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By Robert Hiltz

While a young woman lay dead or dying on a street in Hamilton, Ont., say police, a thief stole the purse that had been thrown from her body when she was struck by an alleged drunk driver — and later used her credit cards.

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Jason Trotter, 29, was arrested by police Jan. 3 and charged with fraud and theft of an unidentified 20-year-old woman’s purse after she was left to die following a hit-and-run last year, according to Staff Sgt. Steve Hrab of the Hamilton Police.

“It’s deplorable. It offends our sense of decency to think that a young girl is struck as she’s crossing a street by, it turns out, an alleged drunk driver who takes off,” Hrab said. “As she’s laying there crumpled in a heap on the street we have another individual that comes along that takes advantage of the situation and takes her purse with some credit cards in it and then uses them.”

Hrab compared the theft to looting and pillaging in a war zone.