Suspect in riding lawnmower thefts nabbed
Published 1:30 am Saturday, July 9, 2016
MILL CREEK — Detectives believe they’ve identified a suspected thief whose attraction to riding lawnmowers apparently is so strong it is criminal.
The investigation began June 3 after a blue pickup pulled into the lot at the Lowe’s in Mill Creek. It was towing an empty trailer. It left minutes later with a John Deere riding mower valued at nearly $2,000.
Surveillance cameras captured the incident. Store security determined no mower matching that description had been sold recently, Mill Creek police detective Tara Hoflack wrote in a police report.
The cameras got a good enough view of the person inside the truck that investigators were able to harvest a still photo, which was uploaded into a law enforcement database.
That led a detective in Pierce County to contact Hoflack. The detective recognized the driver from a case there involving the theft of five John Deere riding mowers.
Turns out the suspect owns a blue pickup that reportedly matches the make and model of the truck in the surveillance video.
The man, 41, was arrested Thursday for investigation of felony first-degree theft by shoplifting. He was tracked to a home in Clearview.
He hails from Lake Stevens, but he is “currently living from place to place and he is responsible for a large number of similar thefts,” according to court papers.
In addition to the Mill Creek mower case, the man was being sought on a warrant in a misdemeanor assault case. He also was charged earlier this week with a Lynnwood theft.
