Painting contractor victimized, then partially restored

This is one of the box trucks Benjamin Larson is accused of breaking into on May 23, 2021.

Courtesy of Tumwater Police Department

Here are some of the items Tumwater police say they found in Benjamin Larson's vehicle on May 23, 2021.

Courtesy of Tumwater Police Department

$Benjamin Larson on his way to Nisqually Corrections, accused of breaking into Ketola\Targus' trucks on May 23, 2021.$

Benjamin Larson on his way to Nisqually Corrections, accused of breaking into Ketola\Targus' trucks on May 23, 2021.

Courtesy of Tumwater Police Department

Benjamin Ryan Larson, May 23, 2021

Courtesy of Nisqually Corrections

$Here are some of the items allegedly taken from Ketola\Targus on May 23, 2021$

Here are some of the items allegedly taken from Ketola\Targus on May 23, 2021

Courtesy of Tumwater Police Department

Posted Tuesday, June 1, 2021 2:10 pm

By Danny Stusser

After a local painting company found several items missing from its box vans, Tumwater Police were able to make an arrest last Sunday.

Benjamin Larson, 35, was arrested after Tumwater officers approached his 2002 Toyota Camry at what they called a “known property” for stolen property. Inside Larson’s vehicle, TPD discovered some of the $2,160 worth of items that came from the Ketola/Targus Painting company after the company’s owner discovered several of the locks of their box vans severed on May 23.

A search of Larson also came up with three “jiggler keys” which are commonly used to defeat locks on vehicles. Under state law, RCW 9A.56.063 makes jiggler keys illegal to possess.

Larson at first denied cutting the van's locks, stating that he had access to the box vans through unsecured doors. He claimed that the locks must have been cut by someone else before his arrival. Larson did tell officers that he had intended to sell the stolen property from the painting company. Larson's recorded statement is available below this story.

After the police recovered some of the missing items, Ketola/Targus Painting estimated that $300 or more in stolen items were still outstanding.

Larson was booked into the Thurston County Jail for Theft, vehicle prowling and possessing motor vehicle theft tools, along with an outstanding TSCO narcotics warrant.