A 38-year-old North Bend man is being investigated for theft and fraud after being stopped by Sammamish Police recently.

Police observed the man exceeding the speed limit in the 26600 block of Southeast Duthie Hill Road.

When the officer stopped the driver “I noticed that his hands were firmly gripping the steering wheel and he was obviously shaking. (He) was sweating, even though it was only 40 degrees outside.”

The driver admitted that he didn’t have a valid driver’s license – a police check revealed his license had been suspended for unpaid fines.

However as the office waited for a tow truck to remove the vehicle, he noticed a blanket placed over a pile of items in the hatchback area.

Under the blanket the officer found a bag containing a number of items, including DVDs, cosmetics, boxes of teeth whitening strips, and batteries.

“From my past 14 years of law enforcement training and expertise, I recognized that the items inside the tote may be stolen and used in a return scheme,” the officer stated in his report.

Sammamish Police Detective Bill Albright told the officer “that he was familiar with (his) criminal history, and explained that his MO was to obtain discarded receipts and use them to return stolen property for a refund.”

The case is being investigated.