WMW CAPTURE #1200: Suspect accused of running over cub scout following theft of $40,000 in jewelry

King County Prosecutors have charged 47-year-old Paul Weida with Theft 1st Degree and Trafficking in Stolen Property 1st Degree. 

Renton Police say he was identified thanks to Washington’s Most Wanted viewer tips to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.  

Weida was arrested on February 19, 2021 and is being held without bail in the Regional Justice Center.  

Detectives say he is one of two suspects who stole $40,000 worth of  jewelry from Fred Meyer in 2018. The suspects ran into a 10-year-old cub scout in their urgency to escape the store. Fortunately, the boy was  not hurt. The other suspect, Joesiah Bell Jr, has also been charged in the case, along with Moriah Connor, who is accused of serving as the getaway driver.

 

According to court documents, the case had gone cold until a tipster came forward and provided the information needed for prosecutors to file charges in the case.

"Det. Randy Jensen put in a ton of work into this thing and as much work as he did, as many leads as he followed, and he was on this thing for months, he was really at a dead end and had it not been for a viewer who was able to give us the information at the end, we would have still been at a dead end," said Renton PD Commander Dave Leibman. 

Weida has prior convictions stretching back to 1992 for Residential Burglary – Attempt in 2019 and 2013,  Burglary 2nd degree in 2015 along with Burglary 2nd Degree-  Attempt, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle  and Theft 1st Degree. Other convictions include Possession of Stolen Property, Resisting Arrest, Malicious Mischief, Theft 3rd Degree, Vehicle Prowl, Criminal Trespass 1st Degree, Assault 4 and Hit and Run Attended.

Weida is WMW Capture #1200.  "We're really glad ew got him and thanks to Washington's Most Wanted, we were able to wrap it up and put a bow on the case," said Commander Leibman. 

-----ORIGINAL STORY June 30, 2020-----
FUGITIVES WANTED RENTON --

Renton Police are asking for the public's help to identify two suspects who violently knocked down a young boy scout selling popcorn for his troop as they fled after stealing a counter top display case with $40,000 worth of jewelry inside.

Fortunately, the child is OK.

"Just to run over a little boy and then keep going, they had no regard for anybody. Our biggest fear right now is that they could continue to escalate, and next time they may run into a jewelry store and bring a firearm with them, and somebody could get shot and hurt," said Sgt. Christine Matthews with Renton PD.

On September 9th, at approximately 5:05 pm, one suspect immediately approached the case at Fred Meyer in Renton and used a tool to cut the security chain that secures the case to the counter top. The second suspect then grabbed the display case, and both suspects ran out of the store.

The case contained about $40,000 worth of yellow gold, white gold, and sterling silver chain necklaces..

"We don't know if they were in there earlier that day, or a couple of days earlier, but it's positive that they were in there at least beforehand because they knew exactly how to get it off of there, and they knew they needed to bring bolt cutters," Matthews said. "We're asking the public when you look at the video, it's not real clear, their faces, but you can clearly see their body stature, how they move, what they're wearing, so we're hopeful that somebody out there will recognize them through their body movements, rather than just the facial recognition,."

The first suspect is described as a white man in his 30s, 5-foot, 8 inches to 5-foot, 11 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a light tan fedora hat, tan/white long sleeve jacket with a black shirt underneath, and tan/white pants.

Suspect No. 2 is described as a black man in his 30s, 5-foot 10 to 6-foot tall, with a slender build. He was wearing a black baseball cap, a gray or tan T-Shirt, blue jean shorts, and gray shoes with a white sole.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 if you can identify either suspect. Submit an anonymous tip at www.P3Tips.com or download the P3 Tips App to your phone for free. You can also call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).