PORT ANGELES — The owner of the Port Angeles Antique Mall has been released from the Clallam County jail after being booked last week for investigation of possessing and trafficking in stolen property.
Michael Allen VanAusdle made a preliminary appearance in Clallam County Superior Court on Tuesday, at which Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer ordered VanAusdle to be released on his own recognizance at the recommendation of John Troberg, Clallam County deputy prosecuting attorney.
VanAusdle, 51, will next appear in Superior Court at 3 p.m. Thursday, when formal charges are expected to be filed.
He was arrested at his business at 109 W. First St., at about 2 p.m. Friday for investigation of one count each of first-degree trafficking in stolen property and second-degree possession of stolen property.
The arrest came after VanAusdle allegedly agreed to buy jewelry described as stolen by undercover law enforcement officers in a sting operation, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
VanAusdle’s antique mall was one of an undisclosed number of Port Angeles gold and silver buyers recently approached by undercover officers with the intent of selling stolen jewelry, Sgt. John Keegan, with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, said last week.
Officers from the county sheriff’s office and the Sequim Police Department participated in the stolen jewelry sting operation.
The sting was prompted by reports that jewelry stolen in roughly 30 summertime burglaries in the Sequim and Port Angeles areas had been sold to local gold and silver buyers, Keegan said.
Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
