All suspects in the police blotter are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
FRAUD: At 9 a.m. July 17, an officer met with a citizen regarding a fraud complaint. The complainant reported unknown persons had used his name to rent a car in December, which resulted in recent collections action for the outstanding balance. A credit card was used for the rental, but the complainant said he had never had a credit card or rented a car. He said he had lost his identification card several times. He was concerned the fraud would result in a criminal charge for theft of services. The complainant was given a case number and instructions for how to obtain a copy of the report, for forwarding to the collections agency.
HAMBURGER UNHELPFUL: At 12:37 a.m. July 18, dispatch advised Bonney Lake officers the Washington State Patrol was reporting a possible driver under the influence entering the city. The truck had turned onto state Route 410 from 167, and the license plate had come up with a Bonney Lake address for the registered owner. An officer en route was directed to Wendy’s, where fire department personnel — who had traveled behind the swerving truck on the highway — reported he had diverted into the drive-thru when an officer directing traffic around construction became visible on the horizon. The officer initiated an emergency stop in front of the truck as it came around a corner. As the officer approached on foot, the driver put the truck in reverse and started backing away. The officer requested back-up and ordered the man to stop. On contact, the officer could immediately see an open beer can in the cup holder and smell intoxicants on the driver. As the driver searched for his wallet, he noticed the open beer can and placed it on the passenger floorboard; when the officer referenced the moved beer later, the driver said “What, this?” and held up his hamburger. As back-up arrived, the officer asked the man to exit his vehicle and whether he had any weapons. He reported a loaded gun in the center console, for which he had a concealed pistol license. Due to the driver’s unsteadiness on his feet and uncooperative attitude, field sobriety tests were foregone and he was transferred into the arresting custody of another officer, who took him to the station for processing. The pistol was recovered and seized due to being in the driver’s possession while suspected of driving under the influence. The officer also investigated the beer can, which was nearly empty and cold to the touch. More cold beer cans were found in a bag in the back seat. At the station, the driver was administered a breath test and registered above the legal limit. He was cited for driving under the influence.
WARRANTS: At 5:01 a.m. July 18, an officer observed a truck fail to signal a turn. An emergency stop was initiated on South Prairie Road East. A records check on the driver’s identification showed an arrest warrant issued by the Puyallup Police Department. The driver was placed under arrest. When the officer checked with the passenger to find out if he was valid to drive the car from the scene, he said he was not and that he had warrants. The passenger was also confirmed to have a warrant issued by Puyallup PD. Both people were transferred into the custody of a Puyallup police officer.
HIT AND RUN: At 5:13 p.m. July 18, an officer responded to 77th Street East in regards to a hit and run that had occurred 12 minutes prior. The suspect vehicle was described as a silver pickup truck, which had reportedly backed over a utility box and fled the scene. The officer located two knocked-over utility pedestals and contacted the witness to the incident. He advised the home adjacent to the pedestals was a vacant rental property, and that the suspect was likely a prospective renter. He said he had heard the bang of impact and saw the truck backed into the pedestals before it sped northbound. He described the driver as a white male, possibly with two female passengers. The officer requested dispatch contact Puget Sound Energy and Comcast to reset the pedestals. There appeared to be no damage to the internal components, and there were no reports of interrupted service in the area. Photos of the scene were taken for evidence.
THEFT: At 11:12 a.m. July 19, a business supervisor reported an employee theft. A customer had forgotten an iPad at the business, and they had it in safekeeping in a drawer. When she came in to recover it, it was missing. Review of surveillance footage showed an employee had taken the tablet, as well as merchandise. The supervisor contacted the suspect through another employee to inform him they knew about the theft and he needed to return the customer’s property. At 12:40 p.m., an employee called to tell the officer that the iPad had been returned, later verified by the officer in person. The supervisor and employee submitted statements for the report, which was scheduled to be sent to the prosecutor for review.
OBSTRUCTION: At 5:02 p.m. July 20, an officer was stopped behind a vehicle at the Veterans Memorial Drive and Locust Avenue intersection and ran a records check on the license plate. The check turned up an outstanding warrant associated with the vehicle’s registration. The officer followed the vehicle onto Locust, where it immediately turned into a parking lot. An emergency stop was initiated. The driver immediately said he was aware of the warrant. He said the vehicle belonged to his passenger. The passenger shared a last name with the person on the arrest warrant, but he was able to confirm through his registration and proof of insurance that he was a separate person. During the stop, the driver appeared nervous and was talking quickly. Upon being asked for identification, he said he had forgotten it. He provided a name and birthdate. He did not know his social security number, and the height and weight he provided did not match records. However, a search of the name turned up a booking photo of the driver. As the officer returned to the car, the driver said the name he had given was an alias. The name belonged to an acquaintance, and he could not explain how his own booking photo had been attached to it. His actual name turned up warrants out of the Buckley and Bonney Lake police departments. He was arrested and transported to Enumclaw Jail, where he was booked for driving while license suspended, obstructing a law enforcement officer, and his warrants. Subsequent investigation determined he had used the alias in an earlier incident in which he was booked into Puyallup Jail. Latent prints had revealed his true identity.
PURSE THEFT: At 1:46 p.m. an officer was dispatched to a woman reporting a theft that took place at Walmart. She had inadvertently left her phone and purse in a shopping cart. When she returned within minutes to retrieve the items, they were gone and not in the custody of the store. She was able to use an application to track her phone to Auburn. The case was forwarded to investigations.
GRAFFITI: At 8:16 a.m. July 22, an officer contacted the resident of a 179th Avenue Court East address in reference to malicious mischief that had occurred overnight. Someone had spray painted a misogynist slur on the garage door. The caller believed she, and not a roommate, had been the target of the vandalism. She and her ex-husband had poor relations of late, and she had a no-contact order issued against him. There were no witnesses or evidence to support her theory at the time of the report. The officer photographed the damage for evidence and made an estimate on the financial impact of the crime.
MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT: At 6:40 p.m. July 22, a man reported his truck stolen from the Park and Ride. He provided an officer the license plate number and described the vehicle’s distinct characteristics that might aid in identifying it. He authorized police to search and impound the vehicle if recovered.
