OLYMPIA, Wash. — Olympia police officers arrested a woman on multiple charges after she impersonated a Safeway auditor and stole more than $20,000 in cash, checks, vouchers and merchandise, according to investigators.
They also linked her to two other commercial burglaries earlier in the month.
Police said that on Monday, a 27-year-old woman walked into the Safeway on Martin Way in Olympia, entered the employee break room and stole an employee uniform.
She then wore it and presented herself as an auditor from the corporate office. Real auditors often arrive unannounced at the stores to conduct their work, so the assistant manager gave her access to the customer service area and the back office that had access to the safe, according to Olympia police.
The assistant manager was busy with closing the store, but started to question some of her work and demands the longer she was there.
When the woman asked the assistant manager to call her a cab, he became increasingly suspicious and called the store manager to come in. After contacting the manager, he found two carts full of records and property that were covered with blankets and immediately called 911.
Officers stopped the woman, who had a rolling suitcase and cloth bag tied to the suitcase, near Lowes.
Investigators said they recovered a significant amount of tobacco products and stamps, alcohol, more than $1,500 in rolled coins and more than $3,500 in retail products in the carts.
After a search warrant was obtained for the suitcase, officers recovered more money and paperwork, totaling more than $20,000 between the carts and the suitcase.
Another officer recognized some of the items recovered from the suspect as matching stolen goods from two burglaries earlier in the week at St. Peter's and the Olympia Center. They obtained security video from the Olympia Center that showed the woman stealing inside the facility while wearing items stolen during a burglary at St. Peter's, according to police.
The woman was arrested and booked into the Thurston County Jail on charges of for criminal impersonation, commercial burglary and theft at Safeway. Charges were referred to the prosecutor for the earlier incidents at St. Peter's and the Olympia Center.