PORT ANGELES — Authorities have arrested a third person believed to be connected with a recent string of home burglaries in eastern Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Port Angeles police arrested, with the help of a State Patrol SWAT team, 25-year-old Miles K. Stayton early Friday morning on investigation of three counts of possession of stolen firearms.
The arrest was made without incident at his home at 1327 W. 16th St., Port Angeles.
While investigators say the arrest is another step toward closing the books on about 20 connected break-ins — most occurring in the daytime and in Clallam County — from December through January, they say that there are still more people to apprehend.
“We are still following up on information and leads that we have on the burglaries,” said Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
Moores is the lead investigator on the task force recently formed in response to the recent increase in break-ins.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Sequim and Port Angeles police departments are also part of the task force.
All but about three of the burglaries occurred in eastern Clallam County, from Port Angeles to Sequim. The others occurred in Port Townsend and Discovery Bay areas, Moores said.
While not believed to be directly involved with recent burglaries, Stayton is alleged to have been in possession of a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun identified as being stolen from a home, Moores said.
Moores said that Stayton said he had two other stolen guns, but they were not in his home.
Authorities believe that Stayton got hold of the guns through Andrew J. Ellsworth and Zachary R. Oravetz, both arrested Jan. 9.
Ellsworth, 45, and Oravetz, 21, both of Port Angeles have been charged with two counts of residential burglary and six counts of firearm theft.
Deputy Police Brian Smith said the SWAT team was called to assist the officers with the arrest and the search of Stayton’s residence as a precaution since he was known to have guns in the home.
“When we have firearms and maybe dangerous people on the other side, we bring in folks with a higher level of training and equipment to make sure it’s as safe of an operation as it can be,” he said.
Moores said the amount of home burglary reports has been on decline over the last couple of weeks.
The 20 break-ins are believed to be connected because of the time of day they occur, what was stolen — mostly firearms, jewelry and anything else that can be easily taken and sold — and whether people were seen knocking on doors with suspicious excuses, as if they were checking to see if anyone were home, authorities have said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
