Left-behind license leads police to theft suspect

Published 9:06 pm Thursday, July 12, 2007

A Sultan man stood in line at a convenience store and soon realized that he had made a mistake leaving his keys in his 2004 Dodge Neon and the motor running.

He watched the man who had been ahead of him in line leave the store, get in the car and drive away on June 20.

The Snohomish County sheriff’s office called the victim five days later saying that his stolen vehicle had been found in Mount Vernon.

A 23-year-old Woodinville man was charged Thursday in Snohomish County Superior Court with first-degree theft for allegedly stealing the Neon. The defendant gave law officers a solid clue as to his identity, court documents said.

The victim’s personal items were missing from the car, but somebody left behind an envelope containing the driver’s license of the defendant’s mother.

The man was arrested after the victim and store clerk identified him from a photo lineup.