Police are looking to identify a harassment suspect after he left a KKK-type robe and rope at local businesses.
The son of the store owner of Rags to Riches called police to report he and his mother felt threatened by a white man in his 20s with brown hair on Wednesday.
“He said your mother really wants to see these dresses,” Shane Coakley said. “He kind of opened the bag half way and showed her the dresses, and she bought those two dresses from him for 30 dollars. When he looked at me coming out the back he saw me coming and scattered out the door.”
After he left they looked more carefully at the bag with the dresses and noticed a smaller bag with them.
“And we open up the bag and there was the KKK uniform with the patches and the hood and a hangman’s noose in the bag,” Coakley said.
“The store owner, who is black, believes this was a threat to herself,” a spoke spokeswoman said.
Police said the robe’s two patches on the back resemble the "Blood Drop" symbol associated with the KKK.
Officers have increased patrols in the area and are engaging closely with store employees as a precaution. No other reports similar to Wednesday’s incident are known.
“This was a hate crime, that’s what it was,” Coakley said. “This wasn’t him trying to sell us a Klan outfit, this was a guy trying to send a message to us... we’re going to keep this store open and not let him win.”
If you have information that may help with this investigation, or believe you know the identity of this man, please contact Detective D'Amico at 425-556-2669 or email: nldamico@redmond.gov.
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