Woman accused of stealing beer, bedding from neighbor

A woman from Coupeville is accused of stealing towels, beer and bedding from her neighbor’s house, according to court document.

Prosecutors charged Amanda Cantu, 45, in Island County Superior Court June 29 with residential burglary and theft in the third degree.

A deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office responded on Dec. 13 2017 to a burglary complaint on Marine Drive. The homeowner, who lives off island, told the deputy he had video surveillance footage of his neighbor entering the house, according to the deputy’s report.

The motion-activated cameras send the homeowner notifications when motion is detected, the report states.

On the afternoon of Dec. 11, Cantu can allegedly be seen walking away from the entrance of her neighbor’s house with “a soft type bag” in her hand.

The camera recorded her again around noon on Dec. 12, holding “what appears to be light colored bedding,” according to the report.

The homeowner contacted a different neighbor who asked Cantu twice if she had “seen anything suspicious” at the house recently. Cantu denied seeing anything, according to the report.

The deputy and a Coupeville marshal contacted Cantu on Dec. 20. She told law enforcement she hadn’t seen anything suspicious, until the deputy informed her he had video of her allegedly entering the house.

The report states she acknowledged entering the house and said, “she was just being ‘snoopy’ and wanted to see what it looked like on the inside.”

She said she originally took two throwable flotation devices, but decided she didn’t want them and brought them back the next day, the deputy wrote.

While she returned the flotation devices, she took two bath towels from a closet and three cans of expired IPA beer, the report states.

She told deputies she wanted the towels to clean up her dog’s pee. The towels were still soiled when she brought them to the deputy, he wrote.

If convicted of the charges, Cantu could face up to nine months in jail under the standard sentencing range.