Stolen lottery tickets help catch a suspected Kennewick store burglar
A burglar busted through a wall to grab lottery tickets and other items from a Kennewick convenience store.
The crook busted through an outside bathroom door at the Metro Mart gas station on the 500 block of South Ely Street early Thursday, Officer Roman Trujillo said.
He then used hand tools to carve a round hole in the foot-thick concrete that made up most of the wall into the store.
After climbing through the hole, the thief grabbed several items including lottery tickets.
Kennewick police got help from the Washington State Lottery and managed to track down the stolen tickets.
After he turned some of the tickets over at a store on Clearwater Avenue, police were able to get video footage that matched the footage from the break-in. They finally caught up with him as he was cashing tickets at the Safeway on Kennewick Avenue.
His winnings totaled in the hundreds, and he didn’t get to keep any of it, Trujillo said.
Steven Anthony Brewer, 36, Kennewick, was booked into Benton County jail on suspicion of second-degree burglary and possession of stolen property.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 11:08 AM.