Prowling suspects didn’t know that 15 deputies were nearby, Thurston Sheriff says

Three people were arrested rather easily on Monday after they began prowling a property that also happened to be near 15 deputies participating in firearms training, said Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders in a social media post.

The suspects were detained Monday afternoon in the 9200 block of Waddell Creek Road Southwest.

“We all responded and arrived on scene within minutes,” said Sanders in his post.

One of the male suspects turned out to be a “well-known prolific auto thief,” according to Sanders, who added that the man was wearing a wig and hat to conceal his identity.

“He has multiple active felony cases and a felony warrant for criminal impersonation and ID theft,” Sanders said in his post.

The man also claimed to have swallowed fentanyl before deputies arrived, so he was taken to an area hospital before being booked into jail.

The second suspect, a woman, allegedly lied about her name and had an outstanding warrant for burglary. The third suspect, another man, was in possession of fentanyl, according to Sanders.

The three suspects also showed up in a green Honda CRV without any license plates, Sanders said.

“As it turns out, the owner of that vehicle called in to report their car as stolen from the movie theater in Olympia earlier today,” he said in his post.

All three suspects are facing charges ranging from criminal trespass to possession of a stolen vehicle and criminal impersonation, Sanders said.