SEQUIM — The residential and commercial construction boom in East Clallam County and part of Jefferson County has yielded an increase of another sort, law-enforcers say.
At least a dozen construction sites in the Sequim area have been hit by thieves in a rash of crime this month, prompting an investigation and a warning from the law officers.
“We want the contractors to understand that there’s a problem going on out there, so that they will maybe take some action on their own to protect their stuff,” Clallam County Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Snover said Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the month, builders have reported plywood, tools and even a secured job trailer stolen from secluded job sites in and around Sequim, Snover said.
Some of the sites have been hit more than once. They stretch from about Port Angeles into East Jefferson County.
Investigators believe the thefts are connected because of their frequency, the limited area in which they are occurring, and the types of items that have been stolen.
Snover said the culprits might try to resell the property at cut rates.
“It looks like we’ve got some people out there who have decided to make this their living,” he said.
The Clallam Sheriff’s Department is working with Sequim police and Jefferson County authorities to investigate the recent thefts.
Sequim Police Sgt. Sean Madison said his department has responded to “several” similar thefts and burglaries — including a few at the new Wal-Mart construction site on the west side of Sequim — in the past five weeks.
