All suspects in the police blotter are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
SUSPENDED: At 8:15 a.m. Feb. 4, an officer and detective were dispatched to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked in front of a McGhee Drive home. Minutes later, the detective located the vehicle traveling eastbound on Bonney Lake Boulevard. A records check on the license plate showed it reported as sold Oct. 1; its listed new owner had an outstanding arrest warrant and suspended license. Police initiated a traffic stop, and confirmed the car’s passenger as the registered owner. Police arranged to take him to Pierce County Jail, where he would be transferred into the Kitsap County Sheriff’s custody. A records check on the car’s driver revealed her license was also suspended in the third degree. She was cited for driving while suspended, as well as for failing to transfer vehicle ownership within 45 days of purchase.
THEFT: At 9:20 a.m. Feb. 4, a 97th Street Court East resident reported he had been the victim of theft twice in the past month. In separate incidents, a mountain bike and power inverter were stolen from his porch and yard. He did not initially realize the items were missing, and did not know who would steal from him. The victim said he had seen a suspicious male and female, whom he scared off his property, in his backyard around 9 p.m. Feb. 3. He described them as wearing dark clothing.
WARRANT: At 4:45 p.m. Feb. 4, an officer ran a routine license plate check on a vehicle passing his location. The registered owner came up with a suspended driver’s license and an outstanding warrant out of the Kent Police Department for theft. The officer initiated a stop and arrested the driver for the warrant and suspension. He cited her for the suspension and issued a notice of infraction for lacking proof of insurance. She was transferred into Kent PD’s custody at a meeting place in Pacific.
VANDALISM: At 3:54 p.m. Feb. 6, an officer contacted a Pierce Transit employee regarding vandalism to a van. The van had been parked at Shari’s between 4 p.m. Feb. 5 and 5 a.m. Feb. 6. The man found the van missing its gas cap and about 10 gallons of gasoline. When a colleague attempted to refill the tank, gasoline spilled out the bottom of the gas filler; the hose had been cut. The officer photographed the van and its damage, and uploaded the pictures to the department’s evidence drive. There was no suspect information at the time of the report.
HIT AND RUN: At 1:49 p.m. Feb. 7, an officer was dispatched to a hit and run that had just occurred. The reporting driver said he was traveling on state Route 410 when a car traveling in the left turn lane banked right to avoid stopped traffic, hit his mirror and took off at a high rate of speed. He wrote down the license plate number and called police, and a witness who said he had followed the car doubled back and provided a vehicle description to the victim. The officer ran a check on the vehicle and found the registered owner. He contacted the man, who agreed to give a statement to police. The man initially said the reporting victim had actually struck him, and that he waited at the nearest gas station for several minutes to exchange information with the other driver. The officer said a witness statement contradicted his story, at which point the man admitted he had not stopped. The officer told the man he would be forwarding the case to the prosecutor for possible charges of reckless driving and hit and run.
DUI: At 2:19 p.m. Feb. 8, officers were advised of a driver possibly under the influence traveling eastbound on 410. According to several 911 calls, a dark truck with Florida license plates was traveling all over the roadway, driving on the shoulder and tailgating other vehicles. An off-duty Seattle Police officer who had called 911 followed the vehicle. A Bonney Lake officer located the truck as it passed his location. The Seattle officer slowed to open up room behind the truck and flashed his lights to confirm it was the suspect vehicle. The truck took a wide right onto South Prairie Road, striking and briefly traveling on one curb before doing the same to the opposite curb. The officer activated his lights and the vehicle slowed but did not seize any opportunities to stop until it reached the Lowe’s parking lot. Four additional officers arrived to provide assistance. The initial officer contacted the driver, who appeared extremely intoxicated and smelled strongly of medicine. The driver said he had not had alcohol or consumed medicine, but he said he had drunk two bottles of mouth wash, later located in the passenger seat. The man did not consent to the voluntary field sobriety tests, and he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. He initially refused to step out of his vehicle until the officer opened the door and escorted him out. During processing, the driver returned breath tests above a .300 blood alcohol content, prompting the arresting officer to first call in a colleague to witness a retest, then to call in East Pierce Fire and Rescue for a health evaluation. After he checked out fine, the officer cited him for DUI, as well as for failing to show a valid driver’s license. The man was released to a sober friend. The report was forwarded to the prosecutor for review of charges.
