Vaccine stolen from Purdy dentist was destroyed, deputies say; suspect under arrest

Dozens of COVID-19 vaccine doses stolen from a Purdy dentist’s officer were destroyed when the burglar left them out in the rain, deputies said this week.

A 30-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the crime, as well as another Purdy break-in, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

The sheriff’s department put out an alert on social media last week, announcing that 100 vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine had been stolen overnight Thursday, May 5, from a Purdy dental office.

More than $100,000 in medical equipment and a vial of Botox were also stolen, according to the department.

The suspect under arrest is also suspected in the burglary at a nearby salon last Wednesday.

The suspect broke through the wall of the beauty salon in the 14000 block of Purdy Drive NW and stole all of the salon’s products, hairstyling tools and even the towels, the owner told sheriff’s deputies.

The owner estimated her loss at $50,000, according to the sheriff’s department.

A majority of the property that was stolen from both the dentist’s office and the salon was recovered, but the suspect hid the vaccine vials in bushes, where they were destroyed by the weather, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s department will forward the charges to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

COVID-19 vaccines, currently available at retail pharmacies, standup clinics, medical offices and hospitals, as well as the Tacoma Dome, among other sites, are always offered at no cost as part of the current nationwide vaccination effort.

“So we ask the question, ‘What would a thief want with 100 COVID-19 vaccines that you can get for free?’ The answer is, ‘We’re not sure,’” the sheriff’s department wrote.

Locations for legitimate vaccine access can be found at tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture or the county’s FindYourCovidShot.com. Locations of individual vaccine sites also can be found on the state’s vaccine finder: vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.

Debbie Cockrell of The News Tribune contributed to this story

This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 2:34 PM.