Officer finds hole in man’s doughnut story

An Oak Harbor man who stole a pink box of doughnuts from Safeway is wanted on a $5,000 warrant.

If caught and convicted of the charges against him, 28-year-old Jeffrey Hurt could end up spending more than three years in prison for the pastry heist. And he didn’t even get to eat them.

Prosecutors charged Hurt in Island County Superior Court Dec. 1 with burglary in the second degree and theft in the third degree.

Hurt is accused of burglary because he entered Safeway and stole $7.59 worth of doughnuts when he had previously received a trespass warning document banning him from the store, court documents state.

Hurt did not appear for a court hearing Dec. 16. Judge Alan Hancock authorized the bench warrant for his arrest.

Oak Harbor Police Officer Patrick Horn responded to the shoplifting report at Safeway Aug. 11. A store employee reported that a man, later identified as Hurt, took a pink box of doughnuts and left without paying, Horn wrote.

The woman said she called for him to stop, but he mumbled something and ran toward the Plaza Cinema.

Horn spotted the pink box and found Hurt hiding nearby. Hurt told the officer that he tried to pay for the doughnuts, but got confused and could not find his money, the report states. Hurt said he ran away because the employee started chasing him.

According to the report, the officer secured Hurt and the doughnuts in his car. Horn photographed the 11 doughnuts in the box and returned them to Safeway.

There was no word as to what happened to the doughnut missing from the box of 12.

Horn confirmed that Hurt had received a trespassing warning on Nov. 20, 2007 that barred him from entering the store.

If convicted of the charges, Hurt is facing a standard sentencing range of up to three years and seven months in prison. Hurt’s criminal history increases his potential sentence substantially.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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