Pair pretending to be cops steal marijuana, money

An armed man and woman dressed as police officers with a fake search warrant handcuffed two people in front of two young children at a home in Longview, Wash., and stole marijuana, car titles and money, according to court documents.

Police responded to the 2900 block of Ocean Beech Highway in the early morning hours of June 7.

A probable cause affidavit states that Scott Lavelle, 23 and Nikkea Marin, 26, went to the door and presented themselves as police officers, wearing dark clothing similar to a police uniform, complete with badge, duty belt, handguns and radios.

Police said they got away with a half-pound of marijuana, a small lock box with vehicle titles and $200.

The pre-printed warrant presented by the suspects had the name and signature of a judge, according to a probable cause affidavit, but the judge told detectives he had not signed it.

On June 12, detectives spotted the pair leaving a home in a white Toyota 4Runner. Court documents state they attempted a high-risk traffic stop, but Lavelle, who was driving, swerved into oncoming traffic at high speeds, drove over a curb and sidewalk and used the parking strip to pass other vehicles and get away.

Twenty minutes later, the SUV was found abandoned and the suspects were gone. A search warrant was obtained and investigators found three vehicle titles with the victim’s name, a lock bock that matched the one stolen in the robbery, a holster, a 9mm bullet, a military style ballistic vest, hypodermic needles and a tin containing dark residue and cotton balls that tested positive for heroin, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Marin was later arrested and made her first court appearance on Monday.

Lavelle was arrested June 25 after a pair of police chases, two crashes and a carjacking, according to officers. His bail was set at $500,000.