Give me liberty or give me — water? Upset patron threatens Costco staff
Gimme my water or else
A customer upset that Costco would not let him buy more than one case of water called the store on Aug. 12 and threatened the staff with “great danger” for the “assault on his freedom and rights.” Many retail stores have been limiting water purchases because of high demand during the recent heat waves. Gig Harbor police said the man was angry because he was not allowed to buy more than one case of water at the big-box store at 10990 Harbor Hill Drive. Officers were told the customer called the Costco customer service center and told an employee that the staff of the store “would be in great danger” unless they sold him more water.
Costco suspended his membership and Gig Harbor police sent him a trespass letter barring him from the store.
Attack on ATM unsuccessful
Someone attacked the ATM at Key Bank, 5055 Borgen Blvd. sometime overnight on Aug. 9, police said, but did not get any money. Several screws had been drilled out and the cash dispenser drawer dented.. Surveillance video showed a white male in his 20s driving a white VW hatchback with no plates. Several cigarette butts found by the ATM were placed in evidence for DNA testing.
Hit-and-Run driver traced
Police say a woman who drove away after backing into another car in the parking lot of a Gig Harbor grocery store on Aug. 15 was traced to her home. She had returned several purchases to the store, which recorded her name and address as a matter of routine. When confronted by officers, the 42-year-old woman first denied the accident, then admitted it, saying she was confused because she had suffered a concussion during a domestic dispute. Officers noted that she had a split lip, but she said she did not want to report the assault. She was cited for leaving the scene of an accident.
Beauty salons targeted
Two Gig Harbor beauty salons were the victims of separate shoplifting incidents on Aug. 12. Police say a woman wearing a blonde wig stole six boxes of nail clippers from Sally Beauty, 5500 Olympic Dr. and left in a car driven by a male accomplice. Officers traced the license plate to a Tacoma man. In the second incident. two women took items of clothing from a rack at Franki Boutique, 4621 Point Fosdick Dr. The theft was recorded on video.
Two car prowls reported
A driver who parked his vehicle at Harbor Place Marina, 3429 Harborview Drive, returned to it Aug. 9 to find the passenger side window smashed and a laptop case stolen. The case was empty except for personal papers, the driver told police. In another case, a resident of Forest Grove Apartments, 5415 36th Ave., discovered on Aug. 13 that her purse had been stolen from her car only after being alerted by her bank that a credit card had been used in Tacoma. The car had been left unlocked.
‘Who’s there?’ Just me, the burglar
A Gig Harbor man was upstairs at his home in the 300 block of Point Fosdick Pt. NW on Aug. 13 when he heard glass breaking downstairs, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies said. He went downstairs and shouted, “Who’s there?” Nobody responded. He then discovered that his first-floor bathroom window was broken. The screen was laying outside on the ground and was damaged. The would-be burglar had fled.
Golf course car prowl
Sheriff’s deputies said the victim’s car was broken into on Aug. 9 while parked at the Gig Harbor Golf Club in the 6900 block of Artondale Dr NW, and his credit cards were stolen. The suspects used the stolen credit cards at a store, along with other credit cards that were taken from other vehicle prowls in the area. Deputies returned the stolen cards, which had been retained by the store, and are working with the store to obtain video surveillance.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 5:30 AM.