EVERETT — A smooth salesman was going door-to-door in Bothell and Everett. His pitches and his product varied, but one thing was constant: It was all a scam.
Police say that Joshua Evan Smith, 25, targeted the elderly and others. He was so successful at tricking people that law enforcement sent out a bulletin seeking his capture. He was arrested Saturday.
On Wednesday, he was in the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of criminal impersonation, forgery and financial exploitation involving vulnerable adults. He also had warrants for his arrest for theft and burglary. His last known address was in Yakima County, records show.
The Everett Police Department started investigating Smith in mid-June after he knocked on the door of a Silver Lake-area couple, claiming he was selling books that would be sent to military members overseas. The husband, a 96-year-old World War II veteran, was “sympathetic to the cause” and gave Smith $85 for the books, detectives wrote.
Smith returned to the couple’s home the following day. Again, they invited him inside. He was crying and said his mother had suffered serious injuries in a car crash. He asked for money to get his mother’s car out of impound. He promised to pay the couple back with interest or to help paint their garage later in return for the money. They wrote him a check for $320.
Afterward, the couple talked to a neighbor, who called police. Detectives tracked down bank surveillance video that showed Smith cashing the check less than two hours after he left the couple’s home. He used his real driver’s license at the bank.
By claiming he was helping the military, “Smith used deception to gain the trust of and exploit a vulnerable adult,” according to the police report.
Bothell detectives started looking for Smith two months later. He told one victim in that city that he played for a local soccer team that was selling magazines as a fundraiser for a competition in Germany. They were told some of the magazines would be sent to the troops overseas.
One victim, who gave Smith $58, described him as “smooth.” Smith issued the man a receipt signed “Joshua Evans,” a variation of his real name.
“His sales pitch was full of so many details, including a points system for the sales, that he seemed very believable,” Bothell detectives wrote in their report.
That man became suspicious in short order and went outside to look for Smith, finding him at a neighbor’s house along 213th Street SE. A third neighbor — who had just paid Smith $20 for a supposed raffle for Seahawks season tickets — also joined the confrontation. Someone began to call 911 and Smith ran away, leaving about $70 behind. The victims in the Bothell cases ranged from 30 to 66 years old, Sgt. Cedric Collins said.
Bothell police issued an arrest bulletin on Thursday.
On Saturday, an Edmonds police sergeant recognized Smith in town and arrested him. Anyone in Edmonds who gave Smith money should file a police report, department spokesman Sgt. Shane Hawley said Tuesday.
People should never allow door-to-door solicitors to enter their homes, according to the Bothell Police Department. Many cities in Snohomish County require solicitors to obtain licenses, and people should ask to see those documents. Mukilteo police also send out notices to their block watch groups to let them know who has obtained the licenses. Call 911 if you have suspicions about a solicitor at your door.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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