EVERETT — It’s no mystery thieves often strike at construction sites, to steal small valuable tools for resale on the black market.
One Everett thief, however, targeted something a bit more conspicuous: a whole portable office, according to felony charges filed in November.
The 24-by-8-foot trailer, with four windows and two separate offices, was swiped around Halloween from a contractor’s parking lot on Hewitt Avenue. The thief left behind the tire blocks and stairs to the entrance.
The offices held computers, printers, permits and blueprints, bringing its total value to $15,840.
Police found it Nov. 1, in a quiet cul de sac off 87th Avenue NE in Lake Stevens. Officers spoke with a group of people at the home where it was parked.
One of the men, 43, of Tacoma, admitted to taking the trailer, court papers say. He’d hauled it away using a Dodge pickup with a sleeper camper in its bed, and left the stolen property on Ebey Island a day or two.
He knew a man in Lake Stevens who was looking for storage space, so he sold it to him, telling him he’d found it for free on Facebook, according to a search warrant filed in Snohomish County Superior Court. The suspect reported he never went inside the trailer.
He reportedly told police he stole the trailer because he’d been struggling and needed money. Records show the man has been convicted of felonies for forgery, drug possession and drug delivery. Many of his past 33 misdemeanors are related to driving.
Everett police were also investigating if the truck used in the theft had been stolen too.
Prosecutors charged him with first-degree theft of the trailer.
Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
