A Kent Police officer conducting a routine patrol helped arrest a woman with multiple felony warrants and recover a stolen vehicle last week in the Panther Lake area.
Officer Thompson spotted a 2011 Kia Optima parked in a marked handicapped stall without a placard or license plate. When the vehicle began to leave the lot, he ran the plates and found they had been expired since 2023.
After pulling the car over, Officer Thompson contacted the 20-year-old driver, a Kent resident, who had a 10-year-old sibling in the passenger seat. A records check revealed the woman had several active Pierce County warrants, including charges for assault, resisting arrest, theft, and a no-bail felony warrant for reckless endangerment.
She was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. At her request, her mother arrived shortly afterward to take custody of the child and the vehicle.
But the vehicle quickly raised additional concerns.
“There were no obvious physical signs that the car was stolen,” Kent Police said in a statement. “The keys were inside, and there was no ignition damage. But the car wasn’t registered to the driver, the tabs were expired for two years, and it had no insurance or registration paperwork.”
After contacting the last registered owner in Tacoma, police confirmed the Kia had been stolen but never reported. Officer Thompson passed the mother’s address to responding units, and Kent Police Sgt. Silas later located the vehicle parked outside her apartment. It was unoccupied but had a boot placed on one of the tires — which officers noted may have been intended to deter another theft.
“The mom refused to exit her apartment to give us the vehicle keys or remove the boot,” the department stated. “We can work around that though.”
The vehicle was towed and recovered without further incident.
Kent Police commended Officer Thompson and Sgt. Silas for their persistence in resolving the case.
“Nice work…finding the driver with multiple felony and misdemeanor warrants, following up to determine the status of the car, and finding the car so it could be recovered,” the department said.
