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Man accused of shooting catalytic converter thief, dragging body behind truck in Lakewood
king5.com (Lakewood, Washington) ^ | 8-15-21 | King5 staff

Posted on 08/15/2021 12:51:50 PM PDT by doug from upland

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — A 54-year-old man is accused of shooting and killing another man who was attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his truck, and then dragging the man's body behind the truck and dumping it into a field in Lakewood.

The victim was identified by the medical examiner as Brent Peltomaa, 40.

According to court documents, Michael Scott Campbell told police he was sleeping in his Ford F-150 around 3:45 a.m. Saturday when he was woken up by someone attempting to saw the catalytic converter off his truck.

Campbell told police he saw two legs sticking out from under the truck when he opened the passenger door and fired “straight down” at the suspected thief. Campbell said he then fired two more shots at the man, according to court documents.

The man attempted to get into his vehicle but collapsed, court documents say. Campbell told police he then tied the man to the ball hitch of the F-150. Campbell said he dragged the man into a nearby field and left him.

Campbell told police the suspected thief was still alive and talking when he was tied up and dragged to the field before being abandoned, according to court documents.

According to court documents, a truck driver was sleeping in their vehicle in the parking lot where the incident took place and was woken up by a loud noise. The witness told police he saw two men in the parking lot in front of his truck and recognized one of the men as Campbell.

Shortly after, documents say, the witness saw Campbell get into his truck and began dragging an object behind the truck through the parking lot to the field nearby.

The witness told police Campbell was in the field for about a minute before he drove back to the parking lot. The witness called 911 and “narrated the events to the 911 dispatcher because of the suspicious nature,” according to court documents.

After Campbell returned to the parking lot, the witness said he saw Campbell get into Peltomaa’s vehicle, drive away, and return a few minutes later on foot. Campbell was then seen picking up items on the ground around the area and drove off in the F-150.

When officers arrived, they found a “significant” amount of blood in the gravel parking lot, along with tire marks and a “distinctive drag mark.” Authorities were able to follow the drag mark directly to Peltomaa’s body, according to court documents.

The witness told police the blood was in the same location where they had seen Campbell and Peltomaa’s vehicles parked earlier.

Responding officers were able to locate Peltomaa’s vehicle from the witness description and discovered blood on the inside and outside.

While officers were interviewing the witness, a white Ford F-150 drove past the location and was pointed out by the witness.

Officers pulled the F-150 over near 100th Street and South Tacoma Way. The witness was taken to the traffic stop and identified the vehicle and driver as the ones involved in the incident in the initial 911 call, court documents say.

The driver and registered owner of the F-150 were identified as Campbell.

Campbell’s vehicle was impounded and searched. According to court documents, there was “obvious amounts of dirt on the tires and rims” along long, yellowish grass that was similar to the type of grass in the field where Peltomaa’s body was found.

Investigators also discovered a Browning Highpoint 9mm pistol in the F-150 and green rope that visually matched rope found at the crime scene.

Campbell is accused of second-degree murder and kidnapping. He also has previous felony convictions and is prohibited from owning firearms. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 28.

"The reason they’re going after the catalytic converter is to recycle the precious metals that’re inside," said Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. "That process is not one that anyone can do, you have to take it to a recycling center that will extract the metal from those converters."

Those metals have made converters a prime target for theft.

Numbers from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department show that more converters have been stolen in the past six months than the past two years combined.

Police say tracking down the converters can be challenge, given how fast they can be taken and where they end up.

"We posted a video on Facebook, and it only took 30 seconds from the time they got out of their car to get back in their car and cut the converter off the vehicle," Ross said. "The issue now is where are all those converters going, who is the person collecting them, which recycling center is doing all of this for these people."


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: 2ndamendment; banglist; brentpeltomaa; catalyticconverter; donutwatch; hungjury; lakewood; michaelscampbell; piercecounty; scumbagdead; washington
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1 posted on 08/15/2021 12:51:50 PM PDT by doug from upland
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To: doug from upland

Musta forgot he wasn’t in Texas.


