Woodinville wine vandal arrested; accused of spilling $600K worth of wine, was former employee
WOODINVILE, Wash. - A suspect who broke into a Woodinville winery and destroyed about $600,000 worth of vintage white wine in November has been arrested.
The King County Sheriff's Office said they arrested a Seattle man in his 60s on Wednesday morning. Investigators said he was also a former employee at the winery – Sparkman Cellars.
>> RELATED: 'A tough blow': Vandal in cowboy hat spills $600,000 worth of of vintage wine at Woodinville winery
On Nov. 22, surveillance cameras caught a cowboy-hat wearing vandal going inside Sparkman Cellars. Sergeant Eric White of the King County Sheriff's Office said the suspect entered through an employee entrance and knew the key code to access the winery.
Investigators said the suspect released nearly 5,000 gallons of Sauvignon Blanc on the floor just weeks before the wine was scheduled to be bottled. It equaled to about 24,000 bottles of wine and $600,000 in value.
Months after the incident, Woodinville and Shoreline detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect and arrested him at his home. The suspect was processed at King County Jail and released.
He faces charges of second-degree burglary.
"Woodinville is wine country; I’m glad that Woodinville PD was able to help Sparkman Cellars after this incredible loss. Our investigators took this seriously and turned over every bit of evidence possible in order to identify and apprehend this person." said Woodinville Police Department Chief Myers.