'I had to re-do four papers:' Help ID lowlife crooks who stole study notes, credit cards from college student
WANTED IN LACEY --
On the one hand, you have a hard working college student putting herself through school by working full time. On the other hand, you have a bunch of lowlife losers preying on innocent victims, who need need to pay after police say they were all part of ripping her off after she fell victim to a car prowl in Lacey.
"The main person that we are trying to identify is the person that's in the blue right here."
A restaurant in downtown Olympia is one of numerous businesses in Thurston County where a stolen credit card was used by multiple suspects. Images show them in Fred Meyer, Walmart and Safeway. “It looks like this credit card was passed amongst a group of people and just used throughout the city of Lacey and throughout Olympia,” said Lacey Police Det. Jimmy Williams.
The best video of the suspects Det. Williams was able to find is from the restaurant. It was taken about 2am on April 26th and the people at the table were the only customers inside when the card was used.
Detectives want to talk to the guy in the hat who appears to have a tattoo on his right arm. "The individual in the blue is the one who actually paid with the credit card,” said Det. Williams.
The card was stolen during a car prowl in the middle of the day in a busy parking lot in south Lacey.
“What surprises me is that nobody saw it," said Tonya Bulldis, a student at St. Martin's University, who also works full time. She left her backpack in her car for just a few hours. “I wasn't thinking. I had no idea. Not a big deal. I am going to be gone a couple hours. It'll be fine,” said Bulldis. She came out to find her back passenger window smashed -- the backpack gone along with her purse, glasses, credit cards, school books and all of her notes from four classes. "A living hell, especially with finals. That was a nightmare. I had to redo four papers."
Tonya quickly cancelled all of the cards, except one that she forgot she had in her purse. “She found out the next day that one of her cards was charged several times throughout the city of Lacey and the city of Olympia,” said Det. Williams. That gave him the photos of the suspects to help identify them and the video from the restaurant. He hopes somebody will recognize the suspects. “We don't this to happen anymore in our city, so if I can have your help to find out who they are, to capture them then we can help a lot of people out.”
Police say this crime happens a lot and stress that you should never leave any valuables in your vehicle -- take them with you. "There are people who walk around and look through cars every single day and if they see something that is available to them they will do everything they can to take it from you,” said Det. Williams.
It’s a tough lesson for Tonya, but she is not letting these crooks slow her down. "I'm going to keep going to school and doing what I need to do, but it just sucks that there are people out there that don't care.”
If you recognize any of the suspects, submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers by using the P3 Tips App on your phone or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS(8477). There is a cash reward of up to $1,000 for any information that leads to an arrest in the case.