2 posted on 08/15/2021 12:54:09 PM PDT by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: doug from upland

That’s a shame....

...that he didn’t get away with it.


3 posted on 08/15/2021 12:55:00 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy." ― Mao Zedong)
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To: doug from upland

Pretty stupid … I guess he was angry …


4 posted on 08/15/2021 12:56:30 PM PDT by 11th_VA (America’s Back (leaving in helicopters))
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To: doug from upland

Sooooo, what’s the problem here?


5 posted on 08/15/2021 12:58:40 PM PDT by Mathews (It's all gravy, baby!)
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To: doug from upland

Now waiting for the stories about what a great guy Peltomaa was and how he was just getting his life back together. He was likely planning to go back to school to become a nuclear physicist, no doubt.


6 posted on 08/15/2021 12:59:11 PM PDT by tballard56
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To: doug from upland

Wonder what they’d say if he “didn’t see” the thief and just drove away?


7 posted on 08/15/2021 12:59:35 PM PDT by cyclotic (Live your life in such a way that they hate you as much as they hated Rush Limbaugh)
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To: doug from upland

Sleeping in the truck, he had sufficient reason to believe that he was being attacked, and had the right to defend himself, fearing that his life was in danger in his temporary home. Should have protected his life that was in imminent danger, and stopped there.

But he did a few things that will certainly land him in the slammer.


8 posted on 08/15/2021 1:01:30 PM PDT by I want the USA back (We have more to fear from our government than from the bug that the chicoms made for us. )
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To: doug from upland

Shoulda just driven off with the wanna be thief under his truck...oops.


9 posted on 08/15/2021 1:01:39 PM PDT by LizzieD
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To: doug from upland

It’s never good when felons butt heads.


10 posted on 08/15/2021 1:01:59 PM PDT by SaxxonWoods ( comment might be sarcasm, or not. It depends. Often I'm not sure either.)
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To: doug from upland

The truck owner violated one of the prime rules. SSS. Never call the authorities; they are your enemy.


11 posted on 08/15/2021 1:02:24 PM PDT by Truth29
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Looks like a great example of Social Justice that the “SJ warriors” are always talkin’ ‘bout.


12 posted on 08/15/2021 1:02:33 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Critical Marx Theory is The SOLUTION....)
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To: doug from upland

If I am on that jury, no matter what evidence they have, I am going to vote not guilty.


13 posted on 08/15/2021 1:04:22 PM PDT by DesertRhino (A coup government may not claim the protection of the same constitution it overthrew. )
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To: doug from upland

No telling how many catalytic converters have now been saved.


14 posted on 08/15/2021 1:05:21 PM PDT by NWFree (Somebody has to say it)
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To: doug from upland

As John Wayne said, sometimes a man has to let the badger loose.


15 posted on 08/15/2021 1:05:28 PM PDT by DesertRhino (A coup government may not claim the protection of the same constitution it overthrew. )
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To: doug from upland

I thought these catalytic converter thieves went after Hondas and Toyotas. What was the thief thinking, going after an F-150? Those owners will kill to defend their trucks.


16 posted on 08/15/2021 1:06:28 PM PDT by roadcat
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To: doug from upland

17 posted on 08/15/2021 1:07:06 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy." ― Mao Zedong)
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To: Truth29

The truck owner violated one of the prime rules...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Comparable to the rule that it’s always better to read the article closely before posting?


18 posted on 08/15/2021 1:07:52 PM PDT by bramps (It's the Islam, stupid!)
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To: doug from upland
Man Accused of Shooting Catalytic Converter Thief
Works for me.
19 posted on 08/15/2021 1:08:50 PM PDT by attiladhun2
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To: roadcat

Especially if the CC is the one bit without rust.


20 posted on 08/15/2021 1:09:36 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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