Thieves Steal $10K Worth of Tools From Skagit PUD

Mount Vernon, Washington- Mount Vernon Officers responded to a suspicious person call at the Best Western Motor Inn located  in the 300 block of West College Way in  June of  2016.

According to a probable cause affidavit of arrest, obtained by SkagitBreaking.com through a public records request, a reporting party (RP)  told dispatchers  they had observed a man carrying a chainsaw that appeared to have possibly come from one of the work trucks in the hotel parking lot.

Officers arrived and the RP showed Officers the location of a Stihl Chainsaw and a Stihl Cement Saw which had been placed in the bushes on the South end of the property.  On one of the saws, there was a Skagit PUD sticker visible on the saw.

Officers located the possible  suspect on foot in the area  who matched the description the RP gave to Officers. The suspect, later identified as 39-year old  DEREK FRENCH with a last known address on East Division Street in Mount Vernon was detained and brought to the Mount Vernon Police Department for an interview.

Mr. French told Officers he had come down to the area of the Best Western to move some stolen saws that had been stolen from Skagit PUD by Cleveland Anderson.  Mr. French told Officers he was doing this so he could stay at Mr. Anderson’s Apartment for free.

Mr. French told Officers that he had found the saws where Mr. Anderson had said he left them and moved them closer to the road where Mr. Anderson wanted them.  Mr. French told Officers he “got spooked” and stopped moving the saws he knew were stolen and left the area.

Mr. French admitted to participating in numerous burglaries with Cleveland Anderson (cause #16-1-00577-1) and a male he knew by the name of Anthony Valencia (Cause 16-1-00607-7).

Officers confirmed with Skagit PUD employees that the fence had been cut to the property and the  two Stihl Saws found in the bushes had been stolen and belonged to Skagit PUD.

During the investigation, Mr. French told Officers that he had accompanied Cleveland Anderson down to the PUD office in the early morning hours after being woke up by Mr. Anderson. He said upon arrival he observed a pre-cut hole in the metal fence which they both entered the PUD property from.  Mr. French told Officers that he and Mr. Anderson began to take power tools, Honda Generators, and other items from the property and staged them near the cut hole so they could later be loaded into a vehicle.  Mr. French said he got scared and left for a little bit before being called back to the scene by Anderson to help load the items into a vehicle, which was driven by a male who he knew as Ryan and they took the stolen items to Ryan’s property in Clear Lake and put them into a shed.

Officers applied for a search warrant for “Ryan’s” Property which was granted and Officers searched the property in the 24000 block of Old Day Creek Road.

Detectives recovered numerous items that were stolen in the burglary and turned the recovered items back over to Skagit Pud. An estimated value of the items was around $10,000.

Mr. French was arrested on the same day in a separate case Mount Vernon Officers were working on in reference to some stolen credit cards  being used around the area to purchase items.

Derek French was booked into the Skagit County Jail for suspicion of Burglary 2nd, Theft 1st, Possession of Stolen Property 3rd.  He has since been released pending his next court appearance.