The Centralia man charged for trying to break into two houses on Downing Road in April and for breaking into a house in the 1510 block of Lum Road in December was sentenced Wednesday to 50 months in prison.
The man, Mitchell Borden, 35, entered Alford pleas — which allow him to take advantage of a plea deal without admitting guilt due to the acknowledgement that a jury would likely find him guilty if the cases went to trial — in Lewis County Superior Court on both cases on Wednesday.
He was initially arrested in February 2023 on a warrant for charges stemming from a Dec. 25, 2022 burglary of a house in the 1510 block of Lum Road.
In that case, Borden and a co-defendant, Chrystal M. Chambers, 41, of Centralia, allegedly broke in through the back door of the residence “wearing motorcycle helmets and backpacks” at about 7:30 a.m. and stole property worth more than $750 total, including the Ring camera that recorded their entry and the residents’ vehicle.
Residential burglary, second-degree theft and theft of a motor vehicle charges were filed against both parties in Lewis County Superior Court on Dec. 28. Centralia police officers attempted to arrest Borden on a warrant on Dec. 30, but Borden fled on foot and was not captured, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
On Jan. 5, Borden eluded law enforcement in a vehicle while driving under the influence, according to amended charges filed June 21. He was additionally charged for a hit-and-run stemming from that pursuit.
He was not apprehended until Feb. 22, at which point he was booked into the Lewis County Jail.
Chambers was arrested and released on $10,000 unsecured bail in January, but was arrested on a no-bail bench warrant on June 9 after she failed to appear at a mandatory court hearing.
She has since pleaded not guilty to charges of residential burglary, second-degree theft, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance while in a correctional facility. Trial is currently scheduled to begin Aug. 14.
Meanwhile, Borden posted $50,000 bail on March 27, but he was arrested again on April 14 after he allegedly tried to get into a residential garage in the 410 block of Downing Road before trying to use his shoulder to open the door of a neighboring house, according to court documents.
As a result of his Alford pleas, Borden was convicted Wednesday of one count each of residential burglary, second-degree theft and theft of a motor vehicle for the December case, and two counts of attempted residential burglary for the April case.
Judge J. Andrew Toynbee sentenced Borden on Wednesday to 50 months on each of the two attempted residential burglary charges, the residential burglary charge and the theft of a motor vehicle charge; 29 months on the attempt to elude charge; 364 days on the DUI charge; and 90 days on the hit-and-run charge.
All sentences are set to run concurrently.
The state Department of Corrections will calculate how much credit Borden has earned for time served, according to court documents.
In addition to the jail sentence, Toynbee issued no-contact orders prohibiting Borden from going near the victim’s properties for five to 10 years and ordered Borden to pay restitution to the victims. The restitution amount will be determined at a later hearing.
Toynbee did rule that chemical dependency contributed to the offense, according to court documents.
Borden’s criminal history includes a May 2021 conviction stemming from a September 2020 incident when Borden led officers on a 100 mph pursuit through downtown Centralia in a stolen vehicle, during which he struck a fire hydrant, caused a head-on collision with a passenger vehicle driving in the opposite lane near Seminary Hill Road and rammed into an officer’s vehicle before crashing near Centralia High School property and fleeing on foot. Officers located and arrested him at a motel several days later, according to court documents.
For that case, Borden was sentenced in June 2021 to 27.75 months in prison with credit for time served, followed by 27.75 months on probation.
