Serial Thief Arrested For Yet Another Theft: Police

FOREST GROVE, OR — A serial thief from Cornelius is being held at the Washington County Jail on several theft charges, including his most recent alleged theft involving a package taken from a Forest Grove porch on Nov. 16.

Enrrique Lucio Torres Jr., 35, is currently accused of three separate thefts, criminal mischief, and violating the agreement he made with the court when he was previously released from jail following yet another theft arrest. Torres' criminal history appears to have begun in 2015, when he was first convicted on two theft charges in Washington County. He is being held on $750 bail.

In April 2017, Torres was reportedly recorded on surveillance cameras shoplifting on two separate occasions at Hillsboro retailers, Washington County Sheriff's Detective Mark Povolny told Patch Friday. Torres was arrested April 9 for an April 2 theft; he was released April 11, then implicated in another theft committed April 15 — four days later.

Torres has become so well-known among Washington County law enforcement, Povolny said, that when his face appears on yet another surveillance camera it has been rather easy for detectives to identify him. The trouble has been finding him afterward.

Following his alleged April 15 theft, Torres was able to elude law enforcement until September.

On Sept. 23, a Beaverton police officer pulled over a car Torres was reportedly driving. During the traffic stop, Torres initially lied about his identity, Povolny said. The officer was able to figure out who he was in any event and arrested Torres on a warrant for failure to appear in court on the April 2 theft charge.

While lodged at the county jail following the Sept. 23 warrant arrest, Torres was also charged with the April 15 theft. He was again released from custody on Oct. 10.

On Nov. 16, Forest Grove police took a report of a package theft from the porch of a home in the 1000-block of Goff Road, on the city's westside.

The homeowner/theft victim reportedly captured Torres on her home surveillance camera, which she subsequently provided to police and also posted to social media.

(Editor's Note: Patch has reached out to the homeowner, but she has not yet responded. This post will be updated if/when she replies.)

Officers in Forest Grove were unfamiliar with Torres' history; however, an influx of anonymous tips led to Torres' identification.

Forest Grove police then learned Torres was already in the Washington County Jail because he'd been arrested Nov. 27 after appearing in court and pleading guilty to the April 15 theft charge.

Whilst in custody, law enforcement charged Torres with the additional November theft.

Top image via Forest Grove Police Department