Two suspected burglars in Washington state are on thin ice after their snow tracks led authorities right to their location.
Deputies responding to a burglar alarm at a home in Tacoma, Washington, around 2:40 a.m. local time on Saturday saw two suspects fleeing the scene. The officers checked inside the home before pursuing the suspects, according to the department’s Facebook post.
“How do you find a burglar in the snow?” asked the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department in a Facebook post documenting the arrests. “Pretty easy, just follow the footprints.”
The deputies said they found a door leading into a garage with a broken window. They called for a K-9 officer to assist with containing the area. After the K-9 arrived, the officers were able to follow two sets of footprints in the snow leading away from the garage.
The first set of footprints led to a dumpster. Officers called out to the dumpster but did not hear a response. When they opened the garbage can, they found one suspect hiding under a piece of cardboard and took him into custody without incident, the department said.
The second pair of footprints led from the parking lot to a nearby tree, where officers called on the suspect to climb down. He allegedly descended the tree after a few minutes and was arrested.
“Both suspects were booked into the Pierce County Jail for Burglary in the 2nd Degree and Obstructing a Police Officer,” the department said. “The suspect from the dumpster was also booked for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance.”
