LYNNWOOD – They were portrayed on a major Seattle television station as bold criminals who needed to be brought to justice.
That could not have been further from the truth, police say.
A 39-year-old Lynnwood man and five others from Klamath Falls, Ore., are already behind bars on suspicion of breaking into several Lynnwood businesses late last month, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
Police believe they botched two attempts to crack the safes at Jimbo’s Family Restaurant and Trader Joe’s on Highway 99. They vandalized the businesses and stole food before leaving, Sessions said.
Police believe they also tried breaking into Half-Price Books on Highway 99, but the store’s burglar alarm scared them away, Sessions said.
One of the alleged crooks reportedly told police he was trying to make a name for himself in prison.
“If that guy wanted to make a name for himself, it was how immature he is as a burglar, not how good he is,” Lynnwood police detective Josh Kelsey said.
The five Klamath Falls residents stole a motor home from their hometown last month and drove here to meet with the Lynnwood man, Sessions said.
Four of the five were arrested as they drove back to Oregon in a car they stole from Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Lynnwood.
Security camera footage showed them crawling across the floor of an auto dealership where they’d tried to steal a car, but failed, Sessions said.
Investigators linked them to the Lynnwood burglaries after finding the stolen motor home ditched in a parking lot.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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