A suspected car prowler stopped to take a nap inside of one of the vehicles he targeted in a Seattle suburb, police said.
Officers checked into a report of a suspicious man lurking near a pickup truck Friday morning. They found the man asleep in the driver’s seat of the truck.
According to the Seattle Police Department blotter, "The man awoke, and told officers he had permission to sleep in the truck, but couldn't tell them the name of the truck's owner.
“As it turned out, the truck was parked right in front of the registered owner’s home, so officers rang their doorbell. They spoke with the resident who told police that, yes, he did own the silver pickup and, no, he had not given anyone permission to enter or sleep in his vehicle.”
“I came to the door, and it was a police officer; and I saw that my truck doors were all open. All my clothes and all my belongings and tools that I use for work were out on the ground,” said John Portmann, who was getting ready for work when police approached him at around 5:30 a.m.
Portmann said the man was not responding to anyone. He said he doesn’t know how the person got into the truck, because it was locked at the time and showed no signs of a break-in.
“Immediately I just prayed for the guy, and I just hope he gets the kind of attention he needs and maybe just sober up off the streets a little,” he said.
Officers arrested the man, and they found he was carrying someone else’s tax return forms, which were stolen from another car prowl.
The 40-year-old man was booked into King County Jail for theft.
Portmann said he is thankful for vigilant neighbors calling police to report suspicious activity, because his truck could have easily been driven off by the person who broke in.
“That’s pretty brave too. To do that? I mean, my house is right there. I would be coming out, and if the cops weren’t here, I would be afraid of like, the reaction and confrontation of a person that’s distressed,” Portmann said.
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