Suspect arrested after stolen passports, phones found in his Olympia home

A 28-year-old Olympia man was arrested on suspicion of trafficking stolen property after Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies found 13 passports and more than 20 cellphones in his home Tuesday.

Lt. Cliff Ziesemer said the investigation stemmed from a May 31 burglary in the 9900 block of Hart Road Southeast in Thurston County. As detectives investigated, they linked the crime to others in King and Pierce counties.

“They followed the investigation from here to Kent to Lakewood,” Ziesemer said.

The vehicle that the suspect allegedly used was identified in surveillance footage from one of the crime scenes and tracked to a home in the 3700 block of McCormick Street Southeast in Olympia, where the suspect lives.

Detectives served a search warrant at the home and found the passports and cellphones, in addition to several driver’s licenses, checkbooks, laptops and pieces of jewelry.

The man was booked into the Thurston County Jail and was expected to make his preliminary appearance Wednesday in Thurston County Superior Court.

The Olympian does not release the names of suspects until they have appeared in court.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Suspect arrested after stolen passports, phones found in his Olympia home."