CAPTURED: Violent Offender Task Force arrests WMW fugitive wanted for Possession of Child Pornography

CAPTURED:  The Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force arrested 46-year-old Orlando Ray Cowen on August 20, 2020.  He was wanted by Lynnwood Police for Dealing and Possession of Child Pornography.

In June, the Lynnwood Police Department requested assistance from the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force in locating Cowen who also had a Department of Corrections warrant for his arrest for Escape 1st Degree issued on February 15, 2019 after he walked away from Reynolds Work Release in Seattle.

Cowen was also wanted by Mercer Island Police after detectives say he used a stolen credit card taken during a car prowl. 

The case was assigned to a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputy on the Violent Offender Task Force. Over the course of two months, the deputy worked diligently to locate Cowen. He was known to frequent the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and Fremont and had ties to Alaska as a fisherman.

Last Thursday, the deputy developed information that Cowen was in the Belltown area of Seattle. VOTF immediately acted upon the information and responded to Seattle to search for hm.   At 1:40 p.m., he was spotted walking along a sidewalk in Belltown. He was contacted and taken into custody without incident.

The 46-year-old suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for Dealing and Possession of Child Pornography, a DOC warrant, and an additional felony Escape warrant out of King County.

Orlando Ray Cowen booked into Snohomish County jail

ORIGINAL STORY: 

MERCER ISLAND -- Mercer Island Police are asking for the public's help to find 46-year-old Orlando Ray Cowen.  Detectives say they have identified him as the suspect seen on surveillance camera using a stolen credit card at numerous locations in Ballard, Shoreline, Aurora Ave N and Lynnwood.  The card was taken during an overnight vehicle prowl while the homeowners were sleeping.

"He buys really pretty ordinary items and a few gift cards. What they want a lot of times is the gift cards. The other items are secondary and used to perhaps camouflage the gift card purchase," said Mercer Island PD Det. Sgt. Jim Robarge

 

Detectives say the best images of Cowen come from the surveillance camera of a fast food restaurant when he used the stolen card to purchase a meal.  "You can see he's pretty casual. Doesn't look like he's stressed or nervous about what he's doing at all," said Det. Sgt. Robarge.

Cowen is on supervision with the Department of Corrections after convictions in 2016 for Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Identity Theft 1st Degree. In that case, a Bellevue Police officer checked the license plate on the Nissan Pathfinder that Cowen was driving and found that it was stolen. When he tried to do a traffic stop, Cowen jumped out of the vehicle and took off running. He was seen leaping a fence, then hiding underneath a deck for a moment and then throwing items from his pockets into a ravine.

Several units responded and officers were able to cuff him.  He had two debit cards on him that didn't belong to him. Officers  recovered a bag of brown pills with no markings and a cell phone from the ravine.


Now, Cowen has a Department of Corrections warrant for his arrest for Escape 1st Degree issued on February 15, 2019 after he walked away from Reynolds Work Release in Seattle.
 

Cowen has felony convictions for Identity Theft-1st Degree in 2016, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle in 2004, 2015 and 2016. Escape 2nd Degree in 2008, Possession of Stolen Property 1st Degree in 2002 and 2004, two counts of Possession of Stolen Property 2nd Degree in 2004, Taking a Vehicle without Permission in 2002, Trafficking in Stolen Property in 1995, Taking a Vehicle without Permission in 1995, Burglary 2nd Degree in 1995 and two counts of Residential Burglary in 1995.

He has a tattoo on his chest of a "Devil girl kissing snake" as well as Russian hammer and Cycle Star on his right shoulder.

Cowen has Brown Hair; Green eyes; 5’ 11”; 189 lbs

If you have any information on his location, you can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at http://www.P3Tips.com or through the P3 Tips App that you can download to your cell phone for free. There is a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest and charge filed in the case. You can also call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).