Deputies: Theft suspect caught after GPS tracker hidden in stolen items
SOUTH HILL, Wash. - Pierce County deputies caught a shoplifting suspect Monday after following a GPS tracker built into the stolen merchandise.
Deputies were called to a beauty store near Meridian Ave E and 168th St E in South Hill. Employees reported a man walked in and stole $2,862 worth of fragrances, then left.
Employees also said one of those bottles had a GPS tracker on it.
Law enforcement tracked the GPS, which showed the suspect was in the parking lot of a nearby department store. Deputies went there and found the man’s car, then went into the store, where they found and arrested him.
Authorities say the man was carrying the stolen merchandise in his backpack. The suspect reportedly told deputies he planned to sell the stolen items for "blues"—meaning fentanyl pills.
Deputies searched the suspect’s car, where they found more items stolen from a nearby store.
Deputies returned all the stolen items, then booked the suspect into jail for first-degree trafficking stolen property and second-degree theft. His bail was set at $10,000.
RELATED: Police search for driver in deadly Kent hit-and-run
Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. Download for Apple iOS or Android. And sign up for BREAKING NEWS emails delivered straight to your inbox.
According to the sheriff’s office, this same suspect pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary in connection to an auto parts store theft in January.