Tuesday afternoon at 3:42, officers responded to a call from the Monroe Fred Meyer reporting that a male subject had left the store with a backpack full of stolen items. As the officers arrived on scene they observed the male running westbound on a hill behind the store.
Nuke, a tracking dog with the police force, was deployed to assist with finding the subject. Nuke followed the track towards the Evergreen State Fairgrounds and "alertedGÇ¥ to a backpack that had apparently been thrown on the way. K-9 Nuke then continued across an RV parking lot into the fairgrounds.
Witnesses along the way confirmed that suspects were still running westbound ahead of the tracking dog. A Snohomish County Deputy saw the suspect with a female by the main restrooms in the fairgrounds. Officers caught up to the suspect and placed him and the female in custody.
An officer then brought the store employee to the fairgrounds where he was able to positively ID the suspect. The store employee further explained that he attempted to contact the suspect but backed away when he saw the male reach for a long knife that was on his belt. The suspect then dropped the stolen backpack and ran. A female who was waiting in the parking lot ran with the suspect.
Nuke also alerted on a metal case that had been placed in the tire well of a pickup near the restrooms where the couple had been taken into custody. The case contained drug paraphernalia and a syringe with heroin. The female was released. Matthew Van Erp, 28, of Monroe, was arrested and taken to the Snohomish County Jail for booking on robbery charges and two outstanding misdemeanor warrants.
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