Thief picked wrong grandma

ARLINGTON — It was a crime of opportunity.

The thief watched JoAnne VanLeuven get out of her car and fill her arms with eight hula hoops, five jump ropes, plastic golf clubs and a box of flowerpots her day-care kids will use to make Mother’s Day gifts.

What she did

n’t get was her green purse.

So with her arms occupied and her head turned, the thief grabbed her purse Wednesday.

He didn’t count on the fit grandmother in a cooking apron giving chase.

Or to keep up with him, for that matter.

A co-worker called 911 as VanLeuven took off from behind the day care’s white picket fence.

VanLeuven, who owns Kidzle B. Kids in Arlington, raced after him from the front steps. She hoofed it down a dirt trail that cuts through some woods and followed her quarry into a motel parking lot.

He disappeared around a corner and slipped into one of the upstairs units.

VanLeuven stood her ground and waited.

Arlington police arrived and retrieved her purse from one of the rooms. Based on the information she supplied, they were able to identify a suspect — an Everett man, 21, who recently was released from the Snohomish County Jail. Patrol officers know who they’re after, Arlington city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.

Another man in the same motel room was arrested on a warrant.

VanLeuven’s family said the bad guy picked the wrong mark.

“The moral of the story is: ‘Don’t mess with a grandma in an apron,'” said her husband, Martin VanLeuven.

Her adult children said the thief would have been in a heap of trouble had their mom been armed with a rolling pin. One of her sons is a former state champion in wrestling.

One man walking through the motel parking lot asked VanLeuven if she was a bounty hunter.

Had VanLeuven given it more thought, she might not have run after the man, who is 30 years younger than she. She understands the danger and the risk she took.

Her snap decision to pursue the thief was based on a mix of adrenaline and memories of others’ misfortune, she said.

She knows child-care centers are a popular target of thieves who prey on parents’ preoccupation with their children’s needs.

In the back of her mind on Wednesday afternoon were other hard-working moms whose purses have been stolen in the seconds it takes to drop off a child a few feet from their cars.

VanLeuven has seen it too often over the past 16 years.

“They have cried,” she said. “They have been devastated. They have had their life in their purse. There are a lot of single moms out there doing their very best. That’s what I was thinking about.”

Fate also might have played a role.

VanLeuven, who has four children and two grandchildren, said she tries to run a few miles on a treadmill each day.

On the day of the chase, she had on leather slip-on shoes. That was lucky.

“Usually, I wear heels,” she said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.