Man on kid’s bike, carrying sword accused of burglary

The man on the bike was located near Walmart.

A 29-year-old man riding a small children’s bicycle while carrying a sword and a large knife in Oak Harbor is accused of burglary, according to court documents.

Monday, Genio Fernandez-Despain appeared in Island County Superior Court.

The judge found probable cause to believe he committed the crimes of burglary in the first degree, five counts of theft of firearms, two counts of possession of stolen property and theft in the third degree.

According to the police report, witnesses saw a man in dark clothing carrying something wrapped in a blanket from a home on Scenic Heights Road around noon on Jan. 1. Deputies later found that several guns were inside the blanket left near a driveway.

Witnesses said the alleged burglar pedaled a kid’s bike away from the scene.

A resident who saw the unusual activity drove after the suspect and was joined in his search by law enforcement from the Island County Sheriff’s Office, the Oak Harbor Police Department and the Washington State Patrol. The man on the bike was located near Walmart.

The suspect, identified as Fernandez-Despain, claimed he had gone down a driveway in the Scenic Heights area to urinate and saw items wrapped up in a blanket on the ground. He told deputies that he had taken the sword and knife but left the rifles, the report states. A container of coins was also found on him.

Fernandez-Despain told deputies that he was borrowing his nephew’s bicycle.

Deputies were able to locate the garage that had been burglarized and notified the homeowner.

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