The Seattle branch of the Secret Service was doing secret service work at a downtown hotel when an employee asked them to check on a man evidently passed out in his room.
Happy to oblige, the agents went to the door and knocked, but there was no answer.
Out of concern for the man’s wellbeing, the agents asked housekeeping to open the hotel room door.
The key was produced, the door was opened and the agents peered inside.
What they saw shocked them.
The trappings of an elaborate cash card forgery operation littered the room. The denizen of said abode emerged from his slumber. The agents inquired if he was alright, to which he answered in the affirmative.
Prudently recognizing that there was more to this situation than met the eye, the agents retreated and called their friendly municipal counterparts to assist.
West Precinct officers and detectives responded and were in the process of securing a search warrant when three male associates of this particular criminal enterprise entered the hotel lobby. After a brief stare down with Secret Service agents while a deeper appreciation of situation set in, one of the three men bolted from the lobby. The other two men wisely surrendered.
The fleeing man ran from the hotel and attempted to elude pursuing agents by cutting through a well-known, locally owned department store. This ploy did not yield the desired result and the game was up at 7th and Union when agents took the man into custody.
While the investigation is still very much ongoing, agents and officers are confident that the tip from hotel staff allowed them to dismantle a sophisticated cash card embossing operation.
Officers booked the 28 year old man and his 22 and 23 year old associates into decidely less luxurious accommodations at the King County Jail.
This investigation remains ongoing. Detectives are still in the process of securing a search warrant, which they will serve once procured.