Stolen vehicle encounter leads to couple’s arrest

Tumwater police apprehended a husband and wife after finding a vehicle’s plates flagged as possibly stolen at a local retailer’s parking lot.

In the early hours of September 20, a Tumwater patrol officer was conducting routine patrol duties when he noticed a vehicle parked in the northeast corner of the Fred Meyer store parking lot at 555 Trosper Road SW.

The 1997 Dodge Dakota was spray-painted black and covered with a truck canopy.

The officer, suspicious of the vehicle, called dispatch to run a records check on the plate number.

Upon receiving confirmation from dispatch that the vehicle was reported by Mason County Sheriff’s Office as stolen, a high-risk stop was initiated with the assistance of additional officers who arrived at the scene and approached the vehicle with caution.

The occupants of the vehicle, identified as Matthew Pacifico and Mallory Torimino, were arrested.

The Dodge Dakota had signs of tampering, including the spray-painted black paint as the vehicle was originally red and the steering column and ignition having been destroyed with vice grips attached to the ignition. The vehicle's VIN matched the number provided by dispatch.

Clothing from both suspects, camping gear and a makeshift bed were found inside the vehicle.

Belongings of both suspects including a makeshift bed, were found inside the stolen vehicle

Torimino claimed to authorities that she saw Pacifico spray paint the truck a few weeks before and that they had been living in the vehicle for several weeks.

The female suspect denied knowing that the truck was stolen, adding that Pacifico told her he had tampered with the ignition because he lost the vehicle keys.

During the initial interview with Pacifico, the male suspect claimed that he had traded his old Mercedes for the truck owned by an old friend, Derek Barnes back in August and that he had lost the keys recently, and that was why he had to damage the ignition and steering wheel column to start the vehicle.”

However, Pacifico was unable to provide proof of a legitimate purchase or trade. Asked why, Pacifico told police, "Because I still owe him" and “we fell out of touch.” He was not able to provide proof of his purchasing the vehicle.

When a search revealed a lock-defeating tool in Pacifico’s left pocket, he initially answered, "I never said I was honest," and then said it was a "hobby."

A reporting officer said, “I believe the tool could be possibly used to operate the stolen Dodge`s damaged ignition.” The officer logged the tool into evidence.

A screenshot of the victim’s messages and calls that remained unanswered by the suspect.

The owner of the stolen vehicle, Derek Barnes, stated that he and Pacifico used to be friends, but that one night, the Dodge had gone missing after he left the keys in it. He had reached out to Pacifico numerous times on Facebook Messenger regarding the return of his vehicle, but after weeks of no response, he decided to report it stolen.

The victim showed authorities screenshots of his messages to Pacifico, demanding that his vehicle be returned, but the suspect did not respond to both his messages and phone calls.

Authorities found probable cause to arrest the two suspects for possessing a stolen vehicle.