Classic Bel Air found safe in SeaTac; Tukwila man arrested
By DEAN RADFORD
Tukwila Reporter Editor
November 1, 2012 · 1:21 PM
A classic turquoise 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible stolen Sept. 23 from an auto shop in Burien has been recovered and a 33-year-old Tukwila man is in custody.
Detectives found the car at a house in SeaTac, where they served a search warrant. The car appeared to be in good condition, according to Sgt. Cindi West, a spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff's Office, which provides police services to Burien.
The Tukwila suspect was arrested and booked into the King County Jail.
Detectives got their break on Monday when they received information the suspect was trying to trade the stolen car for another classic car listed for sale on the internet in Colorado, according to West.
The suspect texted the man in Colorado, who had a classic Impala listed for sale, asking if he was interested in a trade. The Colorado man received a text picture of the stolen Bel Air and became suspicious because of the car's value, according to West.
The man searched the internet in Seattle for information and found a news article about the stolen car. He called the Burien City Garage from where the car was stolen.
The shop owner passed on the information to detectives. By Wednesday, they had enough information to obtain a search warrant to search a garage in the 17300 block of 33 Avenue South in SeaTac.
Contact Tukwila Reporter Editor Dean Radford at dradford@tukwilareporter.com or 425-255-3484 ext. 5050.Comment on this story.
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