A Centralia man made his second court appearance in less than a week Wednesday after prosecutors accused him of taking his aunt’s debit card to make several unlawful purchases.
Jerimy J. Trudeau, 43, was arrested May 28 after allegedly violating an anti-harassment order. He made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court the next day.
Trudeau is now charged with one count each of second-degree theft, third-degree theft, violation of an anti-harassment order and possession of a controlled substance.
He faces up to five years in prison for the second-degree theft charge. The rest are considered gross misdemeanors punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
Judge J. Andrew Toynbee had previously set Trudeau’s bail at $5,000 cash or bond. On Wednesday, Toynbee added an additional $10,000 bail for the theft charges.
The new charges actually pertain to an alleged theft that occurred in March. According to court documents, Trudeau’s aunt reported to police in April that she noticed she couldn’t find her debit card after Trudeau visited her home on March 18.
A few days later, Trudeau reportedly returned to the home. The woman said she found her card underneath a tablecloth after he left.
On April 27, the woman discovered three alleged fraudulent transactions on her bank statement.
The charges — all occurring on March 18 — included purchases at the Centralia Safeway, Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel and another store.
The investigating officer later found video of Trudeau making the alleged purchase at Safeway. The aunt reportedly confirmed Trudeau’s identity in the video.
Trudeau’s alleged order violation occurred on May 28, when an officer investigating an unrelated matter at an apartment reportedly learned Trudeau was in the complex.
The officer knew an anti-harassment order prohibited Trudeau from being at the complex located directly behind them, which was less than 1,000 feet away.
After a woman told the officer that Trudeau was in her apartment, the officer went to the unit and learned that “Trudeau had apparently jumped off the balcony,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The officer reportedly ran back down and found Trudeau, who allegedly said “he thought the order was to be measured from entry point to entry point,” according to the affidavit.
Trudeau allegedly “thought the distance would be 1,050 feet.”
The officer reportedly measured the distance between them and the protected residence and found it was 568 feet.
“The distance between entry points was approximately 900 feet,” the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, Trudeau has two convictions for order violations in 2025.
Trudeau was scheduled to appear for arrangements in both cases on Thursday.
