Date from Hell: She gives boyfriend a lift, he steals her car

Faithless boyfriend takes her car, leaves her stranded

A tracking device helped state troopers recover a car stolen from a Gig Harbor hotel on May 28.

Gig Harbor police were called to the Inn at Gig Harbor, 3211 56th St NW, where they spoke with a woman who said she had been tricked into lending her car to man who never returned.

The woman explained she had been dating a man for three weeks in Salem, Ore. when he asked her to help him make a trip to Washington to pick up personal property. When they arrived, he asked to borrow her car to run to the store. She said he never returned and was not responding to her phone calls.

The woman told police that the man had left all of his luggage in the vehicle, but brought hers inside the hotel room before departing. She told police that she now had no way to get home to Salem and could not reach the man.

Police say they contacted South Sound 911 to enter the vehicle as stolen. The woman then contacted OnStar, which tracked the vehicle southbound on I-5 through DuPont. The vehicle was stopped in Lacey at the intersection of 21st Avenue and Westlake Drive where two occupants were detained by Washington State Patrol Troopers.

Dad shows up at crash, joins son under arrest

The father of a suspected drunk driver arrived at a crash scene May 29 and ended up in custody along with his son.

Police were called on May 29 to a single-vehicle rollover collision at the intersection of Woodhill Drive and Burnham Drive in Gig Harbor.

Police say a crowd had gathered and a Washington State Patrol trooper was interviewing a male driver who said he did not remember crashing, though he recalled consuming alcohol earlier in the day.

Police say the top portion of the vehicle’s passenger’s side roof was caved in and the windows were shattered.

Police say they could detect a strong odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath, that he had red, glossy eyes, and was swaying. He declined medical attention The driver’s father arrived on the scene and was also believed by police to be under the influence.

The 31-year-old driver failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Gig Harbor Police Department, where he also failed a breath test with a blood alcohol level of .17, about twice the legal limit. His father was also arrested.

The driver was given a citation, court summons, and transported to his parent’s residence before being released.

This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 5:30 AM.