Crime: Lopez Island boy accused of car theft

A fresh pair of criminal charges were filed last week against a Lopez Island boy awaiting trial on a series of thefts that occurred at the high school earlier this year.

According to court documents, the 15-year-old allegedly stole a 1967 El Camino three weeks ago and was in possession of bottles of alcoholic beverages when he and another boy were confronted in a driveway on Pavey Hill Road. The man reportedly found the car abandoned at the end of his driveway, took the keys out of the ignition and later confronted the two boys after reporting the incident to authorities.

The boy is charged in Juvenile Court with second-degree auto theft — a Class C felony — and being a minor in possession of alcohol, a misdemeanor offense. He is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 3 on the new charges.

The court ordered that he be held in custody in Clallam County until the arraignment hearing. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12 months of probation, 150 hours of community service, a $500 fine, and 30 days in juvenile detention.

At the time the alleged car theft occurred, the 15-year-old was under court-ordered restrictions pending trial on theft charges that followed the disappearance of jewelry, clothes, school equipment, 50 music CDs, and a total of $903 in cash, most of which vanished from the locker room of the high school gym.

The boy now faces separate felony theft charges as a result of the two incidents. The other boy was not identified in court documents and criminal charges have yet to be filed against him.

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