CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: ‘Prolific shoplifter’ gets prison time, restitution order

| Crime | West Seattle news

(Photos of Takata from court docs that noted he frequently altered his appearance)

As mentioned here, we’ve been going through court records to see what happened to some of the cases in which we reported that charges were filed last year. We’ll report on results in the days to come. First followup is from charges that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed last February against then-28-year-old Christopher K. Takata, described as a “prolific shoplifter.” He was charged with multiple counts of organized retail theft and commercial burglary, accused of stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise from stores around Seattle, including the Westwood Village Ulta Beauty. Court files show that he pleaded guilty to 10 felonies and was sentenced in October to just under five years in prison. His lawyer said Takata did it “to feed his drug habit” and that the defendant hoped prison would help him get and stay clean, while working a job in prison to cover some of the more than $50,000 restitution he is ordered to pay to Ulta and Target. The state Department of Corrections website shows Takata is currently one of 2,439 inmates at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Admiral2009 January 7, 2026 (10:10 pm)

Is this April 1st? Finally, a criminal is being held Accountable.

Eric1 January 7, 2026 (10:37 pm)

Excellent. I am glad he is paying restitution while serving time. That should mandatory for every sentence. it is refreshing to see someone who has integrity. Pleads guilty, wants to reform, wants a job in prison, and is willing to try and pay those who were harmed back. Sounds like his life was sidelined by drugs. Hopefully he will return to a productive life after prison.

k January 8, 2026 (9:27 am)

I will hold out hope, but it’s easier said than done. There’s a person in my life who did a 4-year stretch for crimes related to his addiction. Got clean in prison, did their treatment program. Got a job. Saved what money he could, but it was not enough to pay his restitution (jobs are like 70 cents an hour and he owed thousands). Got out and got his six months of free transitional housing from the DOC, to give him a chance to get established in the community.

He tried. He really tried. But with his record, it took months and months to find a job that would hire a felon with no car. The jobs that don’t care about your record mostly need you to travel, and the transitional housing offered was 40 minutes outside the city and only connected to one rapid transit bus. At the six month mark he had to start paying his own rent. Luckily his family was able to step in and help for a couple months. That’s privilege not everyone has. He stayed clean. Finally found a job after 7.5 months. Pays minimum wage.

He still can’t afford rent anywhere near his job, still owes thousands in restitution, and can’t get a license until he pays court fines related to his previous charges, which means no car (if he could even afford one) which continues to limit job opportunities, in addition to the criminal record. So making more money to afford his own place is basically impossible. Apartments require background checks he cannot pass, and wait lists for housing vouchers are months long. Homelessness was inevitable.

He struggled through it and maintained sobriety for nearly a year after his release before he relapsed. People who have no experience with the system just don’t understand how much the deck is stacked against these folks. You see me advocating for diversion programs and social safety nets because I’ve seen with my own eyes how prison is the start of a cycle of homelessness and addiction, not the end of it. I’ve seen how much a record holds you back once you have it. I’ve seen how much something as simple as a permanent roof over someone’s head makes such a difference to someone with already limited options. I wish Mr. Takata well; he has a HARD road ahead of him when he gets out.
- Rhonda January 8, 2026 (12:17 pm)
  
  K, I could list dozens of stories of former addicts whose lives were saved by prison terms and who lead clean, productive, and fulfilling lives now. For most, it’s literally in-patient drug rehabilitation. Out-patient drug treatment has a dismal record of failure due to today’s easy access to drugs.
  - WS Res January 8, 2026 (4:54 pm)
    
    You “could,” but you won’t.
- Rara January 8, 2026 (12:25 pm)
  
  I’ve always had the understanding that Mod Pizza hires felons in an effort to give them a leg up in society. Would be nice if they had more resources on the job front.
  - WSB January 8, 2026 (12:57 pm)
    
    Verified:
    https://modpizza.com/blog/modlife-4/
  - k January 8, 2026 (3:00 pm)
    
    There are definitely lots of second chance employers out there. But there are even more people who need second chances competing for those jobs and when you also can’t get a license or a car until you pay off fines that you can’t afford until you have a job, it can be tough to find the job you need, when you need it, in a place you can reliably get to so you can hold on to it. Mod Pizza is also a minimum wage job, which makes it hard to pay restitution on top of basic living expenses.
- bolo January 8, 2026 (1:14 pm)
  
  Lack of car figures so prominently in this story. An acquaintance of mine had a similar story but he made do with an ebike until he cleared enough hurdles to make it past the danger zone. He also lived beyond city limits. Last I heard he was working as a mgr. at Home Depot.
- IDC9 January 10, 2026 (4:30 am)
  
  Thanks for sharing this story. It really demonstrates just how difficult society makes it for anyone who wants to turn their life around. We stack the deck against them so heavilly that its nothing short of a miracle that anyone in this position actually succeeds in doing so. If we want to make society a better place for everyone, we can start by giving people who want to turn their lives around a path to doing so that is actually achievable.

Anne January 8, 2026 (8:20 am)

Look how much he had to steal-to get a prison sentence. Very good chance he will serve WAY LESS than 5 years & pay a pittance in restitution. If he can get clean in prison & it turns his life around that would be the very best outcome-I can only hope that happens for him.

wscommuter January 8, 2026 (1:58 pm)

Prison time for felonies is given out in months (not years), so a “5-year” sentence means 60 months. He can earn “good time” assuming proper behavior in prison and have his sentence reduced up to 1/3, so he may be released in 40 months. He cannot get any more time off. So he will be in prison for at least 3 years and 4 months (less any time he has already served while in jail).
- WSB January 8, 2026 (2:34 pm)
  
  To be specific, his sentence was 59.5 months. Two weeks short of five years, so I decided to simplify with that tiny amount of rounding up.

West Seattler January 8, 2026 (9:24 am)

here’s a KUOW story about this troubled individual Takata

https://www.kuow.org/stories/after-years-substance-abuse-diploma/

Nitro January 8, 2026 (9:43 am)

Thank you King County Prosecutor for filing charges and the judge for finally holding a criminal accountable. At least the employees and customers of those businesses will be safe from him for a little bit. Hopefully he can get clean while in prison. Glad he will be working to pay some restitution and show some accountability.

bill January 8, 2026 (10:25 am)

This guy is going to start at 65¢/hr and can aspire to reach $2.85. Woohoo for restitution, this is sure to save Target from bankruptcy! Never mind the millstone this puts around his neck when he’s released.

Clinker January 8, 2026 (1:51 pm)

This. Restitution for those released ought to be based on ability to pay, suspended until some % of poverty wages. Squeezing a rock that hard yields no juice, it just shatters to pieces and the shards cut everybody’s feet.
- Actualperson January 8, 2026 (3:48 pm)
  
  So you’d be happy if he was set free and wandering the streets in front of your home?
IDC9 January 10, 2026 (4:23 am)

Prisons need to pay higher wages to inmates who take jobs within them if they are serious about helping them rehabilitate while inside, and succeed in society once they are released. The state minimum wage is now over $17 an hour. While I personally would be fine with prisons paying inmates who take jobs within them that much, I recognize that doing so is not likely to be popular with the public or politicians. Perhaps a reasonable compromise would be to pay inmates the current federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour. That would still be enough to make a difference.

Scarlett January 8, 2026 (4:53 pm)

People always drag out stories of the person who, through extraordinary tenacity, was able to surmount all obstacles and pull themselves up by their boostraps. But should we judge society as a whole by a few exceptional outliers? Would those who want to use this metric so sure they themselves could measure up? The vast majority of people are not exceptional and fall within a couple standard deviations of the distribution curve.

Sorry, comment time is over.