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Tacoma, WA - Saturday, February 25, 2006 < Back to Regular Story Page

Deputies discover stolen loot, arrest two


THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Last updated: February 25th, 2006 02:50 AM (PST)

A stranded semitrailer in rural Spanaway led Pierce County sheriff’s deputies to a storehouse full of stolen merchandise early Friday.
The recovered loot and the capture of people previously deported by the federal government earned a visit from immigration agents. Deputies were investigating possible connections to a wider network of thefts from chain stores.

Around 5:30 a.m., a deputy spotted the trailer blocking the road in the 19300 block of 22nd Avenue East, said detective Ed Troyer, sheriff’s spokesman. A man ran from the truck, and the deputy chased and caught him.

A records check revealed that the truck and trailer had been stolen from Seattle. Deputies searching the trailer and adjacent property found “stuff from multiple large retail stores throughout Western Washington,” Troyer said.

Joined by agents from the Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigators arrested the man and a woman.

Both had been deported in the past and both were classified as illegal immigrants.

Investigators continued to retrieve merchandise from the property throughout the day, blocking off a portion of 22nd Avenue.

Troyer said the Sheriff’s Office is working with other law enforcement agencies to see whether the operation is linked to other incidents.

He added that investigators believe the same suspects could be connected to an abandoned semitrailer recently recovered in East Pierce County that was reported stolen from the Seattle area.

Sean Robinson, The News Tribune