If you saw police officers in the area of Foss Grocery in Covington Thursday afternoon, Feb. 9, 2023, Covington Police said it was due to an investigation into a man they say stole approximately $10,000 worth of items from Home Depot over the course of several weeks.

“After completing the investigation we decided to attempt to make an arrest for Organized Retail Theft in the First Degree,” police said. “Our Detective happened to spot the suspect in the area and we were able to take him into custody. The man was booked into King County Jail for the crime.”

Police add that last week a woman came into the Covington Kohl’s is suspected of stealing several electronic devices, and that the same woman did it again the next day as well. Kohl’s loss prevention was able to identify her based on another theft in Federal Way and at that point she had stolen over $2,500 worth of merchandise in two days. The woman returned to the Covington Kohl’s on Monday and this time she was in a stolen car.

Officers were able to contact her as she ran out of the store and took her into custody, booking her initially for the stolen vehicle. Police then also submitted charges for Organized Retail Theft in the Second Degree based on the prior thefts.

“We appreciate the hard work these retailers are putting in to provide us with the information to help make these cases,” police said. “We are also looking forward to bringing a new detective to our office as our City Council approved funding to add this position in 2023. This will increase our bandwidth for investigating crime and being more proactive.”