An Aberdeen man has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an April incident where he is accused of breaking into multiple Vader residences while armed.
The defendant, Sturley Edward Dell, 37, of Aberdeen, was charged earlier this month with one count each of first- and second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and unlawful possession of a firearm after law enforcement identified him as a suspect in multiple burglaries that occurred on April 29.
The first was reported in the 1200 block of state Route 506 just before 12:10 a.m. A 911 caller at the home told dispatchers he got a call from his girlfriend, who was out of town but viewing the home’s security cameras, informing him that “someone was in the garage stealing stuff,” according to court documents.
The occupant told law enforcement he then armed himself with a pistol and checked downstairs, but the suspect had left with an electric bike stolen from the garage. The suspect had left behind their disabled vehicle — a black Nissan Xterra that was registered to Dell — and fled on foot, according to court documents. A Suzuki motorcycle was located next to the vehicle.
Later that morning, another resident in the 1200 block of state Route 506 reported his motorcycle and power saw had been stolen.
That same morning, a Vader resident in the 1700 block of Winlock Vader Road reported seeing a man trying to steal a bicycle from inside his shop. A detective with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office showed the resident the security camera footage from the garage theft in the 1200 block of state Route 506, and he confirmed it showed the same suspect he saw in his shop.
At approximately 11:35 a.m., two deputies saw Dell wearing a neon jacket — which was later confirmed to have been stolen from the shop in the 1700 block of Winlock Vader Road — and walking near the railroad tracks. Dell reportedly ignored commands from the deputies and “took off running,” according to court documents. One of the deputies reportedly caught up to Dell after Dell slipped while jumping over a ditch.
He was placed under arrest and the deputies obtained a search warrant for his vehicle.
Deputies located a pistol holster and a knife holster on Dell’s person and found four firearms in the vehicle: a Glock 22 loaded with five rounds of .40 S&W, a homemade firearm chambered in 5.56 with a 3.5-inch barrel, a Harrington and Richardson Arms M48 20 gauge shotgun and a Harrington and Richardson Arms 12 gauge shotgun. Deputies also located 38 12 gauge shotgun shells, 56 rounds of .40 S&W and two additional loaded Glock 22 magazines.
Dell, who has prior felony convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of stolen property on his record, is legally prohibited from owning firearms.
Dell was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 12:45 p.m. on April 29, where he is being held on $50,000 bail.
His trial is set to begin June 27.
