Police dog finds burglary suspect, who had missing coin

Published 1:03 pm Tuesday, December 29, 2015

LYNNWOOD — Alert neighbors and a distinctive coin led to the arrest of a suspect in a Lynnwood-area burglary Monday.

A woman called 911 to report that her husband was chasing a man he saw break into a house in the 1900 block of 217th Place SW around 11:30 a.m.

When deputies arrived, neighbors pointed to a green Ford F-150 pickup truck they believed was waiting for the suspect.

The pickup took off. A pursuit was stopped for safety reasons when the truck merged onto I-5 northbound at 196th Street.

Neighbors said they chased away a skinny man with a hooded sweatshirt before he could get into the pickup.

Deputies set up containment and brought in deputy Jim Gibson and his police dog, Jack. The pair tracked the suspect for about an hour, finding him hiding under a fallen tree near a fast-running creek in a ravine in the 21300 block of Locust Way.

Neighbors then identified him as the man they believe broke into the home.

A check of his pockets turned up a commemorative coin from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West museum in Cody, Wyoming. The suspect — an Everett man, 39 — told deputies the coin was his. The homeowners identified the coin as one they bought at the museum in September.

They also reported missing other coins and jewelry from inside the house.

The house was ransacked, according to a police report.

The police dog tracked several items that deputies believe the suspect discarded along the way.

A neighbor reported that the suspect was wearing a large hunting knife on his hip during the chase. When deputies caught up with the suspect, he wasn’t in possession of a knife but there was an empty sheath attached to his belt.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said the arrest was a good example of neighbors helping neighbors.

“The most effective tool in crime prevention is knowing your neighbors,” she said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.