MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Auburn burglar hid in rafters of grocery store for weeks and stole gourmet cheese

Feb 7, 2020, 1:04 PM

cheese...

(Image courtesy of Auburn Police Department)

(Image courtesy of Auburn Police Department)

It sounds like something a cartoon burglar would do: Hiding in the rafters of a grocery store and coming down at night to steal gourmet cheese. But that’s what one burglar did for weeks until he was arrested on Wednesday in Auburn, Washington.

Police were called to Haggen grocery store for several incidents in the past few weeks after reports of missing merchandise, including thousands of dollars in stolen cigarettes and alcohol on Christmas, reports The News Tribune. Employees told police they either saw or heard the suspect in the rafters above, but when officers arrived each time to search above the false ceiling he was nowhere to be found.

Police book ferret and man after bungled North Seattle robbery

On Wednesday, police finally identified and arrested the suspect, and located stolen cigarettes and what appears to be a giant wheel of Beecher’s gourmet cheese marked at $394. The suspect had refined taste to say the least.

“A search warrant served by Property Crimes Detectives located some very expensive cheese that was missing from the store, as well as cigarettes. The cheese cannot be re-sold by the store, so it was photographed for the case, then donated to the food bank,” Auburn police wrote in a Facebook post.

Washington’s best grocery bagger headed to national competition

MyNorthwest News

seattle center shooting victims...

Katy Wade, KIRO 7 News

What we know about the Seattle Center shooting victims and how to support them and their families

Three people were killed, including one possible suspect, and at least four others were injured in a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday night.

28 minutes ago

cars in traffic - whidbey island...

Chris Sullivan

Drivers heading to Whidbey Island face 73 days of one-lane traffic near Deception Pass

Getting on and off Whidbey Island from the north is not going to be easy for the next year or more.

1 hour ago

Pierce Transit...

Paola Tristan Arruda, KIRO 7 News

Measure to expand Pierce Transit service on Nov. 3 Ballot

Pierce County voters will decide in November whether to approve a sales tax increase to expand bus and transit services.

13 hours ago

weather...

Meteorologist Nick Allard, KIRO 7 News

Quiet summer weather pattern continues in western Washington

If you’re wondering whether there’s any big weather on the horizon, the answer is ... not really.

14 hours ago

bite of seattle shooting briefing...

Luke Duecy

Police told reporters Seattle shooting briefing was delayed for ‘dignitaries,’ but Wilson says that’s not what happened

Three people were killed, and four others were wounded in a mass shooting at Seattle's Bite of Seattle, leaving city leaders facing questions.

14 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger...

MyNorthwest Staff

Bryan Kohberger seeks to withdraw guilty plea in Idaho student murders

Bryan Kohberger is now saying he's innocent in the murders of four University of Idaho students, and wants to take back his guilty plea.

15 hours ago

Auburn burglar hid in rafters of grocery store for weeks and stole gourmet cheese