An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of seven criminal offenses in connection with a kidnapping and burglary that took place at a Tumwater marijuana business in April, The Olympian learned Sunday.
“We have one of the seven suspects arrested,” said Tumwater Police Lt. Jen Kolb. She said he was the only suspect not to wear a mask during the incident.
About 3:20 a.m. April 5, police were dispatched to the 1000 block of 85th Avenue Southeast, near the Olympia Regional Airport. When police arrived, they found an unoccupied vehicle still running and a broken window, The Olympian reported.
Suspecting a break in, police set up a perimeter and called on an Olympia police dog to search the area. No suspects were found. Later, a representative of the pot business showed up and asked, “Where’s the security guard?”
That prompted police to review video footage that showed that the 23-year-old security guard had been abducted, The Olympian reported.
Minutes later, though, the guard showed up on foot and explained what had happened to him.
Between 2 and 3 a.m., the guard was on duty, sitting in his vehicle, The Olympian reported. He saw two vehicles in the area, which he thought was strange for a dead-end street. Then both vehicles entered the business’ property, one of them blocking the security guard’s car.
Seven men then emerged from the cars, including some armed with guns. Three of them got into the security guard’s car and drove south on Old Highway 99 with him for about two miles. The guard was then pulled out of the car and ordered to the ground.
The suspects got spooked by a northbound vehicle and drove away, leaving the guard at the scene, The Olympian reported.
Meanwhile, the four remaining suspects burglarized the pot production facility and then left.
Following the incident, Tumwater police released information about the identifiable suspect and charges were referred to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office. They issued a warrant for his arrest, Kolb said Sunday.
Police in the region identified the man, then he was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals, she said. The suspect was turned over to Tumwater police on Nov. 14.
According to jail information, the man has been booked on suspicion of first-degree burglary while armed with a deadly weapon; first-degree kidnapping while armed; theft of a motor vehicle; possession of a stolen vehicle; theft of a firearm; felony harassment/threat to kill while armed with a firearm; and first-degree robbery while armed with a deadly weapon.
7 suspects still at large after security guard kidnapped, pot stolen, Tumwater police say
The 18-year-old man was turned over to police Nov. 14. Read More
