EVERETT – The thief who stole a pickup truck Wednesday likely had no idea what the small, orange device in the back did or what it could have done.
Maybe the bright yellow, three-bladed symbols plastered on the outside would have been a clue.
Police were hunting for the truck after learning that a camera containing radioactive material was onboard.
The white Chevy pickup was stolen Wednesday morning from the parking lot of the Extended Stay America hotel on the 8400 block of Broadway.
The driver had left the keys in the truck, Everett police Sgt. Boyd Bryant said.
The 52-pound camera is used to inspect underground pipes for cracks or welding defects. Inside is a cartridge of iridium, Bryant said.
Prolonged exposure to the radioactive isotope can be deadly, said Gary Robertson with the state Department of Health’s radiation protection program.
Police were concerned someone would tamper with the camera out of curiosity.
“It’s unlikely someone would be able to break it open,” Bryant said.
No one got a chance.
A Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy spotted the abandoned truck in a strip mall in the 16100 block of Ash Way on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters, police, staff from the state’s Department of Health and the city’s Emergency Management Office converged on the scene.
The cab of the pickup was ransacked, but the camera was still locked up tight, Bryant said.
It is likely the thief never looked in the back of the truck, Bryant said.
Investigators don’t believe the truck was targeted for what was inside.
The truck and the camera are owned by a Texas-based company that had work in the area, Bryant said.
“We believe this was a crime of opportunity,” Bryant said. “If someone was looking for something to make a dirty bomb, this is not the material of choice.”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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