SEQUIM — A report of a man carrying an ax Sunday evening led to Sequim police netting a suspected burglar by setting a trap inside a pharmacy.
Justin Diesen, 29, of Sequim, was arrested and taken to Clallam County Corrections Facility.
He was charged Monday with one count of second-degree burglary and released on his own recognizance, and is scheduled to be arraigned March 18.
The events leading to the arrest started just before 7:30 p.m., which is when someone told police about a “subject with ax near drive-through” at Frick’s Drug Store — located in the same West Washington Avenue shopping center as the Police Department’s offices.
No one was there when police arrived, but officers found “fresh damage” to the door that contains the pharmacy’s drive-through window, including gouges from a heavy, sharp object and damage to the gate that covers the window.
The padlock securing the gate was missing.
Setup for a theft
Officers suspected that the vandalism could be a setup for a theft.
Police placed a video camera inside the store to record events and turned off the store’s alarm system. An officer also stationed himself inside, and shortly after 10 p.m. he notified other officers that a man had entered the building.
After detaining the burglar at gunpoint, officers found that the man had a pry bar and two empty backpacks, according to a police statement.
