Man arrested for allegedly breaking into Boise women’s homes, stealing underwear
An Oregon man was arrested after Boise police officers investigated him over allegations he was breaking into young women’s homes.
Jacob Smart, of Astoria, Oregon, was arrested an hour outside of Portland on several outstanding warrants, including one in Idaho for four counts of burglary, three counts of grand theft and one count of trespassing, according to a Boise Police Department news release.
The 38-year-old man is a suspect in several crimes in Washington and Oregon and was identified as a person of interest in a recent home invasion in Cowlitz County, Washington, which is about an hour north of Portland.
The Boise Police Department previously said Smart burglarized five Boise women’s homes. Police alleged Smart stole a firearm, debit and credit cards, personal identification and underwear, according to prior reporting.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that at around 12:15 a.m. Monday a neighboring police department received a 911 call of a “prowler” near a mechanic shop, but police weren’t able to find the suspect. Police said they were able to identify the suspect as Smart after watching surveillance footage that showed him driving his Suzuki Sidekick.
Less than 30 minutes later, another officer from a police department 10 minutes north located Smart’s vehicle behind a truck stop, the release said. Police said Smart fled from his vehicle. After that, the Sheriff’s Office said they set up a containment area with the help of other local agencies and, during that search, received an “accidental” call from Smart’s phone number.
GPS data from the phone call showed the Smart was back near the truck stop. Police continued to search the area, and the Sheriff’s Office posted about Smart on its Facebook page but wasn’t able to immediately find him., the release said.
Around 6:30 a.m., a citizen reported seeing Smart running across Interstate 5, and authorities spotted him going into Temco’s property, which is a grain terminal on Kalama, Washington’s port, according to the post. Smart then fled to a nearby plant, which prompted officers to evacuate the building’s employees, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.
The post said several law enforcement agencies responded to the plant and attempted to arrest Smart. He refused to leave the building and threatened officers and civilians, police said. Smart said he was armed and “would not be taken alive,” the post said.
After deploying chemical agencies, a K-9 team was able to arrest Smart, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was treated for minor injuries and booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on outstanding warrants, the release said. Police said they are investigating Smart for several other crimes and plan to file additional charges. It’s unclear when he’ll be extradited to Idaho.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office at 360-577-3092.
