EVERETT — At 79, the traveling gem dealer still works his territory.
His beat brought the Oregon man to Everett in January.
And it was at a motel off 112th Street SE where he lost his life savings.
His fortune, he told police, was invested in a small box containing diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Their estimated value is $100,000 and they were not insured, according to court papers.
A homeless man accused of stealing the gems is now locked up in the Snohomish County Jail. His bail was set at $25,000 on Thursday.
“At this point in time, we are still working this case to recover more,” Everett police officer Aaron Snell said. “A lot of time and effort has gone into the investigation.”
So far, one ruby has been recovered.
Everett detectives arrested Michael M. Fuller, 26, for investigation of burglary, theft and stealing a car. He already was in the jail on burglary and theft allegations out of Lynnwood where he is accused of breaking into lockers at the city’s recreation center in January.
The Extended Stay America hotel break-in occurred on the morning of Jan. 17. The gem dealer placed the jewels in his rental car and returned to his room to get the rest of his belongings.
While getting ready to go, he left his room to get coffee.
Detectives allege that’s when Fuller broke into the man’s room, perhaps using a master key he’d obtained to the hotel complex. It’s also possible the victim had left the door open.
Police reviewed video footage from that morning. It showed a man walking into the hotel shortly before 8:15 a.m. Twenty minutes later, he is seen in the parking lot, pressing an unlock button on a automatic key fob while apparently looking for the car. Minutes later, he is then seen driving off in the rental car.
Photos taken from the surveillance video were circulated in a police bulletin. Patrol officers identified Fuller as the man in the photographs.
Fuller is the suspect in another break-in at the hotel and allegedly had two emergency master key cards that could open any room, court papers said. He was arrested in that case Jan. 19.
When Fuller was questioned, police recovered the missing master keys as well as 21 other keys on several rings. They also noticed an oval-shaped black and silver lock box sticking out from his jacket. Inside was a case. After obtaining a search warrant, police found a ruby in the case. It matched the gem dealer’s description of the missing jewel.
In a bail hearing Thursday, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Cheryl Johnson argued that Fuller posed a flight risk in part because he could try to sell the gems and leave the area.
Police also haven’t been able to find the stolen rental car, Snell said. It is described as a white 2015 Hyundai Sonata with California license plate 7GSH480.
Fuller is a convicted felony whose sticky fingers have landed him in trouble in the past. His last conviction arose from a burglary at his parents’ house in 2012. He stole jewelry from their bedroom to buy drugs.
Fuller persuaded a friend to pawn the bracelets because he was on “black list,” meaning pawn shop owners didn’t trust him and he was suspected of dealing in stolen property.
Fuller was admitted into drug court, but flunked out for breaking the rules, including skipping out on court-ordered drug testing. He was convicted of trafficking in stolen property and sentenced to nine months in jail.
That wasn’t the first time Fuller stole from his parents, court papers said. He was convicted of stealing their car and pawning the stereo in 2009. He told police he arranged to trade the stereo for prescription pain pills.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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