Officers were dispatched early Thursday morning to investigate a burglary that resulted in the theft of two bongs from a Centralia home only hours after it became legal to possess marijuana in the state of Washington.
The burglary was reported at 6:43 a.m. Thursday — the day Initiative 502 went into effect — from a house on the 1100 block of South Pearl Street, according to Centralia police. A window had been broken, and two bongs used for smoking marijuana were missing. Since marijuana is no longer illegal to possess, the bongs are not either, said Centralia Police Sgt. Kurt Reichert.
After further investigation, a 17-year-old Rochester boy was arrested for first-degree burglary and booked Lewis County Juvenile Detention in connection with the theft, according to Centralia police. The bongs were recovered.
“We wouldn’t have given the bongs back a day before,” Reichert said.
It is unclear whether the victim was aware of the date or not, he said.
“People have called to report stupider things stolen,” he said. Police have received calls from people complaining that their drug stashes were stolen, Reichert said.
