You might think responding to a stolen pair of shoes from a porch would be a waste of time — but in this case, that simple theft led to the arrest of a suspect connected to much more.
On October 28th, around 12:30 a.m., a resident in the Gem Heights area of Puyallup reported that a male suspect had just stolen a pair of Nike shoes from their porch. Around the same time, other callers reported multiple vehicle prowls on the same street. Deputies were already nearby and stopped to speak with the shoe theft victim when they noticed a white vehicle speeding recklessly out of the neighborhood. Given the timing and location, deputies had reasonable suspicion that the vehicle may be linked to the recent thefts and attempted a traffic stop. Despite driving at a high rate of speed, the deputies were not able to catch up and later spotted the suspect vehicle in a ditch. A man and woman, accompanied by a dog, emerged from the bushes nearby and were detained. Deputies confirmed the male suspect was the same individual seen stealing the shoes on Ring camera footage. While searching the suspect, deputies found another person’s ID in his pocket. A deputy returned to the neighborhood and discovered three vehicles that had been prowled and left open. The stolen ID was linked to one of those vehicles, connecting the suspect to the additional crimes. It became clear the man had been moving through the neighborhood stealing from multiple residents. The 48-year-old male suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail for vehicle prowling, theft, eluding, driving with a suspended license, and possession of another person’s identification. There was no probable cause to charge the 42-year-old female, and no evidence she participated in the crimes, so she was released at the scene with her dog. The suspect vehicle was towed for a search warrant after deputies saw several expensive boxed items in plain view, including unopened boxes of LEGO sets, clothing with security tags, and other potentially stolen goods.
It was later determined that all the prowled vehicles had been left unlocked, making them easy targets. Please remember to always lock your vehicles, remove valuables, and avoid leaving personal identification inside to help deter criminals in your area.