaster man caught scratching lottery tickets behind bush after stealing elderly woman’s purse at Clinton church

CLINTON — On Saturday, May 24, 2025, at approximately 5:28 p.m., Officer Robert Champagne of the Clinton Police Department responded to the station lobby to speak with a woman who reported her purse was stolen while she was attending church.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Robert Champagne and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“The incident occurred at St. John’s Church, located at 80 Union Street in Clinton,” Officer Champagne said.

The 82-year-old woman told Officer Champagne that a man she described as “older, wearing a green top, and having a white scruffy beard,” was inside the church “pestering people” and asking for “socks.”

“[The victim] stated she had left her purse on a bench while assisting with church services, and upon returning, found it missing,” Officer Champagne said. “The purse reportedly contained a large amount of cash (estimated close to $500), her ID, credit cards, cell phone, and car keys. She provided her phone number and cell phone provider to initiate a location ping for the device.”

“Based on [the woman’s] description, I believed the suspect to be James Strang. We had a prior interaction with Strang earlier in the day involving theft from a local store, during which he was also wearing green and had a short white beard.”

According to police, James Hubert Strang, 59, is a resident of Old Common Road in Lancaster, MA.

“[She] also mentioned that a retired Clinton police officer was at the church and familiar with Strang,” Officer Champagne said. “I contacted Officer [Michael] Fazio Jr., the son of the retired officer, and asked him to check with his father. Officer Fazio later confirmed that his father identified Strang as having been in the church.”

Officer Champagne said that, at this time, Officer Gerald Guerra responded to Saint John the Guardian of Our Lady Parish and spoke with Father Jim Mazzone.

“Father Mazzone stated that the church’s surveillance cameras likely captured the theft and he would review the footage,” Officer Champagne said. “He later provided me with the video, which confirmed that Strang was the individual who took the purse. We then began checking businesses and locations known to be frequented by Strang. One business Officer Guerra checked was Wachusett’s Liquors, located at 671 Main Street.”

Officer Champagne said the clerk confirmed that Strang had just been in the store and may have walked through the Scooby Doo’s Bar parking lot, located at 675 Main Street.

“I proceeded to Scooby’s and checked the surrounding area. Behind an abandoned building, I observed Strang standing behind a bush, scratching lottery tickets,” Officer Champagne said. “I ordered him to come out from behind the building and detained him.”

Shortly thereafter, Officer Guerra and Sgt. Jeffrey O’Toole arrived on scene to assist.

“Officer Guerra read Strang his Miranda rights from a card he carries in his uniform,” Officer Champagne said. “I then searched the area behind the bush where Strang had been standing and inquired about the stolen purse. Strang admitted to the theft and voluntarily described items he had purchased with the stolen cash.”

According to Officer Champagne, Strang said he used the stolen cash to purchase the following items:

• Four Zippo lighters
• Twenty-six $1 scratch tickets
• One $20 scratch ticket
• Two packs of cigarettes

“Officer Guerra located cash and loose change in Strang’s pockets, as well as a large amount of cash concealed in his sock,” Officer Champagne said.

Officer Champagne said the total amount of cash recovered from Strang was $552.32. The scratch tickets and cigarettes were also recovered at the scene.

“Strang informed me that he had discarded the purse in a wooded area behind the rear parking lot near The Strand (close to St. John’s Church),” Officer Champagne said. “I later located the purse in that area and recovered all remaining items, including [the victim’s] phone, ID, credit cards, and miscellaneous contents. An additional $108 in cash was found inside the purse.”

Strang was transported to the Clinton Police Department for booking.

“It was also discovered that he had an active warrant in the WMS system [Warrant Management System],” Officer Champagne said. “Strang continued to admit to the theft and discussed the items he had purchased. It should be noted that the four Zippo lighters were not recovered at the time of this report.

Officer Champagne said he met with the victim and informed her that they had recovered her purse and documented the items Strang had purchased with her money.

“After counting the recovered cash, we returned the remaining funds and items to her, with the exception of the scratch tickets and cigarettes, which were retained as evidence,” Officer Champagne said.

Officer Champagne said a total of $670.32 in cash belonging to the victim was recovered.

“Upon review of the surveillance video, [the victim] is seen placing two bags on a bench,” Officer Champagne said. “She then walks a few feet away to wash her hands. Strang waits until she is distracted, grabs the black purse, and walks away. It should be noted that [the victim] was within reach of her belongings when Strang took the purse.”

In addition to the warrant, Strang was placed under arrest and charged with the following:

• Larceny from a person over the age of 65
• Breaking & Entering for Misdemeanor
• Larceny under $1,200

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in May, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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