The 83-year-old actress decided to retire to Mount Airy, North Carolina – the template for the show’s Mayberry, and the birthplace of Andy Griffith – after being burgled three times in Los Angeles.
But she was given a shock on Sunday (25Apr10) when she once again fell victim to crime – a man snatched her wallet as she was waiting for a taxi home from a grocery store.
Lynn quickly alerted a police officer, who caught the suspect and returned the wallet to the star – and she insists she still loves her adopted hometown despite the harrowing incident.
The actress tells the Boston Herald, “A squad car came and a policeman who knew who I was put his arm around me and handed me back my wallet. I never thought I’d see it again.
“I don’t want to hurt Mount Airy’s image. LAPD never caught any of those guys (robbers).”