EVERETT — Ambitious, yes. Flawlessly executed, not so much.
A man and woman ended up behind bars earlier this week after they were found inside a delivery van stuffed full with goods reported stolen from a Lynnwood-area restoration company. The van, which also was stolen, was spotted at an Everett apartment complex on Monday.
“Both appeared lethargic in demeanor,” a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy wrote in an affidavit establishing probable cause for the pair’s arrest.
The suspects, 26 and 32, professed their innocence but spun entirely different tales about how they ended up in the stolen truck.
Each also allegedly left behind a clue that deputies believe links them to a break-in.
Deputies discovered a cell phone in one of the company’s vehicles with a jeweled letter L on the back. The woman later acknowledged that the phone belonged to her.
Deputies also found a smashed-up laptop in an office inside the Lynnwood-area business. On the surface were shoe prints “with a distinct concentric circle pattern.” Deputies took the man’s shoes into evidence. They had the same pattern on the soles, deputies wrote.
Documents and identification belonging to the pair were found in the cargo area and the cab of the truck.
“It was very nice of the suspects to leave such clear and identifiable evidence,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. “It made our deputies’ jobs much easier. Let’s just say it was not a whodunit.”
Court documents allege the pair worked hard for their loot, which included five firearms.
“The sheer volume of the stolen goods packed into the cargo compartment indicated that the suspects had to have spent hours loading all the property,” deputies wrote.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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