More car prowls

July 3 — Another vehicle prowl was added to the growing list at the Gig Harbor Police Department as officers continue to investigate the string of thefts from the past two weeks.

At 10 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a vehicle prowl report. The officer called the victim who said an unknown person entered his unlocked car, which was parked in their driveway on Harborview Drive. The victim told police his car was rummaged through and an Apple iPod was stolen. There were no security cameras nearby.

Someone else called police at 10:52 a.m. to say a Toyota Camry was broken into and a various items, including a wallet filled a credit card and $200 worth of gift cards, stolen. The Toyota was parked at the victim’s home on the 4600 block of Bear Creek Lane.

The victim said he was notified by his bank about suspicious activity from an unknown gas station and a retail store in Tacoma. All transactions were denied by the bank.

The officer added the report to ongoing investigation into vehicle prowls in Gig Harbor.

Stolen fireworks

July 3 — Some alleged thieves might have had a great Fourth of July show after stealing a large amount of fireworks from a stand at the Gig Harbor Costco.

A Gig Harbor police officer responded to a call from Jake’s Fireworks after the employees discovered the business’s trailer was broken into. When police arrived, the victim explained sometime between 4-10 a.m. someone cut the lock off the semi-trailer which contained all the fireworks.

Fireworks worth an estimated $1,500 were stolen.

Shoplifting suspect arrested

July 7 — Police were dispatched to Kohl’s on Point Fosdick Drive Northwest at 8:34 p.m. for a theft in progress. The loss-prevention manager told dispatch a man was seen on security cameras taking earrings from inside the store, concealing the jewelry and then leaving the store without paying. While officers were en route, the manager said the suspect got in a red Honda van and drove away.

An officer spotted the van and a man matching the description of the suspect driving in the area and stopped him.

The officer saw the man was acting strangely and decided to call for backup for a high-risk stop. A second officer arrived, and both removed the man from his vehicle and placed him in handcuffs. No one else was in the vehicle except the suspect’s dog.

The reporting officer explained to the suspect he was seen on security cameras stealing earrings from Kohl’s. The man admitted to stealing the earrings, saying they were still in the car. The man also admitted to stealing a Vans shirt and a pair of Vans sneakers, which he wearing. The total of the items was $100. The man took off the shirt and shoes, which were returned to Kohl’s along with the earrings.

A search of the suspect’s identity showed he had a driving without a license in the third degree status, two confirmed Gig Harbor Police warrants for a DUI, and a theft in the third degree and making false statements to an officer. The total bail for the warrants was set to $10,200. The reporting officer arrested the suspect and transported him to Pierce County jail.