Spokane Valley Investigative Unit (SVIU) Detectives arrested a habitual thief who specialized in stealing tools from a variety of area retailers and selling them at local pawn shops.
In early May, 2016, Detective Jerad Kiehn noticed a variety of retail thefts in the Spokane Valley and Spokane City that involved the same basic method and suspect description. An adult male driving a blue minivan was observed walking into Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart and Sears where he would select high end power tools. The suspect would walk around the checkout stands and flee the area before Deputies could be called. Detectives conducted a lengthy follow up investigation and identified the suspect as 37-year-old Phong Quang Do. Video from the retailers combined with physical surveillance confirmed that Do was actively stealing items and pawning them at local pawn shops. On occasion, Do would return to the same store multiple times on the same day.
On June 3, 2016, Detectives from SVIU conducted surveillance of Do in an effort to arrest him for a variety of property related felonies. Before he could be arrested, Detectives witnessed Do leaving the Sears store at Northtown Mall where he had just stolen a $250 trimmer. Sears employees confirmed he had just taken the item and fled the store without paying. Do drove six blocks away to the Gold Bay Pawn where he sold the item for $60 cash. The trimmer was still sealed in its original packaging when Detectives recovered it from Gold Bay later in the day.
Spokane City Police Officers assisted SVIU Detectives by conducting a traffic stop of Do and his blue minivan on East Sprague Avenue a few minutes after he left Gold Bay Pawn. Detectives arrested Do and booked him for multiple counts to include Theft 2nd Degree, Retail Theft with Special Circumstances, Trafficking in Stolen Property 1st Degree and an unrelated Theft warrant.
Detectives continue to follow up additional leads of other property that had been stolen and then pawned by Do.
Do has at least 9 prior felony and 5 misdemeanor convictions including Felony Drugs, Riot with a Deadly Weapon, Domestic Violence Order Violation and Felony Theft charges. Given his criminal history and continuing criminal behavior, Detectives will request a substantial bail to be set to help keep Do from being released and continuing to preying on our community.