‘Massive’ amount of stolen items recovered in Yelm; suspect arrested

A 55-year-old suspect was arrested after a “massive” amount of stolen property was recovered in Yelm following reports of gunshots being fired at an individual attempting to recover one of the items, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) said on Thursday, August 11.

In a news release, the TCSO said Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a ‘suspicious circumstance’ at a home in the 14700 block of Regal Lane SE on August 8. A Freightliner service truck stolen in King County earlier that day was tracked at the address.

Dispatchers then received a second call indicating that someone inside the home fired several shots at a Freightliner employee attempting to recover the stolen vehicle.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene and found the stolen truck there. They also obtained a search warrant for the home and discovered three more stolen vehicles, several illegal or stolen firearms, and multiple other items.

Among the recovered property were items stolen from a U-Haul in Tumwater around July. The items stolen were the personal property of an active-duty Coast Guard family.

Many items have been returned to their owners, but the TCSO is still searching for other theft victims.

The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail on multiple felony charges in connection to this incident. The TCSO said it anticipates that more arrests will be made soon as it has identified other suspects.