By Owen Sexton / [email protected]
A Chehalis man faces multiple charges after allegedly attempting multiple burglaries at the Get’N’Go gas station on North National Avenue in Chehalis on Monday, August 12, and Tuesday, August 13.
Michael Don Day, 35, was arrested by Chehalis Police on Tuesday, August 13, and charged with attempted second-degree burglary (a Class C felony), possession of burglary tools and third-degree malicious damage to property (both misdemeanors).
The first suspected burglary attempt occurred on Monday, when surveillance camera footage matching Day’s description showed a suspect attempting to remove boards from a window that had been covered during a previous burglary attempt at Get’N’Go.
The same suspect was then seen again on video on Tuesday attempting to use a drill to remove screws around the window, according to court documents.
A Chehalis police officer tracked down and contacted Day on Tuesday after discovering that 19 additional warrants were outstanding for his arrest.
“(Officer) Shields noted in his report that Day resembled the person in the surveillance images,” court documents say.
After Day’s arrest, he was “searched in connection with the arrest.” During the search, officers found several drill bits, screwdriver bits, wire cutters, a flashlight, a mechanic’s glove, and some type of electrical plug, along with other metal objects that officers believed were used to throw through windows.
At his preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, August 14, prosecutors asked Judge Joely Yeager to set his bail at $25,000 because five of the 19 warrants against him are still active and he poses a flight risk.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller said Day is currently unemployed and on food stamps. Because he lives nearby, she asked the court to set bail at $10,000.
Yeager argued that Day already had an extensive criminal record, including convictions for identity theft, burglary, auto theft, gun theft and trafficking in stolen goods dating back to 2010.
She said he was “a threat to public safety and would likely commit another crime if released.”
His bail was set at $25,000 and his arraignment was scheduled for Thursday, August 22.
