Matthew Gorman makes an appearance Tuesday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.
Three suspects were charged Tuesday in Lewis County Superior Court after allegedly advertising another person’s property online, then attempting to steal the property to sell to the winning bidder — who turned out to be the property’s owner.
Matthew Thomas Gorman, 33, Lisa Marie Fish, 44 and Amber Katherine Tofaeono, 36, all of Onalaska, were charged Tuesday with attempted second-degree burglary.
“Mr. Gorman was probably the most culpable in the matter,” deputy prosecutor Paul Masiello said Tuesday.
All three were released on $10,000 unsecured bail pending future court hearings.
“Mr. Gorman, I’m going to take a chance on you,” Judge Andrew Toynbee said.
According to court documents, on July 8, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary in the 800 block of Ceres Hill Road in Chehalis. A man reported he found several items from his property, a residence his family was renovating, listed as for sale on a website. The photos of the items were reportedly taken from inside the house, and the man confirmed the items were still inside the residence.
The property owner contacted the seller, identified as “Matt,” and arranged to purchase the items.
Meanwhile, deputies staked out the Ceres Hill property and waited for the suspects to show up to retrieve the items from the man’s residence, according to court documents.
Deputies observed the suspects’ vehicle drive up the house’s driveway, then away at a high rate of speed. Deputies caught up with the truck and arrested Gorman, Fish and Tofaeono. The picture of “Matt” on the website matched Gorman, according to court documents.
