EVERETT — The man browsing the yard sale Saturday quickly became skeptical.
Just about everything seemed new.
There was a dishwasher, three bathtubs, three shower kits, two fireplaces, six ranges and ovens, a microwave, a water heater and a refrigerator. The ovens came in different configurations: double, wall mount and free standing.
The water line had been cut on the brand-new refrigerator.
“The longer he spoke with the seller, the more his story changed,” Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
The tipster called 911 to pass along his suspicions.
About an hour later, sheriff’s deputies paid a visit to the property in the 12100 lock of Andrew Stater Road.
“It just seemed real fishy,” Ireton said.
The yard sale had been advertised on craigslist.org and offerupnow.com.
The tip led to a cache of stolen appliances taken from at least two construction sites in the Bothell area over the past couple months.
No one has been arrested but detectives are continuing to investigate, Ireton said. They have matched several items seized from the yard sale with serial numbers from the building sites.
Several people were associated with the yard sale. One cried. Another claimed to have no knowledge of where all the merchandise came from.
The prime suspect told deputies that he bought the items from an acquaintance and didn’t know they were stolen.
Thefts from construction sites cost hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide each year in equipment and materials.
Last month, detectives in north Snohomish County arrested a man who allegedly was caught with more than $10,000 in missing goods, including bath tubs, sinks, lights and fixtures, grout, caulk, lumber, shutters, columns, doors, trusses, nails, sub flooring, wall sheeting and a garbage disposal.
Marysville police and the North Snohomish County Property Crime Unit believe the suspect would rent a truck and load it with stolen goods taken from construction sites in King and Snohomish counties. They recovered goods being stored at two Marysville-area homes.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
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