Five people have been arrested for trying to break into a Tacoma power vault that supplied energy to a South Sound 911 communications tower, according to charging documents.
A spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department said she couldn't speak to why the group tried to break into the vault Monday. It is near a closed golfing range in the 4500 block of South Tyler Street. Wendy Haddow said she didn't know whether they were trying to access material inside or if it was a larger plot against the infrastructure.
Richard Dewey Edvalds, Karly Kristine Johnson, Megan Nicole Mistretta, Michael Thomas Vaughn and Dana Andrew Woolsey were each charged Tuesday in Pierce County Superior Court with second-degree burglary and third-degree malicious mischief.
All but Vaughn were arraigned Tuesday afternoon, and Commissioner Craig Adams set a different bail amount for each defendant, between $10,000 and $50,000. Police said Vaughn was transported to a hospital after he was detained because he appeared to be having a seizure when he was in a patrol car. Court records don't show when he might be arraigned.
Two of the defendants, Edvalds, 59 and Woolsey, 46, were recently employed by R&R Recycling, a scrap metal recycling company on Pacific Avenue in Parkland, according to a pretrial services report. Edvalds is the owner, according to the report, but state business license records show R&R is led by another man with the last name Edvalds.
Two phone calls to the business Wednesday afternoon rang 10 times before the line dropped. A phone number for Richard Edvalds listed in the pretrial services report went straight to voicemail.
Edvalds' criminal history includes 10 convictions in Superior Court between 1998 and 2008, including convictions for trafficking stolen property, drug crimes and forgery. Woolsey's prior convictions include 11 in Superior Court between 1998 and 2023. The other defendants also have criminal history.
According to charging documents, police were called to the power vault at about 7 p.m. after security saw five people on camera trying to gain access. Police were told one person had a gun on his hip.
Officers arrived and found Edvalds, Woolsey and Johnson about 150 feet southwest of the power vault's tower, records state. They were detained. Records state other officers found Vaughn and Mistretta on the east side of the tower.
The power vault is surrounded by a fence, which did not appear to police to be damaged. Around the vault, officers found a DeWalt power grinder with an extra battery, according to the probable cause document. They also allegedly found drugs, paraphernalia, a knife, insulated gloves, lighters and a bag.
Police reported that the vault's lid was welded shut in two places, and it was secured by a large bolt. One of the welded spots had fresh cut marks on it, records state, and police noted they believed the five people were trying to cut it open.
After the defendants were detained, officers found a gun with a round in its magazine by the power vault. Records state that video showed Woolsey had been carrying it.
