A man has been arrested in Washington state after he allegedly paused stealing items from a home in order to make himself some food and do some laundry
The King County Sheriff’s Office said the man, who has not been named, entered the family home in Covington on June 30 at around 4 a.m.
The man was able to get inside the house after entering through an unsecured ground floor window. Once inside, the man “made himself at home” by making himself some food and doing some laundry, a King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.
It is unclear if the suspect was doing his own laundry, or the family’s.
“Remember that Don Henley song, how does it go? ‘Well I coulda been an actor but I [wound] up here…people love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry,’” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.
“But this story isn’t a top 10 Billboard hit, but real life. On 6/30/2021 a Covington family called 911 when they found this dude doing laundry in their home just after 4:00 a.m.”
The woman who lives at the home was asleep with her husband at the time, deputies said. They were awoken after the suspect opened their bedroom door and startled them. The couple then chased the man out of the house.
The suspect was later located by deputies a short distance away from the home. He was in possession of a number of items which had been taken from the couple, including car keys, headphones and some cash.
The suspect was identified by the homeowner and was booked into King County Jail. He faces charges of residential burglary.
“We applaud the excellent work by Deputies Brookens and Welch to get this man in custody quickly,” the King County Sheriff’s Office added in a statement.
The King County Sheriff’s Office has also reminded people to make sure their homes are secure and not to leave windows unlocked during warm weather as part of their “9 p.m. routine” initiative.
Deputies also advise people to keep all valuable items inside their vehicles out of view, and close and lock garage doors and turn on any outside lights.
“When it’s warm, it’s not uncommon for us to accidentally leave windows open and unlocked, leave the garage door open or forget valuables outside,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
“Nothing good comes through an unlocked window while you sleep. For the safety of your family, get into the swing of the 9pm Routine.”
The King County Sheriff’s Office has been contacted for an update.
