MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Burglary victim sees robber wearing stolen clothes

Jan 23, 2014, 4:16 PM | Updated: 5:43 pm

In just the latest candidate for stupidest criminal, police have arrested a 28-year-old Burien woman for burglary after her victim spotted the thief wearing her stolen clothes.

The bizarre story began Wednesday morning in Covington, when a Maple Valley woman had her purse stolen from a table at Starbucks when she left it unattended. Another customer who saw the theft described the suspect as a white female about 5’7″, with extreme acne on her face.

The victim called police. Covington Officers and King County Sheriff’s deputies searched the area but couldn’t find her, said Sgt. Cindi West.

When the victim and her brother returned to her home, they saw a cab in the driveway. The driver said he was called there to pick someone up, and the victim called 911. When police arrived, the suspect was gone.

“When the victim gets in the house, she realizes she’s not only missing a TV set and some other valuables but there’s quite a bit of clothes missing,” West said. The suspect also left her old clothes behind.

Thursday morning, the victim and her brother spotted a woman at a restaurant table next to them who matched the description of the thief wearing the victim’s stolen clothes.

“The victim said ‘my god, she’s wearing my shirt,'” West said.

She called police while her brother and husband watched the suspect, who hid in the bathroom. When police arrived and arrested her, they found a number of items stolen from the victim.

“You know, there’s not a lot brains going on with this situation,” West said. “Our suspect has a new outfit she gets to wear at the King County Jail.”

Detectives are investigating whether the suspect might also be tied to other burglaries in the area as well.

MyNorthwest News

drones spokane wildfire...

Chris Sullivan

Private drones continue to hamper firefighting efforts in Spokane

The time to take personal video of the devastation in Spokane is after the fire is out and homes stop burning, not during the emergency.

56 minutes ago

marysville farming closure lay off...

Jason Sutich

Indoor farming company in Marysville ‘winds down,’ laying off 55

An indoor agriculture company in Marysville is permanently "winding down" and laying off 55 employees after acquisition negotiations fell through.

2 hours ago

Spokane wildfire smoke photos...

MyNorthwest Staff

Gallery: KIRO listeners share photos of Spokane wildfire smoke blanketing the region

An air quality alert remains active for the Seattle area as smoke and high temperatures are expected to affect sensitive individuals through Tuesday.

3 hours ago

Coquille River 2 people stranded oregon coast guard...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Coast Guard rescues 2 people stranded on rocks in the Coquille River in Oregon

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two people Monday after their 14-foot pleasure craft began taking on water near the Coquille River South Jetty in Bandon, Oregon.

4 hours ago

spokane complex fires destroy evacuate...

Lexi Herda, KIRO 7 News

Spokane Complex Fires: 700 homes destroyed, 65K evacuated

The announcement comes as at least 65,000 people have been evacuated, and 700 homes have been destroyed by a series of wildfires in the Spokane area.

6 hours ago

olympia election official threats...

Madeline Ottilie, KIRO 7 News

‘We’re not going to shy away from it’: Local elections offices increase security to manage threats

A survey of hundreds of local election officials found that nearly a third have experienced threats, harassment, or abuse because of their job.

6 hours ago

Burglary victim sees robber wearing stolen clothes