PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man who police said was walking through a west Port Angeles neighborhood with a wheelbarrow full of stolen property has pleaded not guilty to one count of third-degree theft and two counts of second-degree burglary.
Christopher Ray Barnett, 23, was charged Wednesday in Clallam County Superior Court after being chased down by a civilian and arrested by police last week.
$1,000 cash bail
Barnett remained in the Clallam County jail as of Thursday on $1,000 cash bail.
Barnett’s preliminary trial date has been set for April 22, with a status hearing slated for March 29.
According to police accounts, Barnett was first spotted by the person who would eventually chase him down as Barnett was crossing South C Street near the intersection with West Eighth Street with a wheelbarrow at about 5 a.m. last Saturday.
The wheelbarrow reportedly tipped over while Barnett was crossing the street, and the man got out of his car to help.
Barnett reportedly ran with the wheelbarrow, however, leading to a brief search that resulted in a call to the Police Department and Barnett being arrested in a parking lot not far from where he was first seen.
The investigating officers later discovered that the wheelbarrow and its contents, about $200 worth of tools and other items, had been stolen from two separate homes earlier that morning, police said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
