EVERETT — Police have arrested an Everett man who is suspected of being part of a widespread gym locker theft ring.
According to police reports, the suspect allegedly took wallets from several Everett gyms in June, including a 24 Hour Fitness, a YMCA and the Boeing Gym.
In each case, the strategy was the same. The suspect entered the gym with accomplices who would distract a front desk employee while he snuck through to the back. He then allegedly used makeshift lockpicks to break into lockers and steal people’s wallets while they exercised.
The man then used stolen cards to make purchases at nearby grocery stores, an Everett detective wrote. After viewing the transactions through store security cameras, police believe the man spent hundreds of dollars at a time, mostly on gift cards.
The suspect was arrested Wednesday in Arlington when a manager at the Stillaguamish Athletic Club called 911, accusing the man and two others of criminal trespassing. The three had been living inside a car in the gym’s parking lot and reportedly refused to leave when asked. They also tried stealing from the athletic club’s locker room, but couldn’t find any locks that they could break into, according to a police report.
Inside a fanny pack that the man was wearing, Arlington police found methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and nine aluminum tabs that had been folded into lockpicks.
In an interview with police, the man allegedly admitted to at least two dozen locker room thefts throughout Snohomish County.
He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of 27 counts of mostly theft-related charges. Everett police are still investigating other possible suspects.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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