He stole $750K in merchandise from malls across western WA. Here’s his sentence
A man described as one of the most “prolific retail thieves” the Washington Attorney General’s Office has seen in years has been sentenced for stealing $750,000 in merchandise from malls across three counties, including Pierce.
Micah Snyder, 43, was sentenced last week in Snohomish County Superior Court to 13 years in prison after he pled guilty to:
- Three counts of first-degree burglary, one of which included a firearm.
- One count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
- One count of trafficking in stolen property.
- One count of malicious mischief.
- One count of first-degree organized retail theft.
Between January and March of this year, Snyder stole from different stores, including at the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Southcenter Mall in Tukwila and the South Hill Mall in Puyallup, according to the Attorney General’s Office in a news release. The AG’s Office prosecuted the case after accepting a referral from the Lynnwood Police Department.
Snyder used firearms and axes to break into businesses after hours to steal items of high value, including high-end sneakers and streetwear clothes. The release said Snyder also stole large amounts of jewelry from places such as Macy’s and Banter by Piercing Pagoda.
Snyder reportedly targeted Banter by Piercing Pagoda at the South Hill Mall on Feb. 10 at about 6:22 a.m. He and an unknown woman broke into the mall, where Snyder fired his handgun at the glass entrance door, according to the supplemental affidavit of probable cause.
Documents show Snyder shot into the display at the kiosk and used a small axe to break the case. The woman climbed to the top and jumped several times to break the case. The jewelry they stole totaled more than $45,000, court records show.
Snyder was interviewed about the incident on March 20 by a Puyallup Police Department detective at the Snohomish County Jail. Snyder admitted to firing the gun and described the burglary in detail.
The last burglary before his arrest took place at the Macy’s at Tacoma Mall on March 2 at about 3:43 a.m. when Snyder fired a gunshot into a glass window, according to charging documents. Snyder used a fire axe to open several jewelry cases at the store. The amount taken totaled to around $249,000.
Documents show that in the Puyallup and Tacoma burglaries Snyder researched local law enforcement shift changes.
Snyder was arrested in Pierce County 10 days after the Tacoma Mall burglary by the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force.
