A King County woman faces allegations she and an accomplice tried to break into the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office evidence facility before shooting one of its windows with a handgun.
According to police, the failed break-in occurred around 5 a.m. Jan. 2.
Amanda L. Harris, 33, of Duvall, was booked into the Lewis County Jail at about 9 a.m. Feb. 12 following her arrest.
She made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Friday, Feb. 13. Harris is charged with one count each of first-degree attempted burglary and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. The attempted burglary comes with a firearm enhancement.
According to state law, if Harris is found guilty of being armed at the time of the crime, an additional 60 months will be added to the “presumptive range of confinement.”
Harris faces a maximum of life in prison for the attempted burglary and 10 years for the unlawful firearm possession, according to the charging information.
The prosecution requested bail be set at $75,000.
Harris expressed her inability to make a phone call while in custody, which had apparently prevented her from contacting an attorney.
As Yeager sought to respond, Harris continued to talk, at one point saying, “Can you please set bail for lower than that?”
“How about I set bail at $75,000?” Yeager replied, frustrated with what she described as Harris’s insolent behavior.
Court documents indicate the judge did, in fact, settle at $75,000 cash or bond.
Harris, appearing virtually from the Lewis County Jail, had to be escorted from the room.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, a sheriff’s deputy responded to the initial damage report for the building on Jan. 4, before a detective joined the case on Jan. 7. Investigators noted the bullet holes in the window and damage to the property, as well as to a vehicle inside.
Security footage reportedly shows a Chrysler PT Cruiser arriving at about 5 a.m. Jan. 2, followed by two individuals trying to access the building before shooting a handgun at a window.
“It appeared as if one of the individuals was attempting to gain access to the garage bay by shooting a mechanism that controls the bay door,” the affidavit states.
Investigators reportedly collected bullet casings at the scene and used the Flock Safety camera system to discover the license plate number of the PT Cruiser.
Police located the PT Cruiser in Federal Way on Jan. 7 and identified Harris as the driver.
According to the affidavit, Harris allegedly said she had let someone borrow the vehicle “a few days ago,” but refused to disclose any names.
Police impounded the vehicle in Federal Way and then had it towed back to Lewis County.
Investigators executed a search warrant on the PT Cruiser the following day, where they allegedly discovered a loaded .380 semi-automatic pistol underneath the driver’s seat that matched with the casings found at the scene.
According to the affidavit, Harris has convictions related to taking a motor vehicle without permission, false checks, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance in prison.
She is scheduled for an arraignment on Feb. 19.
