Published December 9 2020
Three people have been arrested in connection with a large crime operation involving ID theft, money printing, car theft, burglary, and weapons violations. The initial report was filed online in October regarding a smash & grab car prowl in the middle of the afternoon. The car was parked at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, and the suspects took a purse and packages, then racked up more than $5,000 on the victim’s credit cards and withdrew $2,500 in cash, all within minutes before the victim returned to her vehicle. The victim reported the car prowl online.
Detectives quickly identified three suspects, a 29-year-old female, a 39-year-old female, and a 32-year-old-male, all Kent residents. The suspects were seen on surveillance video using the credit cards shortly after the prowl. The investigation connected the suspect to multiple other ID theft cases, stolen vehicles, and many other crimes.
After developing probable cause, officers arrested all three suspects. The search warrant on their residence yielded four stolen vehicles, two stolen guns, $4595 in cash, thousands of dollars in fraudulently purchased merchandise, and personal information for an estimated 50 identity theft victims. Additionally, detectives recovered printers used to print fraudulent IDs and counterfeit money. In all, police collected more than 60 bags worth of evidence.
Case # 20-80003662