TACOMA — Two Port Angeles men accused of burglarizing Olympic National Park entrance stations and stealing more than $2,000 worth of property from them face federal theft and burglary charges.
The criminal complaint was unsealed Tuesday when Jory Clare Barclay, 32, made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
Co-defendant Brandon Kennon Hall, 34, remained held in the Clallam County jail on state charges of residential burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, second degree burglary and a U.S. Marshal’s detainer.
Hall is facing three counts of theft of government property and two counts of second-degree burglary. Barclay is facing one count each of theft of government property and second-degree burglary.
The National Park Service began investigating the pair for a series of thefts after a Clallam County Sheriff’s deputy pulled Hall over for speeding in a school zone while driving a stolen 2018 GMC Yukon earlier this month, according to court records. Barclay was a passenger, but was not arrested at the time.
Deputies found a generator in the back of the vehicle that was believed to have been stolen, according to court documents.
Inside the backpacks were burglary tools, eight stolen credit cards, 10 checks written to Olympic National Park, two military identification cards, four social security cards and a Washington state ID card, according to court documents.
The complaint unsealed Tuesday said two of the checks, totaling $30, had notes indicating they were from the Deer Park Campground within Olympic National Park. The other checks totaled $150.
There also was a tool kit with tools labeled “USDI NPS ONP.”
After Clallam County Superior Court Judge Christopher Melly ordered Hall released from jail Sept. 10, the two began a crime spree, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
It involved driving a stolen truck to the Heart o’ the Hills fee station Sept. 14 where Hall attempted to use an acetylene torch to cut into a safe, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office. It cost the park $970 to repair the safe, court papers said.
The federal complaint said that another ONP radio and a computer were missing after the break-in at Heart O’the Hills.
Court papers said there has been an increase in thefts from park fee cans since late July 2018. Two notable burglaries were from the entrance stations in the Sol Duc Valley and at Heart O’the Hills.
On Sept. 1, the fee can at Deer Park Campground was stolen — removed from its concrete pedestal.
The next morning the Sol Duc Entrance Station was burglarized and an Olympic National Park radio, worth $1,100, a bifold wallet containing tools and a closed circuit camera system DVR were taken.
A floor safe was significantly damaged but was unopened. A shoe print was found on a floor mat in the station after the burglary.
Investigators seized Hall’s tennis shoes after his arrest and determined that the tread pattern matched the shoe print found in the Sol Duc entrance station, according to court documents.
This isn’t the first time this year someone has been charged with stealing from Olympic National Park.
Randy W. Eastman Jr, 30, of La Push and Brianne M. Decker, 28, of Beaver pleaded guilty during the summer to multiple theft charges after stealing park fees.
Eastman was sentenced to 30 days in prison and ordered to pay $300 restitution. Decker received credit for time served and also was ordered to pay $300 restitution.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
