Deputies catch thief in the act

Spokane Valley Sheriff’s deputies conducting surveillance on a man they suspected was a prolific thief arrested him Friday after they watched him leave a store with a stolen item and immediately pawn it.

Detectives had been investigating similar retail thefts in Spokane and Spokane Valley for more than a month. The man driving a blue minivan would routinely steal high end tools from stores such as Lowes and Home Depot, sometimes visiting the same store multiple times in one day, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

Deputies identified 37-year-old Phong Qyang Do as a suspect and were watching him Friday as he entered the Sears store in the Northtown Mall. He walked out without paying for a $250 trimmer and immediately drove six blocks to Gold Bay Pawn where he sold the trimmer for $60, the news release said.

Do was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of second-degree theft, retail theft with special circumstances and trafficking in stolen property. Do has 14 prior criminal convictions, including nine felonies.