On April 13, Bothell police officers arrested two suspects for stealing liquor from multiple locations in Bothell.

At about noon, officers responded to a convenience store located in the 19200 block of Bothell Way NE in Bothell to investigate a theft of liquor. According to a press release, the suspect was an adult male driving a silver minivan with a female passenger. A few minutes later, officers located suspects matching the description at a grocery store at 240th Street Southeast and Bothell-Everett Highway. Officers confirmed the suspects to be the same subjects involved in the theft at convenience store.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the male subject had stolen multiple bottles of liquor from the grocery store before officers arrived, the release states. Officers observed multiple bottles of liquor inside the suspect vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered 28 bottles of liquor, 10 of them with security devices still attached. According to the release, it appeared to officers, some of the liquor was also stolen from a drug store located next the convenient store.

Officers were able to return some of the alcohol to the stores, the release states. Officers interviewed both subjects and cited the suspected shoplifters at the scene and released them in lieu of booking them into jail for the theft of liquor.

At about 1:20 p.m. (20 minutes after the subjects were cited and released), the male subject committed another theft of liquor at another drug store located in Canyon Park. At about 1:30 p.m., officers located the same subjects at a larger grocery store in Thrasher’s Corner, where the male subject committed another theft of 10 more bottles of liquor. According to the release, at least four different stores suffered losses and 47 bottles of alcohol were recovered at an estimated value of more than $1,600.

The second time the suspects were taken into custody, officers booked them into Snohomish County Jail on charges of organized retail theft.