Prolific thief faces years in prison

EVERETT — March hasn’t been good for Kenneth Moody.

After a short trial earlier this month, he was convicted of identity theft. Jurors were convinced he tried to cash a $1,450 forged check at an Everett bank. This week, Moody decided not to roll the dice with another jury. He pleaded guilty to three more felony charges. These new convictions are tied to Moody’s attempts to pass himself off as a cop in order to steal from Snohomish County stores.

April isn’t looking much better for Moody. That’s when he’s scheduled to be sentenced. He’s facing years in prison, in large part because of his extensive criminal history.

Moody has been racking up felonies since he was a teenager. Court papers show that he is a prolific thief. His last prison stay was in federal lockup stemming from a 2000 conviction for armed bank robbery.

He tried to evade capture in that case by hiding out in the Boeing plant in Everett. Police spent about 10 hours searching for him in the 98-acre plant. He eventually was found wearing coveralls and a hard hat in an attic crawl space area.

Plans are under way for Moody to lobby for an alternative sentence offered to people whose crimes are tied to drug addiction. The state Department of Corrections is expected to evaluate whether Moody meets the criteria that would allow him to spend a portion of his prison sentence in drug treatment.

His criminal history doesn’t show any drug convictions.

Moody came under investigation in Snohomish in June when he tried to shoplift from Home Depot. He flashed a badge when confronted about stealing. He told the store employee he was working undercover and warned the man not to “blow his cover.”

When the man pressed him for more identification, Moody and a woman fled the store.

A similar report was taken a day later at the Home Depot in Marysville.

Snohomish detectives caught up with Moody in August. He led officers on a high-speed pursuit and held police at bay for about an hour before finally surrendering at his home.

Police searched his house and located a badge stolen from an Island County sheriff’s deputy. Moody’s girlfriend is related to the sheriff’s deputy, court papers said. Police also discovered a set of handcuffs, a police uniform, a makeshift duty belt outfitted with pepper spray and police-style radios.

Neighbors also reported that Moody tried to convince them he was a federal lawman.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Southbound lanes on Highway 99 reopen after crash

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, blocked traffic for over an hour. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Search underway to find missing Everett child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday morning at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.