The Winlock man accused of stealing at least $615,000 in heavy equipment in the Lewis County area faces new allegations of witness tampering.
Jonathan E. Delo, 46, pleaded not guilty to the single count of tampering with a witness during an arraignment in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday, March 27.
Delo had already pleaded not guilty to five counts of first-degree theft and four counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property during previous arraignments, though he did so again on Friday, since the new charge was part of an amended charging information.
During the hearing, Commissioner Cailen Cecil revoked Delo’s release conditions, saying she found “clear and convincing evidence” that Delo “willfully violated two conditions of release.”
Those conditions included no contact with any witness and no new criminal law violations.
According to Cecil, Delo allegedly tried to induce a codefendant, Brandon L. Moore, to change his testimony.
Moore, 50, of Brush Prairie, allegedly purchased known stolen equipment from Delo, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Moore pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property in September 2025. He awaits a sentencing hearing on May 13.
Before Friday’s court ruling, Deputy Prosecutor Brandi Archer said the state was concerned for community safety and called the allegation a “very blatant violation of the release conditions.”
Archer asked the court to hold Delo without bail.
Defense attorney Joshua House, appearing via video, said he didn’t think this was a situation where a threat had been made, but acknowledged Delo had violated his conditions by contacting a witness through text messages.
House added that Delo was working 40 hours a week for Foster Farms and noted that the witness was not local. He asked that bail be increased to no more than $150,000, if necessary.
Delo had previously posted a $100,000 bond in April 2025, according to court records.
Cecil denied the defense’s request, and ordered that Delo be held without bail pending the next hearing.
A trial-setting hearing is currently scheduled for April 2.
Delo was initially charged on Feb. 4, 2025, with one count each of first-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property after being accused of stealing an excavator worth approximately $95,000 from a worksite in Centralia.
The charges against Delo have grown in the year since, as investigators continued to link him to other alleged thefts in Lewis County.
“The total value of stolen property recovered during this investigation that was directly linked to Delo was approximately $615,000,” the Centralia Police Department stated in a news release last year. “Per the evidence obtained, Delo has been involved in the theft of heavy equipment for at least the past seven years.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, Delo has criminal convictions for first-degree theft in 2023, along with earlier offenses.
In March 2023, The Chronicle reported that Delo had been found guilty of first-degree theft by a jury following the June 2022 theft of an $80,000 skid-steer loader at Oakville High School.
He was sentenced to 75 days in jail, according to court records.
Another alleged accomplice in the current case, T-Jay Delo, 48, of Olympia, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree theft in September 2025 and was sentenced to two years of community custody and up to six months of inpatient treatment as part of a drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA).
T-Jay Delo, Jonathan’s brother, had initially been charged with one count each of first-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property.
In November 2025, T-Jay Delo was ordered to pay $1,107.83 in restitution to Hope Housing Collaborative of Lewis County to cover damage repairs for the stolen excavator.
Court documents indicate the restitution obligation was joint and several with Jonathan Delo.
On Jan. 30, the Lewis County Superior Court filed a discharge notice from American Behavioral Health Systems (ABHS) regarding T-Jay Delo’s court-ordered treatment.
On Feb. 12, T-Jay Delo reportedly failed to attend a DOSA review hearing in court, which prompted a judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
T-Jay Delo returned to court on March 26 and was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. He is scheduled for a DOSA revocation hearing on April 1.
