A quiet early Monday at Tacoma police headquarters reportedly turned strange when a 45-year-old man yanked the letter O from the department's front sign and stuffed large chunks of concrete into the main entry gate, apparently trying to make it snap when opened. Officers found a piece of the missing letter in the man's hoodie pocket and arrested him on the Tacoma Police Department campus. He was booked on trespassing and malicious mischief charges and is scheduled to appear in Pierce County Superior Court on July 27.
What police say
As reported by The News Tribune, officers were called around 2 a.m. to the Tacoma Police Department campus at 3701 S. Pine St. after someone was seen jamming concrete into the gate. According to the arrest affidavit, when an officer told the man he was not free to leave, he replied, "I can't put rocks in dirt?" Officers later recovered a black-coated metal piece in his hoodie pocket that matched the missing O from the "POLICE" sign. Several other letters on the sign reportedly had fresh scratches, according to the documents.
Charges and court date
As The News Tribune notes, the man faces one count of criminal trespassing and malicious mischief in the second and third degree and was booked into Pierce County Jail. The second-degree malicious mischief count, which is tied to the concrete placed in the gate, is a felony under state law, per RCW 9A.48.080. His trial is scheduled for July 27 at the Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma.
Legal implications
In their report, officers wrote that damaging the main entry gate could have slowed or blocked responses to 911 calls from Tacoma residents, which is why investigators treated the case as more than a minor vandalism incident. Under Washington law, a class C felony such as malicious mischief in the second degree can carry a maximum prison term of five years and a fine of up to $10,000, according to RCW 9A.20.021.
The case remains open, and the suspect is due back in court on July 27.
