On March 16, at about 6:52 p.m., police were dispatched to a report of theft at a Michael Kors outlet in the 400 block of South Fork Avenue in North Bend, according to Snoqualmie police. The officer took a report, and after viewing high quality video, took still photos from the footage of the suspects to reference later on.

The officer, while driving by another store, located the four suspects — three females and one male — and observed them speaking with each other through the clear windows of another business. He witnessed the suspects split up inside the store, a common practice in organized thefts, authorities said.

The officer waited outside the storefront. Two of the three females exited the store and were detained. Back-up officers arrived and the lead officer entered the store, taking the male suspect into custody for theft. The final female suspect was also detained.

The investigation found that the three female victims stole from the first victim business, and they were arrested for organized retail theft in the second degree, a class C felony. But officers located a large bag of stolen merchandise inside store number two. Charges were upgraded to organized retail theft.

Officers obtained through the suspects keys to two vehicles, a Cadillac and a Chevrolet, located in the parking lot. The cars were impounded for search warrants, and once approved by a judge and executed on both vehicles, officers found documents that identified the owners to the theft ring and more than $10,000 worth of stolen merchandise from at least six different stores over a few hours.

Among the items stolen were apparel, shoes, purses and sunglasses taken from the Nike store, Coach, Michael Kors, Under Armour, Cutter & Buck, Eddie Bauer locations in the Premium Outlet Mall.

The four suspects have long criminal histories that include prior theft charges, possession of stolen property, residential burglary, forgery and ID theft. The investigation remains open and the charges have been referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

Stolen merchandise from multiple retailers were found in the suspects’ vehicles. Photo courtesy of Snoqualmie Police Department