Video shows prolific car thief nearly assaulting Washington State Patrol detective
Tacoma, wash. – Tacoma surveillance video shows the lengths 35-year-old Samantha Eather was willing to go to avoid arrest.
When detectives from the Puget Sound Auto-Theft Special Forces approached her car in Tacoma, she drove into a 7-Eleven, a Red Box movie rental machine, and a trash can before heading back to someone’s car and turning back. Ignoring the officers’ orders to stop, she steps forward and nearly runs into the WSP detectives.
Eather was wanted for multiple crimes, including house robbery and truck theft, after breaking into a man’s home in Tacoma while he was sleeping. It was discovered that
Eazor was eventually arrested in Puyallup after someone found her in Safeway. She disguised herself by dyeing her hair pink and wearing a wig. Her wig fell off when she tried to run away.
While on the run, Eazor also stole a U-Haul pickup truck and fled police. The jury found him guilty of Eazor in Assault 2. It should have been first degree assault, but one of his 12 jurors disagreed on the charges. She also pleaded guilty to multiple charges of theft, identity theft, and forgery.
On October 14, she was sentenced to seven years in prison. This is a mess caused by just one of many car thieves, and it shows the combined efforts now needed to hold the perpetrators to account.
According to the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, more than 31,000 vehicles were reported stolen through September of this year, and 33,499 for the entirety of 2021. At this rate, the total number of thefts could exceed 40,000 by the end of the year.
As it gets colder, be careful not to start the engine to warm up the car and then leave it running until you’re back inside. Stay in a moving vehicle.
A surprising number of cars have been stolen that way. Always lock your doors and roll up your windows. Do not leave valuables in your car and park in a well-lit area. Ford F-series trucks are particularly vulnerable to theft, so be sure to install a hidden kill switch (GPS tracking device). Lock the handle or remove the battery.
