Sumner Police Blotter, Aug. 12 - 17

August 12

Threats, Harassment

8:36am: Police were called regarding a report of an altercation with a baseball bat that occurred at Honda of Sumner. Officers arrived and checked the area for the suspect vehicle, a newer black Mercedes Benz with no license plate but a temporary tag in the window.

The victim and a witness are both employed by Honda and do lawn maintenance. The man told police he was trimming the area near the road when he noticed the suspect racing up and down the dead end road. The man estimated the car was doing 50 mph in a 25 mph zone. He said he shook his head at the male driver, then the Mercedes stopped. The male driver, wearing all green camouflage, exited the car, lit a cigarette and went to the trunk, pulled out a black baseball bat and began yelling at the man and slamming the bat in his hand. The victim said he had no idea who the person was or what his issue was, but he didn’t approach the man, who was about 50 yards away.

An officer called in during the interview and said he saw the suspect car and driver nearby in the Winco parking lot. The male was identified but denied any altercation and said that he didn’t have a baseball bat. He had an empty black nylon gun holster belted to his right side. The officer asked about the holster and the man said he was going paintballing and that he needed to buy a new paintball gun. The man said he was test-driving a new car and that he did stop to have a cigarette in front of Honda. He admitted that he got out of the car, but that was it. He also said that he used to work for Honda of Sumner but that he quit, and the dealership “owed him money.”

That’s when he accidentally opened his trunk with the key fob and officers saw a black baseball bat lying right there on top of other items in the trunk. The man said he forgot it was in there.

The man was placed under arrest for harassment/threats. The bat was booked into evidence and the dealership was warned that the individual, a former employee, was threatening the current staff.

Aug. 13

Attempted Theft

10:58pm: Officers were investigating a shoplifting case at Winco, when loss prevention employees showed them a photo of their suspect. The officer recognized the man instantly as someone who had attempted a beer run that was stopped by a female teller the week before. She knocked down the man as he attempted to run out of the store with two cases of beer. The officer visited the suspect at his residence and found him wearing the same shorts he wore in the video. The officer arrested him for attempted theft. The man admitted to the Winco theft and two others in Bonney Lake, at the Chevron and ampm. The case was also forwarded to the Bonney Lake Police Department.

August 15

Malicious Mischeif, MIP

10:59pm: Officers responded to Lake Tapps Auto Detailing for a report of a large group of juvenile males who had spray-painted a canvas carport. Police contacted the group of males in the parking lot of the Waterhole Pub. When asked, no one in the group admitted to tampering with the carport and they all denied having spray paint.  One of the juveniles had a backpack on, and when searched by police, they found a bottle of mostly-empty vodka. The boy had something in his pocket – when police asked what it was, he pulled out a can of black spray paint and threw it on the ground. The vodka and spray bottle were booked as evidence and the other juveniles were released. The boy was transported to the Sumner Police Department, where the boy hinted to officers that he did not spray paint the Lake Tapps Auto Detailing or the Highway 410 overpass. When asked who was responsible, he hesitated but finally said, “I’ll just take it all.” He eventually admitted to tagging the tarp and overpass. He was charged with malicious mischief in the third degree and MIP.

Aug. 17

Marijuana, Drug Paraphernalia Possession

7:46pm: Officers arrested a 15 year-old male and an 18 year-old male for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia in the 1800 block of 16th St. E.

The officers were parked along the south side of the 1800 block in an unmarked police vehicle waiting for an unrelated subject to return to an apartment, when they noticed a group of juveniles walking westbound along the sidewalk on the north side of the street. As the group walked past police, the 15 year-old raised a glass item (later identified as a marijuana pipe) and used it. He then took the long board that one of the other juveniles was holding and handed the pipe to the 18 year-old, who also smoked.

Police contacted the two men – the 18 year-old was still holding the pipe in his hand. He turned it over to officers, in addition to two baggies that contained marijuana. In addition to the glass smoking device, he had a metal smoking device and a wood smoking device on him, a pipe filter and two lighters.

Officers asked the 18 year-old what they talked about earlier in the day – the officer had contacted him earlier and asked him not to get high. The male had a smile on his face when he repeated this phrase to the officer. The 18 year-old’s father came and picked him up, but the other teenager’s parent could not be located. All the smoking devices and marijuana were placed into evidence and the case was forwarded to Remann Hall for followup.