Felon With Lengthy Record Picked up for Downtown Thefts - WSAV: News, Weather, and Sports for Savannah, GA

Savannah Metro Police say a convicted felon who transferred to Savannah to complete his prison sentence has now been charged with a felony and two misdemeanors relating to thefts in the downtown area. Authorities say videos helped identify the suspect, 49 year old Anthony Hatten.

Hatten is charged with felony financial transaction card fraud, misdemeanor theft of lost or mislaid property and possession of drug related objects

Police say Hatten is from Waycross where previous arrests took place and that his record shows 11 incarcerations.  They say the most recent was for a 2010 theft conviction. Hatten was sentenced to five years in an Augusta prison on that charge.

Police say he was released in August after serving 16 months in Augusta and transferred to the Coastal Transition Center in Savannah. He was released from the Center in August and started state probation in November.

In the past year, Police Chief Willie Lovett has spoken out several times about concerns regarding some of those staying at the Center. That was after several people still housed there were charged with crimes. Again, Hatten was no longer staying at the Center. It's not known where he had been staying since August.

Police say downtown detectives developed an interest in Hatten after a purse was reported missing from a Bull Street business. They say a few days later a theft was reported by a downtown business describing a suspect matching his description. Then days later, detectives stopped Hatten and allegedly found him with a wallet that contained debit and or credit cards belonging to the woman whose purse was stolen.

Detectives continue to investigate possible connections to other crimes. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). In the body type, include "CStop2020" plus the tip. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.