West Seattle man accused of stealing totem pole
TONYA MOSLEY / KING 5 News
SEATTLE – The tire tracks are what first caught Duane Ruud and Ken Wise’s attention. Once they looked up, they realized the real damage.
“It certainly means a lot to people that are real West Seattelites,” said Wise.
An 18-foot totem pole worth more than $100,000 had vanished. It had been donated to the city by the West Seattle Rotary Club in 1976.
“The average person cannot just pick up that pole,” said Ruud as he pointed to the steel beam that once held up the pole.
For the last week, devoted Rotary Club members have been asking themselves who would do such a thing, and would they ever get the symbol of their club back?
“I can’t understand it one bit!” said Wise. ”Why would somebody want it, what they’re going to sell it, if somebody wants to deal in hot merchandise!”
The two began to do a little detective work, and reported to police the name of the suspect and the company hired to remove the pole.
“I’m very disappointed that someone would think of such a foolish thing,” he said.
Witnesses report seeing a crane company, hired by the suspect, using special tools to pull it apart. As the crane truck pulled away, it got stuck in the mud and called a towing company to help pull the truck out. This caused a bit of a spectacle, so police directed traffic while the crane was pulled out. Seattle Police Department spokesperson Mark Jamison said at the time authorities had no idea this was an illegal removal.
“All the paperwork was in order and it appeared to be a legitimate business transaction,” he said.
Authorities have since arrested the 69-year-old suspect from West Seattle who they say led them to the pole in Keizer, Oregon.
Another pole was also discovered, but authorities have no idea where that one came from.
The pole will soon be transported back to Seattle. Felony theft charges are expected to be filed against the suspect.
