Tim Eyman investigated for theft after Office Depot incident, Lacey police say

OLYMPIA – Tim Eyman, the anti-tax activist and initiative promoter, is being investigated for misdemeanor theft after he allegedly stole a $70 chair from an Office Depot store in Lacey, Washington, this week.

According to Lacey police, officers were called to the store on Sleater Kinney Road Southeast shortly after noon Wednesday. Store employees said they noticed the office chair was missing from a display near the front door and said surveillance video identified the suspect as Eyman, according to Lacey police Sgt. Jaime Newcomb.

Police watched the video and came to the same conclusion, Newcomb said. They have since forwarded their report to city prosecutors.

Lacey City Attorney David Schneider said Friday afternoon a decision about whether to charge Eyman has not been made.

“We’ll make a charging decision after we get everything, but that’s not going to be done today,” Schneider said.

When contacted by The Olympian, Eyman sent an email saying, “I just called the Lacey Office Depot who referred me to the Lacey Police Department. I am expecting a call from the officer in charge to explain what happened. I will cooperate fully in this process and will do whatever is required of me.”

Eyman recently collected enough signatures to send his latest initiative to cut car-tab taxes to a flat $30 fee to the Legislature and to the voters in November.

But he’s being sued by Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who alleges that he used money donated to his initiative campaigns to enrich himself. His company, Watchdog for Taxpayers, has been held in contempt of court and fined $500 a day for nearly a year for not handing over documents relevant to the lawsuit.

Eyman also filed for bankruptcy and divorce late last year.