Bruce Duke Arrested for Trafficking in Stolen Property

Hamilton, WA: On September 29th, 2014 a homeowner reported a burglary at his residence on South Street in Hamilton.  The homeowner suspected that a longtime acquaintance of his, Bruce Duke, had committed the burglary of his residence.   The homeowner had allowed Bruce to park his travel trailer on his property for the last month and then items started to come up missing in and around his residence.  The homeowner suspected Bruce of stealing the items but could not prove it until now.

The Homeowner was talking to another friend of his, earlier in the week and he was telling him that  Bruce had just sold him a Honda 1000 Watt Generator, binoculars, flashlight and DVD players.  Mr. Bruce had tired to sell the friend a band saw but he did not buy it.   The original homeowner knew he owned a Honda 1000 Watt Generator and a band saw so he went down to his covered area below his home and discovered those items were now gone. The Friend returned the items back to the homeowner after he confirmed they were his.

The friend, lived on Lyman Avenue in Lyman and has also known  Bruce Duke for many years.   The friend stated  Bruce had been back in the area and he had him work on a vehicle for him at his home to help him out.  Sometime after 9/25/2104 the friend noticed his Husqvarna Chainsaw was missing from his shed after Bruce Duke had asked to borrow it and he was told no, that the chainsaw was not lent out as it was  new and had just been purchased. The friend provided Law Enforcement with the original receipt for the chainsaw with the serial number noted.

On 09/30/14, Officers located this exact same Chainsaw at Diamond Plaza Pawn in Sedro Woolley.  Pawn Records showed the Bruce Duke had pawned the chainsaw on 09/26/14.   Bruce had pawned other items at the same time and when shown photos of them the friend identified additional items that were stolen out of his shed as well.

Bruce Duke had a warrant for his arrest for two counts of Burglary 2nd  and two counts of Trafficking in Stolen Property 1st degree.

Bruce Duke was arrested on April 27th, 2015 by the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. He is currently being held in the Skagit County Jail. He is being held on two counts of Trafficking in Stolen Property 1st degree as well as Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Bruce Duke was convicted on May 10th, 2000,  in Whatcom County Superior Court of a sex offense, a gross Misdemeanor,  for Communication with a minor for immoral purposes and on November 10th, 1992 in Skagit County Superior Court for Rape of a Child 3rd Degree, a Class C Felony.

 

Source: Superior Court Case #14-1-00853-7