A Forks man is being accused of first-degree theft and trafficking in stolen property after he allegedly stole a Bremerton man’s log loader while he was in prison, and then sold it.
John …
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A Forks man is being accused of first-degree theft and trafficking in stolen property after he allegedly stole a Bremerton man’s log loader while he was in prison, and then sold it.
John Anthony Harris is facing two felony counts in Jefferson County Superior Court.
According to court documents, the theft victim said he had left the log loader on his property near Cedar Creek in Jefferson County. The Bremerton man said his log loader was valued at $40,000, but said Harris had falsely claimed to be his business partner while he was in jail, and sold the loader to a logging company in Forks.
The victim told authorities he had purchased the log loader from Ritchie Brothers, an auction company in Chehalis. A sheriff’s deputy was able to confirm the sale and received an invoice from the company that showed the $43,432 purchase.
Harris, 41, was contacted at his home in Forks last year and Harris allegedly told the deputy he had not sold the loader and that another man had come and retrieved the Bremerton man’s possessions that had been left with Harris.
The Bremerton man, who had been in prison from December 2018 to February 2022, told police he had not spoken with Harris since he had been in the Clallam County Jail, and had given Harris several thousand dollars to post his bail, but Harris never did. The victim also said Harris would not answer or return his calls, so he stopped trying to call him.
Harris was quickly linked to the stolen logging equipment.
When a deputy contacted the logging company in Forks that had purchased the log loader, authorities discovered that Harris had indeed sold the loader to the business, and Harris had hand-written and signed a note describing the terms of the sale that was verified by two other witnesses.
Prosecutors filed the two felony charges against Harris on March 28.
Conviction of first-degree theft can result in a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine; first-degree trafficking in stolen property also carries a maximum 10-year prison term and $20,000 fine upon conviction.
