Mount Rainier car prowler sentenced to 25 months

The Department of Justice said his actions left multiple victims stranded at national parks with no phone, car keys, or warm clothes.

A prolific car prowler that targeted hikers and campers at four national parks, including Mount Rainier, has been sentenced for more than two years.

According to the Department of Justice, Michael Wayne Pickering’s crime spree began nearly a year ago, when the 41 year old and his girlfriend, Mercedes R. Lemieux, 26, started breaking into vehicles to steal money and credit cards, electronics, camping gear, clothes, and even car keys, leaving some victims “marooned in the national forest, with no cell phone service,” U.S. Attorney Brian Moran said in a press release. “For some it has forever changed their interest in outdoor activities.”

It’s estimated Pickering and Lemieux caused more than $50,000 in financial damage over the month-long campaign that stretched from Mount Rainier to Third Beach on the coast, using stolen debit and credit cards to buy luxury items, and either stockpiled or sold the other items he stole, until his arrest on April 29, 2019. At least four dozen cars were targeted altogether.

According to DOJ Communications Director Emily Lange, Pickering hit up both the upper and lower parking lots at Paradise on April 21, 2019, breaking into seven cars and stealing more than $4,000 in high-end hiking and camping gear. He also stole roughly $1,500 through gift card and merchandise purchases with stolen credit cards.

In addition to his 25-month sentence, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle ordered Pickering to serve three years of supervised release.