Police reports

Gateway news services

Gig Harbor

Theft

May 15 — A man called police to report the apparent break-in and theft of about $160 in change from a pay phone at the Safeway store on Point Fosdick Drive NW. There were no suspects at the time of the report.

Suspicious man

May 26 — An off-duty police officer called for on-duty officers to check on a suspicious man near a vehicle at an area business. The man’s stories of why he was there and what he was doing led the officer to search a backpack in the vehicle the man was associated with. The backpack contained an illegal spring-loaded knife and both prescription medications that the man was not prescribed and methamphetamine in a syringe. The man was given citations and a court date to answer the charges and was released from the scene.

Traffic stop

May 30 — An officer made a traffic stop of a man who was driving a flat-bed truck in the 6200 block of 38th Avenue NW after the officer noticed the truck had the wrong license plates on the vehicle. The plates were found to be from a 1990 Jeep. The man told the officer he was unable to afford the license fees for the flat-bed truck, so he had replaced the expired plates with the ones from his Jeep. The officer reported that the man smelled of intoxicants, so he was given field sobriety tests and later blood-alcohol tests. He failed the tests. The driver was cited for DUI, and third-degree driving while his license was suspended. The man was given a courtesy ride home after he received court dates for the charges.

Shoplifter nabbed

May 31 — An officer who was driving through the Safeway store parking lot on Point Fosdick Drive NW saw a man look at the patrol car and the officer, then turn and walk away between buildings. The officer looked for the suspicious man but couldn’t find him right away. The officer drove to the front of the store, where the suspect was spotted and detained. A Safeway employee told the officer they had spoke with the running man after he had been caught trying to steal two cases of beer and a deli sandwich. The 23-year-old suspect was cited for third-degree theft and released from the scene.

Vehicle prowl

June 2 — A man called police after he discovered his convertible car’s top had been slashed by an unknown suspect who ransacked the vehicle but didn’t steal anything.

Pierce County

Burglary

May 28 — Jewelry was stolen from a woman’s nightstand. The victim told the responding deputy that her home had been unlocked at the time of the crime. The thief allegedly took a $1,000 wedding band, gold rings and both a silver necklace and earnings. There were no suspects at the time of the report.

Burglary

May 28 — A man told a sheriff’s deputy about a theft of a weed whacker, a leaf blower and several other gardening tools from a shed at his home. The value of the stolen items was estimated at $230. There were no suspects at the time of the report.

Attempted theft

May 30 — A man found the convertible top to his car torn open, allowing an unknown suspect to use a prying tool to attempt to jar the vehicle’s ignition. Damage to the lock was minor, allowing the vehicle to be operated by its owner.

Vehicle prowl

May 31 — A man called 9-1-1 to report someone broke the passenger window on his company truck. Once inside the 1994 Chevy pickup truck, the unknown suspect reportedly stole a GPS and work equipment used to climb utility poles. Neighbors told the responding deputy of gunshots heard early in the morning, and they reported seeing a white Toyota pickup truck in the area. It was unknown if the incidents were related.

Vandalism

June 1 — A woman called deputies after she found the rear passenger window of her 2007 Toyota Prius had been smashed by an unknown suspect. There were no reports of anything missing from the car.

Tire slashed

June 2 — The right rear tire of a man’s 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse was reportedly slashed. The victim told the responding deputy that two of his roommates also had tires slashed on their vehicles. There were no suspects at the time of the report.