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Canine Copper Catches Copper-Stealing Crook

An SPD K9 team sniffed out a copper thief early Wednesday morning in North Seattle.

Officers responded to a report of a burglar inside the fenced yard of a metal fabrication business in the 10900 block of Whitman Ave N around 2:45 AM. An employee was watching the yard from an upstairs window hoping to catch a glimpse of the suspect that had burglarized the business four times already this month. The witness saw the burglar carrying a bundle of copper sheets but lost sight of him as he made his way through the yard.

Police surrounded the business within minutes of the burglary and K9 Ziva and her partner Officer Mark Wong responded to track down the suspect. K9 Ziva followed the suspect’s trail, and found him hiding between several parked cars less than a block away.

Officers found an area of the fence that had been cut allowing access to the yard. Officers matched a boot print on the copper sheets that had been carried to the edge of the yard with a boot the suspect was wearing. The suspect apparently dropped the copper he’d stolen when he heard police sirens approaching.

Police booked the 43-year-old suspect into the King County Jail for investigation of burglary.

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K9 Ziva on patrol