If solving crime could only be so simple all the time.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies had no problem identifying a theft suspect accused of stealing four lottery tickets earlier this week from a convenience store south of Everett.
The Everett man, 24, left his job application — filled out with his name, date of birth, driver’s license number and Social Security number — on the store countertop.
He hasn’t yet been arrested but deputies are confident they know where to find him. The application also provided his home address.
“The suspect would have been better off following through with his job application and working for an honest paycheck,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. “Those stolen lottery tickets may cost him some time in jail, hampering future job prospects.”
Surveillance footage shows the man leaning over the counter glass to pull out lottery tickets from a dispenser while a clerk was in the back of the store for less than a minute.
Since she had a name from the job application, the deputy requested a photo of the suspect from the state Department of Licensing. The photo closely resembles the man in the video. He also appears to drive an old pickup truck similar to one from the video footage.
It’s not the man’s first brush with the law. He has juvenile convictions for taking a motor vehicle without permission.
He was on a deferred prosecution for the 2005 case but that was revoked.
He was caught in a stolen car in 2006.
Records indicate that he was using drugs at the time and needed treatment.
He could be charged with third-degree theft for his latest alleged misadventure.
When asked if there was a moral to the story of the purloined lottery tickets, Ireton offered this advice: “If you steal from a Snohomish County business, you’re going to be in a whole Lotto trouble when our deputies catch up with you.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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