Three Randle residents have been arrested and charged with felonies after they allegedly stole the entryway stairs from the trailer of a deceased neighbor on Sept. 19.
Shelly J. McKague, 58, Serge E. Sinek, 74, and Benjamin M. Garl, 71, each face one count of second-degree liability theft punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines. They made preliminary appearances in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
According to court documents, a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived at the Cascade Peaks park in Randle Sept. 20 in response to a theft complaint. The deputy spoke with a woman who alleged that several people “had been seen removing a custom-built wood and metal entryway stairs from the landing of her mother’s trailer.”
Her mother, the woman said, had died in June, and she had become the lawful custodian of the property. The woman estimated the stairs were worth around $2,500.
The deputy went about the trailer park. He first spoke with Garl, who allegedly admitted to helping McKague take the stairway, but said he assumed it had been given to her. Garl said that McKague still had the stairs at her place.
The deputy went to McKague’s trailer and saw the stairway near its entrance. He spoke with McKague, who allegedly admitted to taking the stairs, but only for “safekeeping.”
The deputy then spoke with Sinek, who lives with McKague. He, too, allegedly admitted to helping take the stairway.
The three were arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail.
During the preliminary hearing, McKague and Sinek both received a bail amount of $2,500 cash or bond. McKague has an extensive warrant history and numerous property-related theft convictions, while Sinek has a prior conviction for manufacturing methamphetamine and had an active warrant out of Lewis County District Court at the time of his arrest.
McKague and Sinek were permitted to have contact with each other, since they live together.
Garl’s bail was set at $5,000 unsecured.
All three await an arraignment on Sept. 25.
