Four Suspects Charged in Recent Seminary Hill Burglary

Four men suspected of committing an interrupted residential burglary in the 2400 block of Seminary Hill Road in Centralia Wednesday morning made their first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Thursday afternoon.

Eric M. McCarthy, 48, of Napavine, Terry L. Hadley, 53, of Chehalis, Austin N. Humphrey, 23, of Napavine and Erik G. Spicer, 32, of Chehalis were each charged with residential burglary, a class B felony, and second-degree theft, a class C felony on Thursday.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office released a press release Wednesday afternoon, touting that the department had made arrests in two interrupted burglaries within 24 hours, after a separate foiled burglary in Toledo resulted in one arrest.

Court documents filed Thursday shed more detail on the alleged burglary in Centralia — one where deputies had to search for two vehicles that fled from the scene.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the owner of a house on Seminary Hill Road came to the house and spotted two strange vehicles — a red SUV and a red minivan. Both of them took off when the man approached. He got in his own vehicle and gave chase to the minivan, but he lost sight of it.

Deputies arrived at the house, and would later allegedly ascertain about $750 worth of items were taken. The owner said much of the house appeared to have been rummaged through. Deputies claim the burglars made entry through a sliding glass door.

A Centralia police officer stopped the SUV, and arrested McCarthy, its driver. A deputy came to the scene, and noted there was a large tire in the back of the SUV with frost still on it, as though it were recently sitting outside. There were allegedly other various items inside, too.

McCarthy admitted involvement in the burglary, according to court documents.

At about that same time, deputies received word a red minivan was found abandoned somewhere on Oxford Road with its alarm going off. A witness said the vehicle was moving quickly before stopping abruptly, with its three occupants spilling out and running away.

Hadley was spotted walking down the road. He was sweating, “which was odd given the cold temperatures outside,” court documents point out.

Through contacting the vehicle’s registered owner, deputies suspected they knew the identities of the other suspects. Humphrey was arrested at his residence.

The sheriff’s office, still seeking Spicer Wednesday, released his mug shot on social media and asked for information on his whereabouts. He turned himself in at 7:05 p.m. that same day, according to a follow-up press release.

The quartet made their first appearance in the case Thursday afternoon. Judge Joely O’Rourke placed McCarthy and Humphrey each on a $25,000 cash bond. Hadley was given the most lenient bond amount — to the tune of $5,000 — given his lack of a recent criminal history.

Spicer was placed on a $25,000 bond, however, said Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello, he had two other active criminal cases — bringing his ongoing cases tally up to three. All of them were consolidated into the same case number, said Masiello, who added that he consulted with Spicer’s attorney Shane O’Rourke before the hearing. Judge O’Rourke said Spicer, despite given a $25,000 bond on the burglary case, would be held without bond on the other two matters.

All four suspects have arraignment hearings scheduled for Thursday.