A Castle Rock man is facing one charge of second-degree burglary, a Class B felony, along with a Class C felony charge of first-degree attempted trafficking of stolen property after he allegedly took a hammer from a display inside Home Depot and walked it to the store’s customer service desk to try to return it for a cash refund.
During his preliminary court appearance on Friday, Oct. 16, Shaun Paul Higham II, 35, appearing virtually from the Lewis County Jail, saw his bail set at $5,000 by Lewis County Superior Court Commissioner Cailen Cecil.
Citing Higham’s two prior second-degree identity theft convictions back in 2022 and five prior arrest warrants, the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked for $5,000 in bail. His 2022 conviction came after he stole checks from a Centralia man, cashing six of them for a total of $3,274.66 according to court documents.
Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller stated she was “in agreement” with the prosecutor’s bail request.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, a Home Depot loss prevention employee contacted the Chehalis Police Department about a return fraud attempt that took place on Thursday, Oct. 15.
The loss prevention employee observed Higham leaving the Home Depot after he confronted Higham at the customer service desk, advising Higham that he had already “been trespassed from all Home Depot stores.”
The official Home Depot trespass notice was issued on Feb. 11, 2026, and prohibits Higham from entering any Home Depot for three years.
At that point, Higham had already provided a signature to complete the return of the hammer, but the loss prevention employee intervened before he was able to collect the $53.97 refund.
Chehalis police were able to locate the vehicle Higham was reported to have left Home Depot in shortly after the loss prevention employee contacted them.
During an interview, Higham allegedly “admitted he took a hammer off the shelf and took it to customer service where he conducted the return.”
Higham was then placed under arrest. Cecil set Higham’s arraignment for Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.
