Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m., Hoquiam Police Sgt. Jeremy Mitchell spotted the 25-year-old vehicle prowl suspect who had been seen in several videos and photos posted recently to police social media. The suspect was arrested without incident inside the Hoquiam 7-Eleven, according to a press release from Chief Jeff Myers.

During the arrest, Sgt. Mitchell recovered several credit cards — reported stolen in a vehicle prowl on Broadway Avenue in Hoquiam from the suspect’s pocket.

Hoquiam detectives have been working additional cases involving surveillance footage of this suspect, including when the same suspect was captured on a game camera returning to a 70-foot boat moored in a local boatyard. The suspect was photographed entering the boat and leaving with an item under his arm. This same vessel had been burglarized on several occasions, apparently by the same suspect.

Since this vessel has means of propulsion as well as sleeping quarters and galley, the crime is vehicle prowling in the first degree, which is a class C felony. Vehicle prowl in the second degree is a gross misdemeanor and it is more commonly applied when vehicles, trucks and cars are entered. Since this vessel is moored within an enclosed, fenced and secured boatyard, entering the fenced area is also considered to be burglary.

The suspect was interviewed by detectives and admitted to taking the item in the photo, but claimed he left it out by the boatyard fence. He told the detective his crime was just a “trespass” and he would be “out of jail in a few hours.”

The suspect was booked in the county jail on the felony burglary charges and will also be interviewed by the Ocean Shores Police Department for an alleged possession of stolen property case there, according to Darst.

Detectives continue to piece together additional cases as this suspect appears to be a prolific prowler in the Aberdeen-Hoquiam area. Citizens are encouraged to always remove personal items and lock the vehicle at all times, even when at home. Even if a vehicle is entered and nothing is taken, the crime should still be reported to the police.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Don Grossi at (360) 532-0892 ext. 295.