FELON WITH A GUN: Police in the early morning hours of Jan. 2 were dispatched to the 21100 block of Church Lake Drive East for a report of a fight with a gun in progress involving approximately 10 subjects in their early 20s. Upon arrival there were several individuals in the roadway. A male subject approached police and told them he had a firearm on him and “everything was ok.” The individual was detained and the gun was removed for safekeeping., Police located the unloaded gun from the individual’s right front pocket, a single bullet from his left pocket and a full clip filled with ammunition from his back pocket. According to one of the individuals detained by police, he had been at the residence for a party when another person came up and started calling him “gay.” The individual said he and his friends did not appreciate that and they started arguing when the person took out a handgun, cocked it and put it back in his pocket. He did not make any other statements. The individual who had the gun when police arrived told officers that when the fight started to break up, the person with the gun handed it to him to keep it safe and he unloaded it. Witnesses confirmed the sequence of events. The individual who originally pulled out the gun was discovered to be a convicted felon and was placed under arrest for unlawful possession of a firearm. He was transported to Pierce County Jail for booking. All others were released at the scene.
‘LET ME TELL YOU EVERYTHING’: Officers on patrol Dec. 5 noticed a car whose center-placed brake light was not functioning and pulled the car over. Before the officer could say anything the driver said “Let me tell you everything” and said the vehicle was the passenger’s who was not feeling well and asked him to drive, though he did not have a license. The driver was issued an infraction for no valid operator’s license as well as an infraction for the inoperative brake light and failure to display proof of insurance.
BURGLARY: Police on Dec. 17 were dispatched to the 7000 block of 180th Avenue East for a report of a residential burglary. According to the reporting party, the house belonged to her deceased mother and when she arrived, it appeared someone had rummaged through nearly every room and a television and cable box were missing. Police are investigating.
FRAUD: Police on Dec. 22 were contacted regarding a fraudulent charge of $120 on a debit card. The reporting party discovered the charge when trying to purchase gas and being informed there was not enough money in the account due to a pending charge at a Toys R Us that the card holder did not make. The charge was canceled and police are investigating.
MULTIPLE PROWLS: Police on Dec. 24 were dispatched to the 20800 block of 60th Street East regarding a theft from a vehicle. According to the victim, he exited his residence in the morning and found a person standing in his driveway wearing all dark clothing. The suspect asked “hey man can I use your cell phone” and then fled on foot when the owner declined. The resident discovered a $5 bill missing from his ash tray. Several hours later, police received another call from two other residents on the same block regarding a break-in to his vehicle as well. The second victim reported a DVD player had been forcibly removed from his dashboard. The system is valued at $1,800. The third victim said six cds were stolen from his vehicle. Police are investigating.
DRUGS, EVENTUALLY: Police on Dec. 26 ran the plates of a vehicle on state Route 410 and discovered the driver to have an arrest warrant out of Kent and pulled over the vehicle. The driver was unable to provide a license or insurance. Police received verbal permission to search the vehicle and a K-9 officer was brought in to conduct a search. Nothing of evidentiary value was found by the dog. After the sniff search, the officer conducted his own search and found under the driver’s seat a glass marijuana pipe in a zipped sandwich baggie. When asked about the pipe, the driver said “I forgot it was there.” The vehicle was impounded and she was issued an infraction for no proof of insurance and citations for driving with license suspended and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Kent declined to confirm the warrant due to jail space.
SHOPLIFTING: Police on Dec. 28 were dispatched to the Safeway for a report of a shoplifter. Store officials reported hearing an alarm on the back door and seeing a male pushing a shopping cart full of merchandise down a ramp and out to a car. The employee reported a similar incident two days earlier, but did not call police because they did not witness it first hand, but saw it on video. Police are reviewing video and investigating.
PROWLED INTERLOCK: Police on Dec. 31 took a report from an individual who said his vehicle had been prowled while parked in the 9500 block of 206th Avenue sometime during the prior week. When the owner returned to his vehicle he noticed a window slightly off track and the head of an ignition interlock device missing. Police are investigating.
MISSING INTERLOCK: Police on patrol late on Dec. 31 pulled over a vehicle on Church Lake Drive for traveling 15 mph above the speed limit. A records check showed the driver was required to have an ignition interlock device on his vehicle and told police it was not there because it was his girlfriend’s car. He was cited for operating a vehicle without an interlock device and given a warning for speeding.
