All suspects in the police blotter are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
NO PRESCRIPTION REFILL NEEDED: At 10:28 a.m. on April 13, an officer on the Old Buckley Highway spotted an eastbound vehicle with a crack in the windshield—an offense that normally warrants a verbal warning. The driver, male, was pulled over on the 18700 block and asked for his license, registration and proof of insurance. The man said he was not able to provide any of those, the latter two because he was in the process of purchasing the vehicle from a friend. He provided a name, but could not provide an identifying social security or driver’s license number.
The man seemed afraid due to visible shaking, so the officer, operating under the possibility the man was being dishonest about his identity, called for backup. A records check showed a license suspension due to an unpaid ticket. The DOL physical descriptors were also similar to the driver, but the officer still believed the man was being dishonest. A check of booking photos from Pierce County Jail also showed slight physical similarities. The officer arrested the man for the license suspension and to obtain a positive identification.
A search of the driver’s left jacket pocket revealed an unmarked prescription pill bottle filled with what appeared to be marijuana. A continued search revealed two smoking pipes with residue: one metal and one glass. Two glass vials containing substances unknown were also located. The driver identified the unknown substances as “Honey oil,” used for amplifying a marijuana high. A scale with residue on it was in the driver’s right pants pocket. The driver said he had a marijuana card for possession of those items, but he could not provide it when asked.
The officer placed the driver in his patrol car. Once inside, he told him he had located a booking photo of the man he had named, and did not believe they were the same person. The driver told the officer he had lied and given his brother’s name, under the influence of panic. A search under the driver’s proper name revealed the same license suspension, and a warrant for his arrest.
The driver’s passenger was identified and arrested under warrant, and the vehicle was impounded.
But just prior to the officer clearing the booking process, the towing company called to inform the officer that vehicle inventory revealed further marijuana.
STOLEN MOTOR: At 8:10 a.m. on April 13, an officer contacted a resident by phone in response to the report of a stolen boat motor. The resident advised that some time between 7 p.m. April 11 and 9 a.m. April 12, his 8 horsepower Yamaha kicker motor, valued at about $3,000, had been stolen off of his Seasport 24-foot boat. The boat was parked in the driveway in front of his home. The resident advised his wife had noticed the motor’s absence the morning of April 12, and that the theft would likely require two people due to its weight. Nothing suspicious was heard overnight, he said.
The officer checked the boat at the residence and found two hydraulic lines that would normally lead to the motor were cut. The locking mechanism laid on the ground next to the boat, but the lock itself was intact; it appeared a metal bar affixing the lock to the motor had been cut.
GOTTA PAY THE BILLS SOMEHOW: At 4:12 p.m. April 10, an officer on eastbound Highway 410 followed a blue Honda Civic. A routine license records check of the license plate showed the driver’s license was suspended in the third degree. The officer stopped the vehicle and confirmed the driver’s identity from his license. The driver advised he was aware of his suspension and was in the process of paying his fines, but needed to transport himself to work. The officer issued a citation and infraction for driving while license suspended and possessing no proof of insurance, respectively. The officer advised the man he needed a licensed driver to drive his vehicle, and the man said his boss was on his way to pick him up and take him to work. In the meantime, the car would be left in the parking lot where it had been stopped.
THEFT JUST KEEPS GOING AND GOING: At 4:34 p.m. April 14, an officer was dispatched to Target for a report of a shoplifter in custody. The store loss prevention specialist advised the officer a suspect had attempted to return a large number of batteries sans receipt. On the suspect’s first visit, he was short of the $75 minimum to achieve the refund; he left and returned with more batteries to meet the exchange limit. Once he left, he was observed on closed circuit television and witnessed taking batteries and placing them in his sweatshirt pocket. He left, made rounds around the store before coming back to the battery section and taking more. He then left the store, bypassing cash registers. The Loss Prevention Specialist contacted the suspect outside the store, where he admitted to the theft. He voluntarily waited in the Loss Prevention office until the officer arrived. The suspect told the officer he didn’t have much to say other than he made a huge mistake, that he was unemployed an on hard times. The suspect was issued a citation and court date for the theft.
THAT WAS A GIMME: At 1:08 a.m. April 15, an officer observed a man walking in a ditch beside Bonney Lake Boulevard. The man was looking on the ground as if he had lost something. The officer exited his patrol car to ask the man what he was doing, and the man told the officer he was looking for a set of keys possibly lost on the side of the road. The officer asked the man for identification, and he stated he did not have any on his person. The man advised the officer he had a Bonney Lake warrant, but he was going to take care of it. Dispatch checked the man’s name, and confirmed he was wanted on a Theft warrant. The man was placed under arrest and transported to Buckley Jail.
A PAPER BAG IS CUSTOMARY: At 9:53 a.m. April 15, an officer was dispatched to Cedarview Park, where a Drain-Pro employee advised of an apparent arson to a portable toilet. The officer saw two toilets had been partially burned and melted. It appeared a fire had been started in the westernmost toilet, and the heat from the fire caused the eastern toilet’s left side to partially melt and warp. The Drain-Pro employee told the officer the last time he had seen them undamaged was on a service check April 13. Replacement cost for each toilet is $971, including shipping.
LADIES LOVE BARBECUE: At 4:07 p.m. April 15, an officer was dispatched to a residential burglary on 100 St. Ct. E. The homeowner told the officer he previously made arrangements with his ex-wife to come to his house and pick up some belongings. When she missed the agreed time, he left for a little more than two hours to run errands. When he returned, he found his back door kicked in and his barbecue stolen, he said. The officer asked the man for paperwork declaring his marriage dissolved, but he had none, and no paperwork delineating the proper division of property between the former couple. The man also reported a missing mattress he had bought for his son.
The man’s ex-wife had requested the barbecue—a wedding present—shortly after moving out. She had sent him a text previously in which she stated she would not sign a parenting plan unless she received the barbecue. The man suspected his ex-wife’s boyfriend kicked in the door, he said. There were no witnesses to corroborate the theory. The officer told the man he should advise his divorce attorney of the incident. During later phone contact with the ex-wife, she told the officer the door had been previously damaged, and that her ex-husband had told her she could have the barbecue. The next day, the man dropped into police headquarters to furnish a copy of a signed temporary order from Feb. 1, stating that neither party is to transfer, remove or conceal property. The case was forwarded to the prosecutor.
