Denise M. Reinschreiber, 53, of Riverdale, Illinois, is facing a felony case in Porter County after police alleged she used a stolen credit card to purchase more than $6,500 in gift cards at Speedway stores in Valparaiso and Hobart. 

According to court documents, the investigation began on Aug. 10, 2023, after a woman reported her wallet had been stolen from her purse while it was hanging on the back of her chair as she dined at Chili’s, 250 Silhavy Road in Valparaiso. While she and her husband searched for the missing wallet, she received fraud alerts indicating her credit card had already been used at Speedway gas stations in Porter County. 

Police said the stolen credit card was used to make six purchases at three Speedway locations: 2005 Morthland Drive in Valparaiso, 473 U.S. Highway 30 in Valparaiso, and 6325 East Lincoln Highway in Hobart. Investigators allege two transactions were made at each location to purchase Vanilla Visa gift cards and Speedway gift cards, totaling $6,507.10. Surveillance video from all three stores reportedly showed the same woman making the purchases. 

Investigators also used Flock license plate reader technology and identified a black Mercedes crossover seen near each Speedway around the time of the transactions. The vehicle was registered to another woman who police said had a history of purse thefts targeting women dining at restaurants before stolen credit cards were quickly used for fraudulent purchases. 

Police later learned that one of the Speedway gift cards purchased with the victim’s stolen credit card was used at a Speedway in Cold Spring, Kentucky. During a separate investigation, authorities in Kentucky arrested Reinschreiber and another woman after alleging they stole a woman’s wallet from a purse hanging on the back of a chair at a Cracker Barrel before using the victim’s credit cards at businesses in Kentucky. Porter County investigators compared body camera images from that arrest with Speedway surveillance footage and concluded Reinschreiber matched the woman seen using the stolen credit card in Porter County, according to court documents. 

Lodged in the Porter County Jail on July 11,2026.

 Charge filed June 24, 2024:

Fraud (loss between $750 and $50,000) — Level 6 Felony