Community Police & Fire
Gig Harbor Police blotter: Six-figure shoplifters at Target stores
Gig Harbor Police arrested a man suspected of stealing more than $100,000 worth of merchandise from Target stores in the region on May 20.
Store security, who had recognized the suspect in the Gig Harbor store, called police around 9:30 p.m. The officers noted a maroon Nissan Altima in the parking lot that is associated with the suspect. A woman was sleeping in the back seat with drug paraphernalia in her lap. Obviously fake identification cards and pixelated forged checks were in plain sight inside the vehicle.
The suspect, a 59-year-old Tacoma man, admitted to using fake IDs and printing fake checks. He said he used the checks to make fraudulent purchases at Target stores 10 to 12 times, including several incidents at the Gig Harbor Target.
He was also found in possession of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl. The suspect told officers that due to his drug use and open sores, he expects to eventually lose the use of both of his legs.
He had 3 felony arrest warrants in King and Pierce for theft, forgery and escape from community custody charges. He was booked into jail for suspicion of fraud and manufacturing fake IDs.
And another one
Security at the same Target store reported another six-figure shoplifting suspect on May 25.
Target officers said the 30-year-old Bremerton man is suspected of stealing at least $100,000 in merchandise from stores in Puyallup, South Hill, Silverdale, Kent and North Tacoma as well as Gig Harbor.
He is a suspect in two recent high-value thefts at the Gig Harbor store. In two incidents during the week of May 23, he used an unknown tool to smash the glass on locked cabinets. He escaped with an estimated $26,000 in merchandise. Stolen items include headphones, laptop computers, smart watches and other electronics.
The Bremerton man is typically seen driving a blue Ford Bronco. He was not located by Gig Harbor officers, but a report was forwarded to prosecutors for review.
Man threatens Gig Harbor police
A 41-year-old man was involuntarily committed to mental health treatment on May 17 after he made repeated threats to a Gig Harbor Police officer.
The department has responded to “hundreds of calls for service” involving the man over the past 12 years, according to a report from the officer. The transient male has made repeated threats against officers during calls to 911, including threatening to shoot Chief Kelly Busey.
On May 17, the man had been taken into custody on suspicion of vandalism. Officers decided he needed to be taken to St. Anthony hospital for a mental health evaluation.
While officers were attempting to take the man out of the holding cell at the police department, he repeatedly yelled threats like “your days are numbered” and “I’m coming after you with everything I’ve got.”
In the report, Chief Busey related an incident in April while he was dining at a local restaurant. The same man, who saw him inside the restaurant, slammed both hands on the window hard enough that Busey feared the window would break. The report also noted that on May 13, the manager of a local tavern reported that the 41-year-old male had threatened to shoot the chief.
The man was placed on an involuntary mental health commitment and a report of the incident was forwarded to an outside agency for investigation.
WSP aircraft helps find stolen vehicle
Officers recovered a vehicle stolen in Gig Harbor on May 21 with the help of a Washington State Patrol aircraft.
The suspects took the vehicle from a mechanic shop late on May 20 or early on May 21. The manager of the shop believed the thief must have fished the keys to the orange Jeep Wrangler out of an overnight drop box.
Later on May 21, a purse was reported stolen from Wilkinson Park in Gig Harbor. The suspect fled in an orange Wrangler.
A Washington State Patrol aircraft in the area tracked the stolen vehicle. Troopers reported that the stolen purse was thrown out of the car in rural South Kitsap. WSP continued tracking the vehicle until it was ditched on 121st Court near Wauna.
Officers located the two suspects, one male and one female, hiding in brush nearby. The man admitted to stealing the car but said the woman stole the purse. Fentanyl pills were found strewn around the inside of the vehicle.
The male was booked into the Kitsap County Jail for charges related to crimes that happened there. The woman was cited, given a court date and provided drug treatment referral information.
Suspects flee, then wreck on Narrows Bridge
A report of two people loading lumber into a rented van at a Gig Harbor construction site ended with a collision on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and two people in custody.
A passerby reported seeing two men hurriedly loading lumber into a rented box van on the afternoon of May 22. No work crews were there, so the witness suspected the men were stealing the wood.
While on his way there, the officer saw the van leaving the area. The officer noted several traffic violations and attempted to stop the box van. It kept driving and the officer discontinued his pursuit, citing department policy and state law.
Moments later, Washington State Patrol troopers responded to a collision on the Narrows Bridge. One of the vehicles involved was the box van.
The two men inside the van had run east on the bridge after the collision, which apparently happened when their vehicle ran out of gas. State troopers waiting on the Tacoma side of the bridge arrested them.