PORT TOWNSEND — A 39-year-old man was convicted of multiple crimes and sentenced to two years in prison after he broke into the Jefferson County Courthouse in August.
Andrew Gaikowski was convicted Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court of second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and theft of a motor vehicle, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office stated in a news release.
He will serve two years on a Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) plus two years of community custody, during which he will receive substance abuse treatment, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
Gaikowski broke into the courthouse about 6:06 a.m. on Aug. 15 by smashing a rear window, according to court records.
Security video captured him wearing an inside-out T-shirt over his face, and he wore dark clothing and white wrappings on his hands as he used a short-handled hammer to batter the locked door of the third-floor civil deputy office.
After he shattered the door’s glass panel, Gaikowski climbed inside and stole law enforcement equipment, including body-worn cameras, charging stations and keys to a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria assigned to Jefferson County Juvenile Services, according to court documents.
Gaikowski then used the key to take the vehicle, which is specially equipped to transport juvenile detainees, and he fled the scene with the courthouse rear door propped open, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
Three hours later, Jefferson County Detective Sgt. Jason Allen located the stolen vehicle at Rialto Beach in Clallam County.
A high-risk stop was conducted with assistance from Hoh Tribal Fish and Wildlife Officer Phil Riebe. Gaikowski was the only occupant of the vehicle and immediately surrendered, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
All of the stolen courthouse property was recovered from the vehicle, including a Juvenile Services flex-fuel credit card along with burglary tools, drug paraphernalia and suspected methamphetamine, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
Gaikowski had been cited only weeks earlier for a courthouse burglary in June.
“This case demonstrates the relentless determination of one individual to victimize the very institution that serves justice in our community,” Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney James Kennedy stated in the news release.
Gaikowski has prior felony and misdemeanor convictions dating back to 2005, including residential burglary in 2013, multiple thefts and malicious mischief, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
The case was investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Port Townsend Police Department and was prosecuted by deputy prosecuting attorney Jeff Chalfant.
