Police reports for the week of Jan. 25, 2018

A hot birthday present

Jan. 13 – Gig Harbor Police officers were dispatched to Marshalls on Point Fosdick Drive at 4:21 p.m. for a report of a shoplift incident in progress. Police arrived on the scene and officers contacted both the female suspect and the store’s loss-prevention manager, according to police reports.

The manager told officers the woman entered the store around 3 p.m. with a large, empty purse. By using a closed-circuit security camera, the manager witnessed the suspect take two hoodies and place them in her cart and them take some candles and also placed them in her cart before leaning over her cart and removing the security tags and place them in a coffee mug. The manager moved to the sales floor where he saw the suspect remove security tags from the hoodie using a set of pliers, then place the clothing into her large purse.

The female suspect headed upstairs and found a men’s jacket. The suspect purchased the men’s jacket and a soda, but did not pay for the hoodies or candles.

The manager approached the suspect before she exited the building and said he saw her conceal items in her purse and asked her to follow him to the office. The suspect said she couldn’t go with the manager because she had “two toddlers” at home waiting for her. The manager convinced the suspect to go to the office to fill out paperwork. While the woman was filling out paperwork, the manager told her that the police were called.

Police recovered two candles, a giftware item and the two hoodies, all valued at $72.95. Officers advised the suspect to call someone to watch her children for her. Police placed the women under arrest for felony, retail theft with special circumstances and a misdemeanor of theft in the third degree.

The suspect told police her job had recently cut her hours and she was struggling to make income. She told police she stole the items as birthday gifts for her sister and admitted to using the pliers to remove security tags.

Playing tricks on customer service

Jan. 13 – Police responded to Target on 51st Avenue in response to a shoplifting call around 6:36 p.m. Police put a female suspect in custody and found she was a suspect in a couple of recent theft attempts including one on Dec. 24 and another at 2 p.m. earlier that afternoon, according to police reports. A loss-prevention manager witnessed the woman enter the store carrying merchandise in her bag before going to the Target sales floor and collecting items. The manager saw the woman select items from the cosmetics section and from women’s clothing. The suspect then took a couple boxes of Lego sets.

The manager told police the woman then went to customer service to return the items she came in the store with and to purchase the Lego sets and some clothes, which she placed on the counter. She was given a $26 gift card and was able to purchase some clothes. She asked the attendant to place the other clothing items on hold until she could come back.

The woman then went back into the store, selected two more Lego sets, and then went to Starbucks and paid for two drinks. The suspect then attempted to push her cart with the unbought items past security and out of the store, until the manager stopped her. The woman went into the store with the manager and told him she thought the Lego sets were paid for with her gift card and that she had “forgotten” about the cosmetic items in her cart.

Police say the suspect kept giving different excuses to the officers, although they were shown videotapes that confirmed the manager’s account.

Police informed the woman that she was was under arrest for theft in the third degree. The suspect said she was confused and was not under arrest. Police placed the woman in handcuffs but she kept protesting that she had medical issues that caused her to forget some items and that she did not understand her Miranda rights. The woman was read her rights three times, according to police reports, and was taken to Kitsap County jail. The total value of the items was $148.88.

Giving up the stolen shirt on their back

Jan. 13 – Gig Harbor police officers were dispatched to Kohl’s on Point Fosdick Drive at 8:58 p.m. for a shoplift incident in progress. Dispatch told officers the loss-prevention manager was “arguing” in the parking lot of the store with the suspect, described as a black man in his early 20s. Three officers arrived on scene and made contact with three people in the parking lot, one black man and two women who were arguing with the manager. An officer made contact with the man who matched the suspect description.

The officer checked the suspect for weapons and detained him with handcuffs. The man admitted he stole a Seattle Seahawks jersey which he was wearing, which still had tags attached. He also admitted to stealing a red shirt he was wearing under the jersey. The loss-prevention manager told police the suspect was also wearing white shorts under his pants which he had stolen. The suspect said he had forgotten about the shorts. Police released him from the handcuffs so he could remove the stolen merchandise from his body.

One of the female suspects said the man had “dope” on his person. Police asked the suspect if he had ingested any or was carrying any contraband on his person, and if he brings it into the jailhouse he could be charged with a felony. The male suspect said he had no contraband. Police then handcuffed the man and transported him to Kitsap County jail.

During her interview, the black female suspect was found to have stolen merchandise stuffed in the front of her pants. After being detained, the woman told police she was stealing items to get money to buy drugs to support her habit. The woman said her and the male suspect had earlier gone to a Kohl’s in Puyallup, and a Fred Meyer and Safeway in Tacoma.

The second suspect – white female – told police she did not steal any items but had spent the day with the other two suspects, who were shoplifting from other stores in Tacoma. She told police the other two suspects told her they were going to buy items in the Kohl’s, but when she saw them leaving while being followed by the manager she refused to let them in her car. And officer checked her vehicle and found loose retail items including a bottle of liquor and several pieces of drug paraphernalia.

The two women were given rides back to Tacoma by police, since police could not verify if the merchandise stolen by the one suspect was from the Gig Harbor Kohl’s.

While at the jail, the male suspect complained that his sock itched and that he thought there was something stuck in his sock. Police searched his sock and found several small baggies. One bag contained a brown residue that police suspected was heroin. When questioned the suspect said the stuff was used to help him “get off heroin.”. Because the baggies did not contain enough substance to be used as evidence for further charges, police disposed of them.

Officer catches criminal in the act

Jan. 19 – A Gig Harbor police officer was patrolling the Gig Harbor Safeway parking lot on Point Fosdick Drive when he saw a man leaving the store near Starbucks pushing a cart full of unbagged groceries. When the man noticed the officer, he began to walk at a faster pace, according to police reports. The police officer drove left and saw the man placing the groceries into a white SUV. The officer drove around the parking spot and saw the man sitting in the passenger side of the car with a woman in the driver seat. The driver backed out of the parking spot and started to drive away. The officer followed the car and saw the man walking behind the Applebee’s restaurant.

The officer parked his patrol car and made contact with the male suspect. The officer told the man he suspected he stole the groceries. The suspect denied this at first, but when the officer told him they would have to go back to Safeway to check video surveillance the man admitted to stealing the groceries.

The man was detained and admitted to the officer he stole the groceries because he was hungry and did not have money to purchase the food. The suspect said the female driver was a woman who offered him a room to rent and he was going to give some of the groceries to her.

The suspect could not give a license plate number to the car or the woman’s name. The groceries could not be recovered from the vehicle. The suspect was taken to Kitsap County Jail.

Don’t park your car in the bushes

Jan. 20 – Gig Harbor police officers noticed a car parked in bushes at the dead end of 38th Avenue Northwest around 5:13 a.m. Two officers approached the car and observed a man asleep in the front seat and drug paraphernalia throughout the vehicle, according to police reports. On the suspect’s lap was a glass pipe with residue inside. Police woke up the man asked him what was going on. The man admitted to parking his car to smoke meth. The officers placed the suspect in handcuffs and found additional drug paraphernalia in the front seat. Officers issued the man a citation for drug use and he was released.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Police reports for the week of Jan. 25, 2018."