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Wedding day theft resolved by off-duty deputies
A Washington state couple’s wedding day was nearly derailed when a thief stole essential items for the ceremony and reception, but off-duty deputies in the wedding party saved the day.
Alex Morris, the groom, said he was already nervous on his wedding day, but the situation worsened when a thief stole Bluetooth speakers, gallons of alcohol, and other drinks intended for the event.
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“I was sweating it out,” Morris said.
Morris and his then-fiancée, Kathryn, had invited 260 guests to their wedding. Despite the theft, Morris was determined to keep the incident a secret from Kathryn.
“Kathryn cannot know what’s going on,” he said.
However, keeping the secret proved challenging when the couple crossed paths before the ceremony.
“And she’s like, ‘Are you OK?’ And I said, ‘Yep.’ She said, ‘What’s going on?’ I said, ‘Nothing.’ And, I gave her a kiss and said, ‘Everything is going to be OK,'” Morris said. “So you started off your marriage with a lie?” he was asked. “Yeah, we did. We did, ultimately,” he admitted.
Security cameras at the venue captured footage of a Jeep driving through the grounds in the hours leading up to the wedding. Adding to their luck, several off-duty deputies were part of the wedding party and recognized the vehicle. They quickly set out to track down the suspect, but time was running out with the ceremony just three hours away.
“I asked him. I said, ‘Hey, man. Do you think you can get those back by 2 p.m.?’ And he looked at me, and he said, ‘We’re gonna try,'” Morris said.
The deputies succeeded in recovering the stolen items, and the wedding proceeded as planned. Kathryn remained unaware of the drama until Morris told her later.
“She was just so thankful everything had panned out the way it did in the end,” Morris said.
The couple exchanged vows while the suspect, a 55-year-old local man, was read his rights. By the time the cake was cut, the case was closed.
As for the “little white lie,” Kathryn has forgiven her new husband.
“It’s a great story that we’re going to be able to tell for years to come,” Morris said.
Authorities confirmed the suspect has been charged with second-degree theft.
