Stolen wallet leaves a trail; advice untaken leads to DUI arrest

Stolen wallet, attempted fraud

A man returning to his parked car in the 5900 block of Soundview Avenue on April 4 found his door ajar and his wallet, which had been left in the cupholder, missing. Later, police found the victim’s credit card had been used in attempt to buy more than $500 worth of gift cards at a Gig Harbor store. The transactions were declined by the bank. Video recovered from the Fred Meyer store at 5502 Pt. Fosdick Drive showed the man who tried to use the card was driving a dark gray Dodge Durango. The investigation remains open.

Loan becomes a theft

A customer who was loaned an expensive diagnostic devise by a Gig Harbor auto parts store walked off without returning it, police were told on April 1. A manager at O’Reilly Auto Parts explained that the store routinely let customers borrow an engine code reader to use in the parking lot, provided they left their driver’s license as security. But the i.d. left by the customer April 1 turned out to be someone else’s. Officers contacted the license owner, who lives in Everett. He said his i.d. had been stolen while he was in prison. Police noted that he was bald, while the suspect in the store had long hair. The case remains open.

Advise ignored, arrest followed

An officer patrolling a parking lot at 5100 Point Fosdick drive noticed a Honda idling with its lights off about 12:30 a.m on April 4 and the sounds of two women arguing inside. The officer spoke to the driver, who appeared drunk. The officer advised the driver, a 26-year-old woman, to call a taxi or an Uber., but since the car was parked legally, made no arrest. About a half-hour later, the officer noticed the same Honda speeding on Olympic Drive with it’s lights off. He pulled the car over and arrested the driver, who admitted to having three glasses of wine and “one shot,” but thought she could drive home because it was only a short way. After failing a field sobriety test, she was taken to St. Anthony Hospital for a blood test and booked into Kitsap County Jail. Police said the woman was loud and abusive and accused the officer of “ruining her life.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 9:41 AM.