(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
———————
PORT ANGELES — A 26-year-old man was ordered held in Clallam County jail on a total bail of $20,000 Monday following the burglary of a Port Angeles businesses over the weekend, and business owners appeared at his court hearing calling for an increased response from police.
Sean Vince Della appeared before Judge George Wood in Clallam Superior Court for a bail hearing for investigation of second degree possession of stolen goods from Spotlight Tanning and Apparel and was ordered held on $15,000 bail.
Wood ordered an additional $5,000 bail in relation to a previous attempted burglary charge in which he failed to appear for a court hearing last Thursday. The charge was brought after an a break-in try at White Cup Espresso in Sequim.
Della will return to court at 1 p.m. Wednesday for the Spotlight stolen goods case and at 9 a.m. Friday for a hearing for the attempted burglary charge.
The hearing Monday was briefly interrupted during a discussion of Della’s legal history when Mandy Gallacci, owner of Spotlight at 715 E. First St., began listing the value of items taken from her store and those of other business owners present for the hearing.
Gallacci was warned by a court bailiff to remain quiet during court proceedings.
Eight Port Angeles business owners were at the hearing to support Gallacci and to register their protest against what they said is a lack of police responsiveness to property crimes.
Most businesses don’t currently have alarm systems with police notification, and if they do, the police response is slow enough that the burglars are gone by the time police arrive, Jacob Oppelt, owner of Next Door Gastropub at 115 W. First St., said after the hearing.
“Our confidence is slipping,” Oppelt said.
Cameras at Spotlight, which did not have an alarm system, captured images of a of a stocky man in a winter jacket removing items from the store 5 a.m. Sunday.
The burglar gained access to the business by breaking a window in the door.
Gallacci also used her cell phone to capture a video of a man peering into the windows of her business Jan 28.
She posted both videos Facebook in hopes of identifying the burglar and said about $4,000 in merchandise had been taken.
Port Angeles Police Officer Clay Rife said officers developed evidence to indicate the man in the videos was Della, and took him into custody Sunday night near his home on West Eighth Street.
A search of his home recovered items taken from Spotlight, Rife said.
“The investigation is continuing. There could be more charges,” he said.
Rife declined to say what exactly was recovered, but said the items did not represent all of what was reported taken.
Gallacci said that she was called to identify items from her store, but only about seven of the 20 to 24 pair of high-end jeans taken from the store were recovered. Each pair is valued at about $150.
“None of the hats, and a couple of bracelets,” she said.
The recovered items will be returned to Gallacci after the police are finished using them in the case.
Current charges do not include any tied to an earlier weekend burglary police are investigating.
Security cameras at Sabai Thai at 903 W. Eighth St. also caught images of a husky burglar Saturday, when about $400 worth of wine and some jewelry was taken.
The burglar broke the front door lock hardware to gain entry, said Renu “Ann” Chaummalung, co-owner of Sabai Thai.
A similar burglary took place at the restaurant Jan. 23, when $1,000 in cash was taken.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
