One of South Whidbey’s most wanted is in police custody this week.
Christian Shorey, 34, was arrested in Forks Sunday after allegedly burglarizing a bar. He was arraigned Thursday in Clallam County Superior Court
Shorey faces charges of second-degree burglary and theft in the second degree, both felonies.
He’s being held in the Clallam County Corrections Facility in Port Angeles in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Shorey is a person of interest in the September armed robbery of Wells Fargo Bank in Clinton and is also wanted on a $10,000 felony warrant for burglary second degree and failure to appear in court.
It’s unclear when Shorey will be returned to Island County to face charges, but Sheriff Mark Brown said he was confident it will happen.
“I can’t see that not happening,” Brown said. “The question is when.
“The good news is he’s in custody,” Brown added.
Shorey was arrested Sunday in the Rain Forest Mobile Home Park near the south end of Forks.
Police were investigating the burglary of the nearby Blakeslee’s Bar and Grill the evening before, and reported they observed Shorey acting suspiciously.
Officers obtained a search warrant and found Shorey, $2,000 cash and alcohol from the bar inside, according to the Forks Forum. A second person may also have been involved in the crime, but the investigation remains ongoing.
The suspects in the burglary allegedly tried to disable security cameras at the bar but failed.
In a South Whidbey Record article last week about the Clinton bank robbery investigation, Brown said detectives identified three people of interest in the case but declined to release their identities for fear of driving them into hiding.
With Shorey’s apprehension, and because he is in police custody, Brown confirmed Thursday that Shorey was one of three people of interest.
At least four members of Shorey’s immediate family told detectives they believe it is his voice on a recording of a phony 9-1-1 call that preceded the bank heist.
Police believe the call was a diversionary tactic to draw officers away from Clinton, giving the robber more time to hit the bank and make a getaway.
