Suspect with 97 prior arrests taken into custody again after retail theft spree

A man was arrested for the 98th time by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office after going on a retail theft “spree” on Sunday.

The sheriff’s office was tipped off by other local law enforcement agencies that a pair of organized retail theft suspects were fleeing northbound on I-5 in a truck from Lewis County into Thurston County after committing a series of retail thefts.

“One of our deputies spotted the vehicle north on I-5 in Olympia, and before even activating their emergency lights, the truck fled,” Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote on social media. “A pursuit was initiated and quickly terminated after an unsuccessful PIT attempt as the vehicle fled into downtown Olympia at high speeds.”

A PIT (Pursuit Immobilization Technique) maneuver is a pursuit tactic in which a pursuing vehicle forces a fleeing vehicle to abruptly turn sideways, causing the driver to lose control and the vehicle to stall.

After the truck blew through intersections heading into Lacey at high speeds, deputies found it abandoned near College Street. A K9 unit was dispatched before Sanders himself located the two suspects walking through a nearby neighborhood. Both of them were taken into custody at gunpoint.

Thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise, drugs recovered during arrest

“The female was turned over to Centralia PD for organized retail theft,” Sanders stated. “A search warrant was obtained for the truck, which had thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise from numerous businesses inside. Additionally, the suspect had a custom bong device built into the dash of the truck so he could comfortably smoke drugs while driving.”

Meth, heroin, and fentanyl were also found in the vehicle.

According to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, the driver is a four-time convicted felon for numerous thefts. He has 27 misdemeanor convictions and 97 prior arrests.

“Tonight, he is back in jail for the 98th time on charges of DUI, eluding, and possession of narcotics,” Sanders wrote. “Once he’s released from Thurston County Jail, he will face charges of organized retail theft in Lewis County. Nice work by deputies and dispatchers to get some career criminals into custody … again.”

Video of their arrest can be seen here.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

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