Burglar returns loot, gets charged

Published 1:30 am Friday, October 21, 2022

A man who returned items he stole from a North Whidbey resident and turned himself into police in early 2021 is now facing felony charges, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 25-year-old Miguel Rodriguez in Island County Superior Court Oct. 20 with burglary in the second degree, theft in the third degree and malicious mischief in the third degree. In court papers, Rodriguez is described as a transient living in Oak Harbor.

On Feb. 24, 2021, a North Whidbey resident reported that someone stole a kayak and other items from storage areas. A door was also damaged during the burglary.

A week later, the stolen kayak mysteriously showed up on the property, according to a deputy’s report. Then on March 2, Rodriguez returned to the property and the resident called the police, according to court documents.

The deputy arrived to find Rodriguez standing in the yard near a tree. He told the deputy that he had broken into the resident’s shop and stolen stuff, but he was returning the items “to make things right.” He indicated that he had returned the kayak and then called a friend to bring back a camera bag he had also taken.

The deputy arrested Rodriguez and booked him into jail, but he wasn’t charged right away.