An Oak Harbor man with a long criminal history is accused of stealing a purple minivan with a dog inside, an electric bike, a pair of shoes and a battery pack, according to court records.
Prosecutors charged 35-year-old Louis S. Scarpino in Island County Superior Court Aug. 1 with theft of a motor vehicle, theft in the second degree, two counts of theft in the third degree and malicious mischief.
Scarpino appeared in court the same day and the judge set his bail at $30,000.
A report by an Oak Harbor police officer states that a resident reported his lavender-colored Plymouth Voyager was stolen from the parking lot at The Mill restaurant on July 21. The man said he left his big dog inside the vehicle and thought nobody would mess with it. But after lunch he found that both his minivan and pooch were gone.
The police reviewed video that appeared to show Scarpino getting into the minivan and driving off, the report states. Officers found the car the next day parked in the grass at an abandoned house that Scarpino was known to live in, the officer wrote. The dog was found at a local groomer.
On July 26, an Oak Harbor resident reported that someone stole his $2,500 e-bike from his home. The next day, another resident reported that a man on an e-bike went onto his porch and stole a package that contained a pair of shoes, the police report states.
On July 28, an officer investigated the theft of a battery pack from a “trolly cleaning cart” at the U-Haul facility on the north end of the city. A video appeared to show Scarpino arrive on the e-bike, steal the battery and ride off, the report states.
Later that day, an officer found the stolen e-bike outside of an SUV parked at the Hoffman Road homeless encampment. Scarpino was found inside of the SUV and arrested; he admitted to stealing the bike and painting it black to hide it, the officer wrote.
Scarpino’s criminal history includes intimidating a judge, theft of a car, four burglaries, vehicle prowls, at least six counts of theft and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
