On the evening of May 19th Fife Officers attempted to stop a man at the 5600 block of Pacific Hwy East for Driving While License Suspended 3rd degree. The driver fled on foot to a nearby motel room but then immediately returned to speak with the officers. Upon questioning it was revealed that the suspect was renting a room at that location along with a female. The suspects’ suspicious behavior during questioning and officers’ observations of the rented room warranted applying for a request for search warrant. Once the search warrant was obtained, officers discovered a portable identity theft operation, a handgun and drug paraphernalia in the room. Both parties were arrested and booked in the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of 10 counts of Forgery, 10 counts of Identity Theft, 10 counts of Instruments of Financial Fraud and other Drug related charges. The male was also charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 1st degree and has seven prior Felony convictions including one for burglary. During the ongoing investigation, over 40 Identity Theft victims have so far been identified.
