All suspects in the police blotter are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
FRAUD: At 4:58 p.m. Nov. 5, an officer contacted a citizen about fraudulent activity to her credit card account. She said she received a letter from Qualstar Credit Union about two unauthorized transactions on her account. Stone told the officer two transactions occurred in Miami, Fla. at a business named Zara USA (a clothing store) for $31.99 and $336.72. A third attempt to use the card was blocked. The citizen still had the family credit cards in her possession, but has used the card to purchase items on the Internet. The officer advised her to close her account and check her credit report in the near future. The case was completed for information purposes only.
WARRANT: On Nov. 11 at 2:53 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the Safeway fuel station on a report of three men begging for money. The officer found the men described. They were not actively asking for money and were sitting on a nearby curb. They admitted to asking people for gas and told the officer they were out of diesel fuel for their truck. The station attendant had asked them not to bother customers, and they complied. A records check showed one of the men had two warrants out of Milton Police Department, and one out of Federal Way PD. All were confirmed, and Milton PD agreed to meet and take over custody. The man was taken into custody without incident. The other two were told they were free to leave. The man’s custody was transferred at the corner of Valley and Meridian in Puyallup. The officer later realized he had accidentally kept the man’s drivers license, and placed it in records until he could mail it to his home address.
LICENSE SUSPENDED: At 12:13 a.m. Nov. 9, an officer observed a black GMC car traveling on Locust Avenue East with a loud, likely defective, exhaust. A license plate check showed the vehicle had been reported sold Sept. 19, with no corresponding title transfer. The officer initiated a traffic stop and identified the driver from his state ID. When told the reasons he was stopped, the driver said he was aware of the defective exhaust violation, but not the failure to transfer title because the car was not his. A dispatch check showed the driver was wanted on a warrant out of Auburn, and had his drivers license suspended in the third degree. He was placed under arrest and secured in the patrol vehicle. He was transported to East Valley Highway and released into Auburn PD’s custody. He was given a verbal warning about the title transfer and defective exhaust.
VEHICLE RECOVERY: At 3:48 p.m. Nov. 9, an officer was called to 191st Avenue East to recover a motor vehicle that had been parked on the street for about two weeks. The officer was able to contact the registered owner, who said she would be en route to pick it up. The officer contacted the caller, who said he had noticed the vehicle for two weeks and had checked with neighbors, turning up no owners. There was no suspect information as to who might have driven it into the area. The vehicle was left parked at the scene per the owner’s request, and the officer had dispatch remove it’s information from the Washington Crime Information Center database.
THEFT FROM VEHICLE: At 5:49 p.m. Nov. 9, an officer responded to a South Prairie Road East address in reference to a theft from a vehicle. The reporting party said she had parked nine minutes earlier, and when she returned the front passenger window had been broken out. A purse with cash, cards and medication—and a makeup bag with $200 in product—had been stolen. She had already cancelled her debit card, and was going to call her credit card company and doctor to tell them of the theft. Employees at a nearby business said they did not have surveillance cameras pointing at the parking lot. They had seen two people walking near the business earlier, but did not see them in the parking lot where the incident took place. The vehicle owner was given a case number and the officer took photos of her vehicle for evidence. There were no suspects at the time of the report.
THIEVES ARE TOOLS: At 9:36 p.m. Nov. 9, a man called to report his SUV had been broken into while parked outside Diagnostic Imaging Northwest. The man, who repairs the business’s equipment, had been to and from his car since 9 a.m., and thought he had locked the vehicle each time. As he was preparing to leave, he realized some parts and the tools in the back were missing. After further checks, he realized his registration and gas card were missing as well. The man did not have a list of missing tools on hand, but he advised they were all stainless steel and expensive: an estimated $5,000 in all. He said he understood he would not get the tools back, but would need a case number for his company. The officer provided a case number and told the man to call if he found anything else missing.
FURNISHING LIQUOR TO MINORS: At 11:38 p.m. Nov. 10, officers were dispatched to assist East Pierce Fire and Rescue personnel with an unconscious female in front of a 65th Street East residence. An adult man and woman were in the front driveway with a teenaged girl wrapped in a blanket, laying on the trunk of a vehicle. She was unconscious, unresponsive, and had fallen and hit her head. As East Pierce personnel tended to the girl, an officer questioned the adults and found them to be uncooperative and evasive. They did not live at the house and there were many vehicles parked in the driveway and street, but they denied there was a party in the house. The lights were off and the house appeared quiet. There was a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the adults’ breath, and both had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. Eventually, they admitted there was a party inside for the woman’s nephew. The man said he was married to the birthday boy’s sister, who was inside. The unconscious girl was identified by an officer as a 16-year-old juvenile. The man escorted officers inside and the lights were turned on to reveal about 30 people. Officers broke up the party and made sure everyone had a sober driver to take them home. There were several underage individuals who admitted to drinking alcohol provided by the adults. Observation of beverages around the house made it obvious a drinking party had taken place. One attendee had Bonney Lake warrants and was taken into custody. The adults responsible were cited for furnishing liquor to minors. The 16-year-old was taken to the hospital, and an officer called her grandmother to advise her of the circumstances, and inform her she would keep the girl’s cellphone in police possession until it could be retrieved. The next afternoon, the juvenile, having been released from the hospital at 11 a.m., arrived at the Public Safety Building to retrieve her phone. There was a bump on the left side of her forehead, which an officer photographed for evidence. The juvenile told the officer she had passed out after consuming “Tequila Jell-O Shots.” The cell phone was returned, photographs uploaded to the evidence drive, and charges of Minor In Possession of Alcohol were forwarded to Pierce County Juvenile Court.
