Sumner Police seek public's help to ID car prowl suspects
SUMNER, Wash. -- Sumner Police are asking for the public’s help to identify three suspects driving a 2010 Black Impala after the thieves broke into six cars at the YMCA on 64th Street East on April 24.
“It was quite upsetting because we come out and we see the window broken, the glass everywhere and my wallet gone,” said Kristy Burkholder, who had hidden her wallet in the console. She rushed home to cancel all of her credit cards.
“That was crazy because I would log into say my Citi Card and then all of a sudden I see they just spent $500 at Fred Meyer."
Sumner police obtained surveillance video of the men they are trying to identify entering the store at 1201 Valley Ave East and then using Burkholder’s cards in the self-checkout line.
“We believe that there are three suspects, three black males in their late teens to 20s that are involved in this particular incident as well as a previous occasion,” said Sumner Police Det. Troy Nikolao.
Police want people to be on the lookout for the Impala described as having dark, tinted windows.
“I read recently of a police report from Issaquah that the same suspect vehicle was involved in a vehicle prowl earlier in the month of April,” he said.
Burkholder said she chose to take her kids swimming at the Sumner YMCA because she thought it would be safer than other places.
“My hope is that the YMCA will take even more measures to protect their members from this happening in the future,” she said.
In response, Michelle LaRue, the vice president and chief member experience officer for the Sumner YMCA, said:
“We are sorry for the inconvenience and hardship anyone in our community experiences through theft, especially our Y members. The Y is committed to creating the safest environment possible. We discourage members from leaving valuables in their car, and offer complimentary lockers with digital keypad locks to keep personal belongings safe from theft. We also offer standard lockers, which members may lock with their own personal lock. We understand vehicle thefts are on the rise in East Pierce County, and encourage individuals to take precaution and remove all valuable items from their car. The Sumner and Puyallup police departments have helpful resources available on their websites: https://www.cityofpuyallup.org/documentcenter/view/1177 http://sumnerwa.gov/10-ways-to-reduce-car-prowl-risk/."
Det. Nikolao said, “If you can, bring the minimum amount with you, driver’s license to get you to and from the YMCA. Do not put anything of view that’s valuable to these people. In this instance, our victim didn’t even have it in view and as long as it was in the vehicle, they were able to locate it and it didn’t take them very long to do it.”
Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information identifying the suspects. If you know their names, call 1-800-222-TIPS or use the P3 Tips App to submit the information. It is anonymous.