East Bremerton couple arrested on suspicion of Olalla Post Office burglary and others

An investigation linked an East Bremerton husband and wife to a burglary at the Olalla Post Office last month, and the woman was also tied to another break-in at a post office in Jefferson County last month, according to court documents. A stolen SUV, a Panda Express receipt and a distinctive sweatshirt played roles in helping law enforcement to tie the investigation together.

The Kitsap County, Mason County and Jefferson County sheriffs' offices and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were involved with the investigation, which touched each of those jurisdictions, according to court documents.

Paul Eugene Woods, 38, and Tina Louise Woods, 48, were arrested on Wednesday at their home in the Illahee area, and Kitsap County prosecutors filed a total of 11 burglary and stolen property charges against the couple in Kitsap County Superior Court on Thursday. During initial court appearances, the two pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Appleyard referenced what he said were 24 charges that Tina Woods had racked up across three different jurisdictions, in addition to the new charges filed this week. Her bail was set at $25,000 in the new case.

"It's astonishing the extent of her criminal activity recently across multiple jurisdictions," Appleyard said.

Paul Woods has a pending second-degree trafficking in stolen property charge in Kitsap County Superior Court, and Appleyard noted that the man had posted his $2,500 bail to be released from the Kitsap County Jail in August. His bail was set at $10,000 in the new case.

Post office burglary

A break-in at the post office at 6030 SE Burley Olalla Road was reported on Oct. 15, and there investigators found a broken front window, mail and packages that had been opened, a safe that was cut open and another safe that was damaged but not opened, according to court documents. The postmaster said that the building did not have cameras or alarms, a Kitsap County deputy wrote in a report.

Mail hold cards listing addresses whose residents had requested their mail to be stopped were reported missing following the burglary, and four subsequent break-ins were reported at mail hold addresses.

• On Oct. 17, an alarm was reported at a residence, and a glass door at the home was shattered to gain entry.

• On Oct. 20, a burglary was discovered at a residence that occurred between Oct. 16 and Oct. 20. A glass door was shattered to gain entry, and a vehicle, credit cards and jewelry were stolen.

• On Oct. 21, an alarm was reported at a residence, and a person checked the home and found that it was burglarized. A glass door was shattered to gain entry, and a vehicle, a generator and golf equipment were taken.

• On Oct. 22, another burglary was found at a residence. A glass door was shattered to gain entry to the home.

On Oct. 16, the day after the break-in at the post office was noted, a trespass was reported at one of the mail hold addresses. The home's residents had returned and were unpacking when they saw a gray Acura MDX come onto their property. A woman whose description matched Tina Woods got out of the vehicle and was walking around the side of the house until she noticed them, quickly returned to the vehicle and left, a detective wrote. The vehicle's license plate was recorded.

Arrests made after evidence found at Bremerton home

That vehicle was located at the home of Paul and Tina Woods at an address on Sunset Avenue in East Bremerton, just east of Rolling Hills Golf Course, according to court documents. The vehicle was determined to be stolen and to belong to a couple who live in Mason County and was impounded. Investigators searched the vehicle and found mail hold cards, pieces of mail for residences near Olalla, a Target RedCard and a wallet containing three credit cards for a resident of one of the homes that was burglarized and two backpacks that belonged to a resident of another home that was burglarized.

They also found batteries for power tools, a sling shot, two saws, saw blades, window punches and other items. The tools, the detective wrote, were likely used in the burglaries.

Investigators also found a receipt from an Oct. 15 stop at a Tacoma Panda Express location in the vehicle, and security footage from the restaurant showed the Acura SUV, and investigators believed the driver was Paul Woods, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with the words, "Just the tip, I promise," the same sweatshirt that Tina Woods was also seen wearing in recent video surveillance, a detective wrote.

Paul Woods was arrested at the Sunset Avenue address on Wednesday, and Tina Woods was eventually found hiding inside a dresser that had been hollowed out and modified to be a hiding spot, a detective wrote.

A "Just the tip, I promise" sweatshirt, magazines addressed to one of the burglary victims, drugs and stolen license plates were also found at the residence, according to court documents.

Jefferson County investigators linked Tina Woods to multiple burglaries in their jurisdiction, including a burglary at the post office in Brinnon on Oct. 10, according to court documents. Surveillance footage showed a woman wearing a mask and a sweatshirt with the words "Just the tip, I promise" on it, using a wrist rocket slingshot to break the front glass door of the building to gain entry. The associated vehicle appeared to be a gray Acura MDX.

Couple arrested for break-ins more than a decade ago

According to Kitsap Sun archives and court records, the couple was arrested and eventually sentenced to serve time in connection with break-ins under similar circumstances about 15 years ago. The two were arrested in 2008 as part of a burglary ring that was responsible for more than 100 break-ins at Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap homes, mailboxes and vehicles that netted thieves items valued at more than $250,000, the newspaper reported then.

Paul Woods was a contract delivery person for the Kitsap Sun, and investigators found that at the time of his arrest in 2008, he and others were in possession of a delivery route list that showed when newspaper subscribers went on vacation, and that they used the information to break into the homes while residents were away, the Kitsap Sun reported then.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: East Bremerton couple linked to break-in at Olalla Post Office