Purse thief left his pants, wallet at crime scene, Olympia police say

By Brian Sandford | The Olympian • Published July 12, 2008

Olympia police are looking for a man who allegedly stole a woman’s purse Saturday at a bus stop in west Olympia, then left his wallet — and his pants — behind.

The man was wearing shorts and had a pair of pants containing a wallet draped over his shoulder, said Olympia Police Officer Korey Pearce. After he left with the woman’s purse, she identified him to police based on the picture on his driver’s license, Pearce said.

“We know who he is,” he said. He wouldn’t release the man’s identity but said he’s a white male, about 25 years old and about 6 feet tall.

Finding a suspect’s wallet is unusual, but “it happens periodically,” Pearce said. “Usually, it’s in a vehicle in which someone crashes and tries to report it stolen, and their ID is on the driver’s seat.”

The theft was reported at 5 p.m. on Cooper Point Road near Harrison Avenue, outside Safeway. Anyone with information is asked to call the Olympia Police Department at 360-753-8400 or 360-753-8205.