A 27-year-old Bremerton man was arrested July 22 for theft, the possession of drug paraphernalia and the possession of marijuana after stealing from a parking pay meter and saying he is the “original” picker.

Police responded to a report of a man picking at parking pay boxes in the 500 block of Fourth Street in Bremerton at about 9:40 a.m.

After a search of the area, the man was found hiding in a stairwell 50 feet away from the parking pay boxes. He told one of the officers, “You know me, I’m the original meter picker.” When the officer said he did not recognize his face, the man said, “I’m the biggest picker around here.”   The 27-year-old pointed at a nearby meter and said he picked at it but that he had not obtained any money from it.

In the stairwell, a total of $21 in small bills, a flashlight and hanger were discovered. In his backpack, officers discovered a plastic ball containing dried marijuana, a metal smoking pipe with burnt marijuana residue, a straw with white residue, pair of tweezers and a small bag with white residue.

The small bag with white residue and straw appeared to be consistent with methamphetamine use, according to police reports. When asked about the items, the man said they must belong to his girlfriend because he doesn’t use any of it.

The man was arrested and booked into Kitsap County jail for one count of third-degree theft, one count possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of marijuana. The case was submitted to the prosecutors office for the charging or testing of suspected methamphetamine use.