Fake vaccine cards found in self-service copy area of Gig Harbor office supply store
Someone stole a 30-foot power boat from the Peninsula Yacht Basin, according to police reports.
Police responded to a report of a stolen yacht about 11:45 a.m. Feb. 9 at 8913 North Harborview Dr. The manager saw the boat’s power cord in the water, which he thought was strange, and surveillance footage showed two men stealing the boat about 7:40 a.m.
A witness reported seeing the boat leaving the harbor and heading toward Point Defiance soon after.
Then someone reported seeing the boat Feb. 15. at a private marina in Tacoma, at 1650 Marine View Dr.
That person found the owner’s name on the registration, found the owner on social media, saw a Gig Harbor Police Department social media post about the theft, and called police.
The suspects haven’t been identified and the case is active.
The boat was returned to the owner.
Trying times at Target
Two young men smashed an electronics case about 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Target at 11400 51st St. The shoplifters put merchandise in carts, went to the electronics section, broke the glass on a cabinet, and took cameras, including GoPros, that were inside. Then they left through an emergency exit and took off in a waiting vehicle.
If police reports are any indication, it was a difficult month for Target.
The next day, a man used a magnetic key to open an electronics case at the store, took 25 Nintendo Switch games worth $1,369.79, and left.
And about 9 p.m. Feb. 11, an employee told men cutting security devices off expensive electronics to stop. One of the thieves lifted his shirt, showing a pocketknife, and said: “It’s not worth losing your job over.”
Then they left with several Roombas, other vacuums, clothing, and a trashcan full of other items.
When Washington State Patrol troopers later found the van, it had $3,000 worth of merchandise inside.
Officers also found the suspect who allegedly flashed the knife and took him into custody.
The man had a “full neck tattoo that appeared unique,” the police report said. When an officer mentioned the tattoo, the man said he got it “five minutes ago.”
He said he accidentally flashed the knife, and that he didn’t mean to scare anyone. He was on fentanyl, he said, and was shoplifting to pay for it.
The man asked if the officer could do him a favor. He’d paid for $8 on the pump to put gas in the van at the station where police took him into custody near 99th Street East and Golden Given Road East. He’d only been able to pump 26 cents, though, and wondered if the officer could get his change.
The officer did.
Also Feb. 11, a woman asked an employee to unlock a laptop, then grabbed it and took off through the front doors without paying.
On Feb. 4, two men smashed an electronics case and took off through the emergency exit with about $5,230.93 worth of merchandise about 9 p.m. They drove off, and employees reported the theft Feb. 13. A manager explained to police that only certain employees are allowed to call 911 for that kind of crime, and that employees are told to file reports later.
Licenses left at scene of crime
Two men walked into the Columbia Bank at 5303 Point Fosdick Dr., went to different counters, and tried to cash checks at about 2:30 p.m. Feb. 23.
One check was for $2,482.44 and the other was for $2,491.23.
The bank’s fraud prevention system flagged the checks, and the men fled.
They left their driver licenses, which bank employees gave to police.
Fake vaccine cards
Employees at the Office Depot found fake vaccination cards left behind in the self-service copy area of the store at 5190 Borgen Blvd. They involved police about a week later, Feb. 11, after they contacted their corporate office and were told to report the cards to law enforcement.
Surveillance footage showed the person who left the cards was wearing a facemask.
Police took the cards into evidence.
‘I’ve got a gun, I’m going to shoot you’
The manager of the Rite Aid called police shortly before 8:30 p.m. Feb. 16 to report that a woman stole items from the store and threatened to shoot her, according to police reports.
The woman broke a bottle in the back of the store at 4818 Point Fosdick Dr. She told the manager there was a mess, and she put liquor in her cart. The manager said she’d clean it up after the woman checked out, and the woman ran out of the store with about a dozen bottles of alcohol. The manager followed and tried to take a photo of her license plate. The woman told her it didn’t matter, because the vehicle was stolen.
As she loaded the bottles into the car, she told the manager: “I’ve got a gun, I’m going to shoot you,” though the manager didn’t see a firearm.
The woman almost hit a pickup as she fled the parking lot.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
