Sumner Police Blotter, June 30 - July 3

June 30

Assault, Theft

12:48pm: Officers responded to a robbery in progress at an apartment at 1612 Valley Ave. The victim said he was attacked and hit in the head and body by two men who tried to rob him, but declined medical aide. Officers observed a small wooden bat with a black tapered handle on the ground that had swastikas, racial slurs and gang affiliations written on them. The man said it was one of the objects used to assault him. Police caught up with two suspects who were seen leaving the scene. They were detained and questioned. There was also a red Honda that the men were associated with but officers were unable to locate it.

Suspect 1 (S1) told police that he had been at the man’s apartment earlier in the day with Suspect 2 (S2) but had left and did not return. S1 said he and the victim were Juggalos and have been friends for several years and that he wouldn’t have hurt him. The victim verified this and S1 was released from the scene.

S2 said that he met two guys the previous night in Seattle who drove a red Honda. S2 said he agreed to drive south with them somewhere to “make some money,” but said he didn’t know what that meant. He said they met with the other man in the Sumner area until the two other guys left. At that point, they went back to the victim’s apartment, left and walked around downtown Sumner.

S2 said they decided to return to the apartment for a drink and then the two men in the red Honda pushed their way in and attacked the victim with a bat. S2 said he wanted to help but got scared and ran away after someone said they would call the police.

The victim said S2 and one of the other men from the Honda rushed in and began hitting him, trying to take his bag with money and credit cards. He said S2 hit him with what he thought were handcuffs, but he broke free and locked himself in the bathroom. S2 and the other man kicked open the door and grabbed the bag. At that point, the victim said they began dragging him through the apartment and down the stairs from the second floor. A neighbor saw the incident and began yelling he was calling the police, and at that point the two men ran off.

S2 was arrested for burglary, robbery and assault. Police took digital photos of the entryway to the apartment and the broken bathroom door. The bat was logged into evidence and the case was forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor.  

July 3

Burglary, Malicious Mischief 

6:10am: Officers responded to Dairy Freeze for a report of a burglary and broken glass caused by three “kids” who ran westbound through an alley and entered a house on Sumner Ave. and Main St. Police were familiar with that residence and knew a juvenile who matched the suspect profile lived there.

Police approached the house and called for K9 and PD backup from Bonney Lake. They noticed a black baseball cap and several hotdog bun wrappers on the sidewalk leading to the front door. Within a couple minutes, the back door opened and the juvenile who matched the description walked out.

Police identified themselves but the juvenile failed to respond until they handcuffed him – it was then he unleashed a series of profanities on the officers, threatened the lives of their families and yelled derogatory statements. They observed a colored bandanna hanging out of his back pocket and then the juvenile started to claim gang affiliations. The bandanna was entered into evidence but the affiliations are not believed to be credible.

The juvenile’s mother and homeowner came outside and said there were two other young men downstairs. When confronted by police, both juveniles were detained outside the residence and were compliant. Police were given consent to search the premises and they found a man hiding behind a mirror in a downstairs bedroom. There was a piece of clothing wrapped around his right foot, which was blood-soaked, and there was a cut on his palm.

One of the juveniles told the officers that he watched from across the street as the man and one of the juveniles smashed a window, entered the business and exited. The man was bleeding badly when he left, said the juvenile.

While police were interviewing subjects, one male became very vocal and was upset his younger brother was being arrested. He yelled, “Sumner officers are corrupt” and said, “I know where your store is” to the owner of Dairy Freeze, who was leaving the area with the witness. The man was arrested for disorderly conduct.

The juvenile who talked to police told them he did not want to “hang” with “that crowd” anymore and that he was leaving the state the next week. He was released to his grandfather and the other suspects were charged with burglary, malicious mischief and theft.

Theft

3:44pm: Officers responded to Winco on a report of theft. Upon arrival, they contacted the reporting party (RP), who said that a middle-age man and woman entered the store with several shopping bags and a Winco receipt. He watched the couple gather all of the items on the sales receipt and put them into the bags.

The RP said that when the couple filled the bags, the man walked outside. Then, the female presented the items with the receipt to the customer service counter and returned everything for a cash refund, totaling almost $50. The female then left the store. The RP gave police a flyer with their pictures on it, in addition to a copy of the receipt.

The next day, a Sumner officer saw the flyer and immediately recognized the subjects from previous contacts, who were brother and sister. Both subjects were located at their homes and placed under arrest. Once questioned, the woman admitted that she came into the store with a receipt from a purchase she made a few days prior and returned them for cash refund. She said her brother was unaware of what she was doing and he was released from the scene.

The woman was charged with third degree theft.