Man steals car, leaves owner behind

Published 1:30 am Friday, April 3, 2026

An Oak Harbor man gave a lift to an acquaintance who showed his gratitude by stealing his car last week, according to court records.

Devon M. Burton, a 43-year-old Skagit County resident, appeared in Island County Superior Court on March 27. The judge found probable cause exists to believe Burton may have committed the crime of taking a motor vehicle without permission in the second degree.

Judge Carolyn Cliff set his bail at a $2,500 bond or $500 cash.

According to a report by a deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office, a man in the area of Dike Road called police in the morning of March 27 to report that an acquaintance, later identified as Burton, drove away in his car without permission.

The man told police that he met Burton earlier at the Swinomish Casino and drove him to Whidbey. They stopped near the Dike Road pullout to cook food on a beach camp fire. A short time later, Burton allegedly drove off in his 2001 Volvo station wagon and left him there, the report states.

Later, an Oak Harbor police officer who was on his way home to Mount Vernon happened to get behind the car on Highway 20 and pulled it over. He detained Burton, who later said the owner gave him permission to drive the car to “build shelves and storage boxes for his stuff,” the report states.