GREEN EVERYWHERE: At 10:13 p.m. Sept. 22, a patrolling officer spotted red and black Ford Mustangs racing westbound at the 19200 block of state Route 410. The officer followed in pursuit, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph and still barely gaining on the speeders. The red Mustang escaped and the officer could only see the black vehicle, which was swerving around other cars in traffic. The officer activated his lights and pulled over the vehicle.

The driver was arrested for racing and reckless driving. During a body search, two wallets and a glass pipe with burned marijuana were found. One wallet contained only the driver’s ID, but the other wallet held more than $2,000 in three individually bound bundles. The officer asked the driver about the money; the driver was “evasive” but consented to a search of his vehicle.

A Puyallup K9 unit arrived and the dog sniffed the car. A sandwich bag of marijuana was found in the center console. Then, a gallon bag of marijuana, two smaller bags of marijuana and a digital scale were found in a backpack behind the driver’s seat. More marijuana was found in a small container attached to the driver’s keychain.

The driver was booked into Pierce County Jail on charges of racing, reckless driving, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. He was also issued an infraction for no proof of insurance.

SHOPLIFTING: At 5:41 p.m. Sept. 22, a juvenile shoplifter was held in custody by security at Target. Security advised the officer dispatched to the scene that the girl had been observed shoplifting on two prior occasions in April and September, and footage from the previous incidents helped security to identify her. The girl took six garments into a dressing room and left with only five, wearing the sixth. A search of the fitting room after she left revealed the sales tags had been removed from the garments and hidden under a seat cushion. Security staff in pursuit observed the girl picking up and concealing additional pieces of merchandise, and donning a black jacket from her garments. She bought some snacks at a register, and security staff intercepted her at the store exit. She admitted to the theft and prior thefts, at a total of nearly $200. When asked about the thefts by the officer, she admitted that she had premeditated lifting the specific items and did not know why she did it, because her parents more than likely would have bought them if asked. Walsh was released to her parents and the officer advised them that their daughter would be prosecuted for the three shoplifting incidents.

CLOSED FOR BUSINESS: At half past midnight Sept. 23, a patrolling officer observed a pickup truck with a severely damaged windshield turn off of 208th Avenue East eastbound onto SR 410. The officer stopped the vehicle at the 21100 block of the highway. He observed two males in the truck. The driver informed the officer the damage had happened recently and he had not had time to repair it. A computer check revealed the driver had two outstanding misdemeanor warrants and the officer called for backup.

The officer had the driver exit the truck. During the second contact, the officer smelled fresh marijuana. Both the driver and passenger had bloodshot eyes. A K-9 search revealed marijuana in both doors of the vehicle. The officer also saw a pipe under the passenger seat. Both men were taken into custody. A further search revealed a grocery back with one large bag of marijuana and 16 individual baggies of marijuana packaged for sale. The driver admitted that he sold individual gram bags of pot for $20 each, but he would not say where he obtained the product. The driver was taken into custody and the passenger was cited for the pipe and released on scene.

DUI: At 10:20 p.m. Sept. 25, An officer observed a black truck strike a curb before turning westbound on SR 410. The truck drifted between lanes on the highway before turning northbound on 198th Avenue East. There, it crossed over the center line and almost hit an oncoming car, which swerved out of the way. The officer, following the vehicle, activated his patrol car lights and stopped the vehicle near the entrance of Swiss Park.

On contact, the officer noticed that the driver of the black truck had just lit a cigarette. The window was a quarter of the way up and the driver was moving around inside. The officer asked the man how he was doing, to which the man replied “Just fine.” His eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was severely slurred. As the driver was recovering his insurance and registration, the officer asked him where he was going and where he was coming from. The driver said he was going home; he first stated he was coming from Babalouie’s before saying he was coming from Peking.

The officer asked the driver if he would exit the vehicle to talk. As he got out, he stumbled and lost his balance. The driver was asked if he would volunteer to field sobriety tests and told they were voluntary; he agreed to complete the tests. The driver failed the nine step walk-and-turn and one leg stand tests. He blew a .241 field BAC, more than three times the legal limit.

Afterward, he was processed for the official BAC reading; the machine at Bonney Lake Police Station gave a series of invalid samples, prompting the officer to tag the device for the error and transport the driver to Sumner Police station; that machine confirmed a high BAC. The driver’s license was punched and he was cited for DUI and improper lane travel before being returned to his residence.

VEHICULAR ASSAULT: At 9:45 a.m. Sept. 26, an officer was dispatched to a car vs. pedestrian collision at the Big Foot Java. A man returning a bad cup of coffee cut in front of the suspect’s truck. When he was told what he had done, he left, parked his car and walked up to the window on foot. The waiting truck drove up and pushed the man against the wall. The victim said that the driver laughed and said “If I wanted to hit you, you would be on the ground; I guess you should have waited in line.” The truck left the scene eastbound on SR 410.

While the officer was taking the report, the man in the truck was pulled over elsewhere.

Because there were no visible injuries on the victim, the truck was cited and released.

VEHICLE PROWL: At 9:44 a.m. Sept. 21, an officer took a vehicle prowl report at a residence on 179th Avenue Court East. The victim said she left her vehicle parked on the side of the road with its doors unlocked.

Sometime during the night, someone entered the vehicle and stole three schoolbooks at a total value of $192.

The glove box had also been rummaged through, but nothing of value was taken.