A Randle man with 24 prior warrants and a lengthy criminal history faces allegations he broke into someone’s shop in Onalaska and stole a bag of tools and a generator.
Jeremy D. Smathers, 48, is charged with one count each of second-degree burglary and second-degree theft. He faces up to 10 years in prison for the burglary charge.
Smathers made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Monday, where a judge set bail at $25,000 cash or bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, surveillance footage initially captured a suspect entering and leaving with the items on March 5.
A Lewis County sheriff’s deputy, who had arrested Smathers for allegedly driving with a suspended license the day after the incident, recalled seeing a bag of DeWalt tools inside Smathers’ truck. The tools reportedly matched the victim’s description.
The deputy’s body camera footage further implicated Smathers, who was seen wearing clothes that matched with the suspect in the victim’s surveillance footage, according to the affidavit.
The deputy then checked the tools seized during Smathers's arrest. According to the affidavit, the victim’s first name was written on one of the batteries.
When contacted at the jail, Smathers allegedly lied about the theft, saying he bought the tools for $200 from a man named Joker in Randle.
He allegedly denied any knowledge of the generator.
The deputy later went to the suspect’s trailer and located two generators outside. According to the affidavit, the victim’s full name was written on one of them.
The victim reportedly confirmed the items were his and provided the deputy with receipts that showed the total value was greater than $750.
According to court documents, Smathers’ criminal history includes felony convictions for eluding, second-degree theft, third-degree assault, theft of a motor vehicle, failure to register as a sex offender — in 2014, 2006, and 2005 — bail jumping and residential burglary, among other offenses.
He was scheduled for an arraignment on March 12.
