CrimeDec 11, 2024
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Alleged Jewelry Thieves Attempt Rowboat Escape
The man and woman are accused of stealing jewelry from a shipping container then trying to flee by paddling a small boat out into a bay.
A man and a woman were arrested in Washington state earlier this month, accused of stealing $11,000 in jewelry and then attempting to escape via rowboat. (Image courtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)
Jefferson County, Wash.—Authorities in Washington state arrested two alleged jewelry thieves following a botched attempt to escape by land and by water.
On Dec. 10, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a burglary from a shipping container, according to local news outlet KOMO.
The caller said a man and a woman had stolen jewelry and had fled in an SUV.
Jefferson County officials reached out to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office after a witness saw the pair’s SUV on the Hood Canal Bridge, according to the report.
When the Kitsap County deputies got there, an SUV matching the description appeared to have been involved in a rollover crash.
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On Dec. 10, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a burglary from a shipping container, according to local news outlet KOMO.
The caller said a man and a woman had stolen jewelry and had fled in an SUV.
Jefferson County officials reached out to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office after a witness saw the pair’s SUV on the Hood Canal Bridge, according to the report.
When the Kitsap County deputies got there, an SUV matching the description appeared to have been involved in a rollover crash.
The officers witnessed the man and the woman flee on foot and called for “additional resources.”
The suspects then attempted to flee by boat, commandeering what looks like a small pedal boat and rowing out into Port Gamble Bay, a video released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office shows.
Deputies sent out a drone to record the attempted escape.
The video shows the suspects using an oar and a piece of plywood to row the boat.
When it began to take on water, the pair jumped out and swam to shore, where they were arrested.
It was not clear if the jewelry, reportedly worth about $11,000, was recovered.
The suspects swam to shore when the boat began to take on water. (Image courtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)
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