Help ID bold theft suspect seen stealing expensive grill that has small town hardware store taking a big hit
WANTED IN ENUMCLAW - The city of Enumclaw prides itself on being a close knit community, so when a criminal comes in and steals from one of their valued businesses, it's upsetting to all.
Police are asking for your help to identify a theft suspect seen walking into a fenced area of the Gateway True Value hardware store in the middle of broad daylight on Wednesday, July 8th and stole a boxed Traeger grill worth about $1,200.
Store Manager, Mark Warren says they used to leave the gate open for the convenience of customers to load up heavier items, but not after a man stole their barbecue and their sense of trust. “Unfortunately, we weren't watching cameras at the moment. He slid it over on the bricks here, then proceeded to go out, get into his van, pull his van in here. He must have known there are cameras, because he didn't have plates on the front of his van facing the camera. Loaded up in the back of his van and took off,” said Warren.
Enumclaw Police say he drove westbound towards Auburn. Commander Tim Floyd is hoping somebody recognizes his vehicle. “The minivan does have a little scuff mark on the front bumper, did not have a front license plate. The view of the rear license plate that we were able to get from surveillance, we couldn't get the license plate number. It may have a bumper sticker on the back, although we couldn't tell what that said either,” said Cmdr. Floyd.
While it was a crime of opportunity, a theft like this has an impact on people's sense of security. “What concerns me the most is that this becomes a more common place in today's society, where people just think they can go in and take whatever they want and not suffer any consequences for their actions,” said Cmdr. Floyd. He says the suspect appears to be in his 30's.
Warren knows that theft will always be an issue in retail, but they never expected someone to come in and steal a boxed Traeger grill weighing a couple hundred pounds. “We're an individually-owned-and-operated business where we have no corporate. We are on our own, so losing a big ticket item like this, it hurts.
If you can identify the suspect, or recognize his white minivan, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound will pay you a cash reward of up to $1,000. Submit his name, or where police can find him through the P3 Tips app on your cell phone, or call 1-800-222-TIPS.