SEQUIM — Clallam County sheriff’s deputies were seeking a 25-year-old man Tuesday in connection with at least one Sequim home burglary after an alleged associate turned himself in to Sequim police Monday night.
Deputies were looking for Ryan Van Winkle, who stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 145 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes, said Detective Sgt. John Keegan with the Sheriff’s Office.
“[He’s believed to be a] transient between the Sequim area and the Port Angeles area,” Keegan said.
Property stolen
Van Winkle and 20-year-old Jacob Henry Gloor of Sequim are suspected in the break-in of a home along Gold Dust Lane northwest of Sequim in which thousands of dollars of personal property and a sedan were stolen, Keegan said.
The homeowners reported the burglary Jan. 22.
“They were out of town at the time. When they came back, they discovered the burglary,” Keegan said.
Gloor and Van Winkle are also thought to have been involved in several other burglaries in Port Angeles and Sequim, Keegan said, though he declined to release details.
“Those are still ongoing investigations,” he added.
Keegan said Gloor had apparently learned from friends that deputies were looking for him in connection with the Jan. 22 burglary and turned himself in to police.
Gloor was booked into the Clallam County jail Monday night for investigation of nine counts of trafficking in stolen property, two counts of second-degree theft from a building and two counts of third-degree malicious mischief.
He was also booked for one count each of residential burglary, third-degree trafficking in stolen property, theft of a motor vehicle and second-degree vehicle prowl.
Door glass smashed
The homeowners came home to find the glass in a rear door had been broken with a rock and jewelry, silver coins, DVDs and their car stolen, Keegan said.
Deputies found the car abandoned in a parking lot east of Railroad Bridge Park that day, Keegan said, and later began checking local pawn shops for the homeowners’ belongings.
The weeklong investigation led deputies to Gloor, Keegan said, with search warrants served at his home turning up some of the stolen items.
Witness statements and other information gleaned from the investigation also pointed to Van Winkle having been involved, Keegan said.
“We believe we have probable cause to arrest Mr. Van Winkle,” Keegan added.
Anyone with information on Van Winkle’s whereabouts is urged to dial 9-1-1 or the Sheriff’s Office dispatch line at 360-417-2459.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
