Man learns putting duct tape over stolen car’s license doesn’t make it less suspicious

A driver in a stolen Honda led police on a chase through the Nisqually reservation into Yelm on Sunday night.

Tribal officer Anthony Brunscheen reported that he located a “suspicious vehicle” outside of the Red Wind Casino at about 9:30 p.m.

So what exactly made the maroon Honda Accord suspicious?

“The vehicle had red duct tape over the rear license plate,” Brunscheen wrote in a statement provided to The Olympian.

As Brunscheen waited for another officer to arrive to run the vehicle’s identification number, a man approached the Honda, removed the tape and drove away. The driver left the parking lot and went through the intersection “at a high rate of speed.”

Brunscheen reported the license plate to dispatch, and confirmed that it matched a vehicle that was reported stolen.

Yelm Police and Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies were called to assist with the chase on Yelm Highway Southeast.

Police found the Honda at the end of 89th Avenue Southeast, near the roundabout at Yelm Highway Southeast and Mud Run Road Southeast. Thurston County deputies tracked the man using K9 officers, which led them to the Shell station near First Street in Yelm.

“They were unable to locate the suspect,” Brunscheen said.

Police released a photo of the suspect that was obtained from the casino’s surveillance system.

The stolen vehicle was returned to its owner, Brunscheen said.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Man learns putting duct tape over stolen car’s license doesn’t make it less suspicious."