Covington, WA Ulta bust: Felons linked to stolen car, retail theft
Two men arrested after Ulta retail theft in Covington, WA
Two suspects accused of stealing beauty products from an Ulta store in Covington tried to make a run from the law, but surveillance video helped deputies track them down and put them behind bars.
COVINGTON, Wash. - Two convicted felons accused of stealing about $2,000 worth of beauty products from an Ulta store in Covington pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges stemming from the alleged theft and a subsequent police pursuit.
King County prosecutors say 24-year-old Kane Christensen and 30-year-old Jaycob Fernandez were involved in the Aug. 20 theft at the Ulta store.
Kane Christensen (left) and Jaycob Fernandez (right) appear in King County court. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Deputies began tracking the pair after an alarm was triggered at the store. Investigators say surveillance video showed Fernandez leaving the store without paying for about $2,000 worth of merchandise before getting into a waiting vehicle.
Deputies later spotted the suspects in the stolen Hyundai Sonata at a gas station in Kent, according to charging documents.
As deputies moved in, the driver sped away, leaving Fernandez behind. The fleeing vehicle struck the back of another SUV before driving recklessly through traffic.
Guardian One captures a retail theft suspect fleeing from police in Kent.
Guardian One, a King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, followed the vehicle as it traveled eastbound on Kent-Kangley Road, where deputies said the driver was speeding through turn lanes and passing other vehicles.
The driver eventually returned to Covington and parked near an AutoZone and Jack in the Box. Deputies watched as the man got out, grabbed his belongings and ran from the vehicle.
Investigators said he was carrying a backpack and jacket and wearing a bandana around his neck. During the foot pursuit, he dropped the jacket near a parked car.
Fred Meyer security cameras capture Kane Christensen entering the store while fleeing police.
Deputies later recovered an illegal short-barrel shotgun covered by the jacket.
Surveillance video showed the man enter a nearby Fred Meyer store and run toward a bathroom, where investigators say he changed clothes.
Deputies found him exiting the bathroom and arrested him.
Detectives identified the man as Christensen. His backpack, along with the clothing and bandana he had been wearing, was found inside a bathroom stall.
Bodycam video captures Kane Christensen's arrest at a Covington Fred Meyer.
After his arrest, Christensen told deputies he was having trouble breathing. He also said he had ingested what he believed could have been cocaine or fentanyl about a half-hour earlier, according to investigators.
Christensen was taken to a hospital, medically cleared and then booked into jail.
Prosecutors charged Christensen with organized retail theft, hit-and-run, attempting to elude police, possession of a stolen vehicle and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Court records show Christensen has multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions involving several of the same types of offenses he was arrested for.
He spent five months in the King County Jail before being released on July 20, exactly one month before his latest arrest.
Christensen is being held on $150,000 bail.
Fernandez was arrested at the Kent gas station without incident, authorities said. Prosecutors charged him with second-degree organized retail theft.
Bodycam video of Jaycob Fernandez's arrest at a Kent gas station.
His criminal history includes convictions for vehicle theft, attempting to elude police, driving under the influence, hit-and-run and first-degree burglary in California, according to prosecutors. He also has a pending case for DUI.
His attorney tried to get him released on personal recognizance by arguing that he works as a landscaper, lives in Tacoma where he is raising a daughter and is taking online classes for underwater welding. She blamed the theft on poverty.
Judge Josephine Wiggs kept his bail at $5,000, which is what prosecutors asked for at his first appearance. Both men remain in jail.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Deputies seek video after Coast Guard member fatally shot in Skyway
Mayor Wilson officially begins search for Seattle's next police chief
Court docs detail Seattle armed extortion scheme, 2 arrested in sting
Soundgarden reunites to perform halftime show of Seattle Seahawks' season opener
WA sues USPS over mail-in ballots—here's why
NFL owners vote to approve sale of Seattle Seahawks to Vinod Khosla family
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the King County Sheriff's Office, court documents filed in King County Superior Court, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.