Alleged Oak Harbor burglar caught in the act

A detective allegedly caught a burglar red-handed as he returned to the scene of the crime April 28, court documents state.

Prosecutors charged the alleged burglar, 38-year-old Kevin Wais of Oak Harbor, in Island County Superior Court May 3 with residential burglary.

According to the police report, a burglary was reported April 26 at a home on SE Ely Street in Oak Harbor. The homeowner’s son-in-law discovered the break-in while the resident was on vacation.

The police reported that the home had been ransacked. Three guns, including two .22 rifles and a AR-15, were stolen, along with a stereo system, a train set and a laptop computer.

Detective Ron Hofkamp noted in his report that it appeared the burglars could return since items were stacked into piles and a garbage can was filled with canned food.

Hofkamp wrote that he returned to the house on the morning of April 28 and saw a man, later identified as Wais, sneaking out of the detached garage. As the detective walked closer, another man bolted out of the house and ran down the street with Wais, the report states.

Oak Harbor police officers caught Wais, but the other man got away, the report states.

The police found that the burglars had left a pickup and bags in the house filled with loot, including a TV. A large gun safe had been moved with metal pipes wrenched underneath.

On April 29, Island County Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock set Wais’ bail at $50,000. Because of his criminal history, Wais could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of the charge.

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