Officers arrested an employee of a wholesale produce company and his accomplice this weekend, after watching the two men steal $8,000 worth of fruits and vegetables.
An executive from a produce company in South Seattle contacted police after discovering an employee had been stealing pallets of product every week for months. The executive said every week the suspect would load several pallets on an unidentified truck at around the same time, and the truck would depart with the produce. Detectives and officers arranged to be at the site when the suspect usually facilitated the unauthorized pick up. After watching the employee load five pallets of produce onto the truck and the truck drive away with the stolen goods, officers arrested both the employee and the truck driver. Police returned approximately $8,000 worth of product to the company, but the executive estimates the thieves have stolen more than $35,000 from the company.
Both men were booked into the King County Jail for felony-level theft. This in is an ongoing investigation and additional arrests are anticipated.
