Mossyrock Man Arrested for Allegedly Staging Burglary at Parents’ House, Stealing Guns and $43,000

A Mossyrock man was arrested on a $10,000 Lewis County Superior Court warrant last week for allegedly stealing roughly $43,000 cash and several firearms from his parents’ house and staging it as a burglary in February 2019. 

Lewis County Superior Court issued the warrant for the arrest of James W. McMillion II, 43, back in September 2020. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail on Feb. 5 — two years after the incident took place. 

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded to Swigert Road in Mossyrock on Feb. 4, 2019, on reports of a burglary that occurred at a property earlier that day. The homeowners reported that several firearms, along with approximately $43,000 in cash, were missing from a safe in their home. They were out of town for the day and had reportedly posted that information on social media, according to Lewis County Superior Court documents.

A witness observed two vehicles at the residence that were traced back to Marcus Church, 33, and McMillion. Police interviewed Church, who reportedly confessed to entering the home with McMillion using a hidden key that McMillion knew the location of and opening the safe using a combination McMillion had in his possession. 

Church reportedly stated that “McMillion said they needed to take some guns to make it look more like a ‘real burglary,’” according to court documents. They also damaged the lock to the safe after it was unlocked and broke glass out of the outer door “to further the ‘real burglary’ charade” and make it appear like a forced entry. 

According to Church, they dumped the stolen guns in Swofford Pond “because McMillion insisted on getting rid of them since they were both convicted felons,” according to court documents, and they both reportedly participated in throwing 10 to 15 stolen guns into the pond. 

While law enforcement had initially been able to contact McMillion, who denied involvement in the burglary, they were unable to locate him for an interview after Church confessed to his involvement in the burglary. 

Church accompanied law enforcement to the Mossyrock pond where the guns were allegedly dumped, but the dive team was initially unable to find the guns, according to court documents. A private citizen later found one of the stolen pistols with a magnet in the pond, and the dive team returned to the area where the pistol was found and located another stolen gun, along with ammunition that was stolen during the burglary. 

Church was arrested in September 2020 and charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree theft and six counts each of theft of a firearm and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He was released from custody in October 2020 pending trial. 

McMillion is currently being held at the Lewis County Jail on a $10,00 bail. He faces 14 charges related to the burglary: burglary in the first-degree, domestic violence; first-degree theft, domestic violence; and six counts each of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm, domestic violence. 

He is scheduled for arraignment and trial setting on Feb. 18.