Sheriff’s log: Another gift card fraud, a stolen boat, and a ‘dumbest thief’ entry

Boat theft near Gig Harbor

The victim was storing his 2002 Bayliner boat and 2001 tandem axle trailer at his friend’s house in the 1600 block of 42nd St. Ct. NW. Sometime between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28, someone stole the boat and trailer. The owner said the boat and trailer were not locked and were not stored inside of a structure. He described the boat as being all white with black paint on the bottom.

Driving while license suspended

While on patrol about 9 p.m. on March 1, a deputy saw a black pickup truck miss its turn and run into a curb in the 14300 block of 92nd Ave NW, near the Lake Kathryn shopping center. The vehicle remained against the curb for almost a minute, then backed up and began driving in reverse down the center of the roadway. The deputy ran the license plate and it showed that the owner’s license was suspended and he also had a warrant for driving without a license.

The deputy stopped the vehicle and the driver admitted that his license was suspended. The driver was arrested and issued a ticket for not having insurance.

Gift card fraud by telephone

A woman living in the 4500 block of 146th St NW in Purdy called 911 on Feb. 26 to report that she had been a victim of fraud. She said that she received a text message she thought was from Amazon customer service. The message said someone had made a fraudulent charge on her account in the amount of $2,600. She called the phone number in the message and the person told her that she needed to get gift cards in order to stop the transaction. The victim purchased three gift cards for $500 each to Target, GameStop and Nike. The victim sent photos of the front and back of the gift cards, as requested. Eventually, she called the real Amazon customer service and they said there was no fraudulent activity on her account. The victim lost a total of $1,500. It was the second incident like this in the last month.

Electronic speed sign stolen

Pierce County Public Works received an automated notification about 6:50 p.m. March 2 that an electronic speed control sign had been removed from its location in the 2900 block of Jackson Lake Rd NW, Lakebay. An employee said it appeared someone may have struck it with a vehicle because there were skid marks leading up to it.

After the initial alert, employees received an additional notification that the sign was being moved again, but the sign was powered down and could no longer be tracked. The sign is valued at $6,000.

Tractor thief wins ‘dumb crook’ award

A Kubota tractor stolen from near Taylor Bay was recovered after the suspected thief posted a picture of it on Facebook. The groundskeeper for a property in the 17400 block of 88th St SW called 911 to report the theft on Feb. 28. Deputies followed tractor tracks down an embankment and then along a fence line. The tractor was driven through the wire fence and out onto 88th St SW, where it appeared that it was loaded onto a trailer. The next day, deputies were notified that a neighbor saw the tractor on Facebook. Deputies drove to the home of the person who posted the tractor on Facebook and they saw the tractor concealed in the tree line in the 9300 block of 163rd Ave Ct SW, Lakebay. The tractor was returned to the groundskeeper and deputies are working to get video from the suspect’s neighborhood.

This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 5:30 AM.