A man is facing felony burglary and malicious mischief charges for allegedly throwing a rock through the glass door of a convenience store near Randle before breaking into the business and stealing ice cream and gloves from inside.
The suspect, identified as Jonathan T. Bartoces, 22, is accused of breaking the door to J&L Market on U.S. Highway 12 at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday, June 30, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
The door is estimated to cost over $750 to replace.
The burglary was reported at approximately 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 1 after the owners arrived and found the broken door. They waited to enter the business until law enforcement arrived, according to court documents.
A responding Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy found “blood on numerous items” and noted “the suspect had apparently cut himself,” according to the affidavit.
The business’ alarm system had malfunctioned, but security cameras in the store reportedly captured the break-in.
After reviewing the footage, one of the owners “stated she recognized the male (suspect) as a transient living under the SR 131 bridge because she will sometimes give him food when he comes into the store,” according to the affidavit.
A deputy made contact with the male, identified as Bartoces, and “noted he had a severe cut to his arm and matched the appearance of the male in the surveillance footage,” according to the affidavit.
When questioned about his injury, Bartoces allegedly admitted to throwing a rock through the door of the J L Market and claimed he took an ice cream and gloves while he was inside, according to court documents.
Bartoces was arrested and, after being medically cleared, he was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 2:10 p.m. on July 1, according to jail records.
Bail is set at $5,000.
Arraignment was scheduled for Thursday, July 6.
