A Chehalis man made an initial appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday, Aug. 4, after being arrested on Friday by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in connection to a series of vehicle prowls.
The sheriff’s office said the case involves crimes committed throughout the county.
Edward Guenther, 34, was arrested after a weeks-long investigation into a pattern of debit and credit cards being stolen out of vehicles to purchase lottery tickets.
Guenther was identified as a suspect in the case using security footage from stores where he purchased tickets and later attempted to cash the tickets. He was ultimately apprehended during a traffic stop at the request of the investigating detective.
Still being held in the Lewis County Jail, Guenther appeared in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday afternoon facing three counts of second-degree identity theft as well as two counts of second-degree theft, all class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He also faces one count of lottery ticket claim fraud, a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
During the hearing, the prosecutor’s office requested the court set Guenther’s bail amount to remain at the temporary $25,000 amount set over the weekend, citing his criminal history. Defense attorney Rachael Tiller requested the court set bail at no more than $5,000 unsecured.
Tiller pointed out that Guenther lives and works locally in Chehalis and has significant support from his family. She also pointed out that he exited Department of Corrections custody a year and a half ago and had been in full compliance with all of his conditions of release.
Guenther has previous felony convictions for rape of a child and child molestation.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge Paul Strophy set bail at $10,000, citing concerns for community safety, noting the potential risk of his crimes escalating to violence.
“Even given the non-violent nature of these offenses, because I know this is just an allegation at this point, but you don't know when it's in a public parking area like that, you don't know if they're coming back, and what's the risk of confrontation when you engage in such activities?” Strophy said.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, an investigation by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office into stolen debit cards being used to purchase lottery tickets first began on July 13 when an individual at Ike Kinswa State Park in Lewis County reported someone had accessed his vehicle without causing damage and stole his wallet along with three debit and credit cards, his driver’s license and other important information.
Court documents further detail the investigation by the Lewis County Sheriff's Office over the next two weeks, using surveillance footage at grocery and convenience stores where stolen cards were used to identify Guenther as a suspect and identify his vehicle.
On Friday, the detective saw the vehicle and reported it to a local deputy, who stopped Guenther.
The investigating detective then took advantage of a search warrant to search Guenther's Ford F-250 and found lottery tickets and several receipts.
According to the reports, the investigation to identify other suspects in similar cases in the area is still ongoing.
Guenther's next court appearance for arraignment and trial setting is set for Thursday, Aug. 7.
