A man linked to a series of car break-ins and mail thefts in Oak Harbor is accused of leading an organized crime ring, according to court records.

A report by Detective Jenn Gravel with the Oak Harbor Police Department states that she investigated the cases for several weeks and was able to tie the suspect, 23-year-old Elijah J. Wright, to at least 25 known vehicle prowls. Wright also conspired with at least three other people to cash stolen and forged checks, she wrote.

Prosecutors charged Wright in Island County Superior Court with leading organized crime, identity theft in the second degree, two counts of forgery, two counts of possessing stolen property in the second degree and one count of possessing stolen property in the third degree.

Wright appeared in court Feb. 4. Judge Carolyn Cliff ordered that he be held in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Officers responded to multiple reports of vehicle prowls in the northwest area of the city on the night of Jan. 30. Investigators collected home surveillance video from three different homes that showed a man walking up driveways and trying door handles on cars.

Multiple officers who viewed the video independently identified the man as Wright, the detective wrote.

One of the victims was notified by his bank on Jan. 31 that his stolen debit card was used at the McDonald’s in Oak Harbor, so he went to the restaurant and confronted the two men he suspected; one of them was later identified as being Wright, who was allegedly carrying a stolen camera around his neck, the report states.

The police found Wright and his friend walking on Koetje Street; Wright ran away but the police detained his friend, the report states.

The man told police that he had been staying at Wright’s apartment and that they had been smoking Percocet pills laced with fentanyl, the detective wrote. He said Wright had given him a check to cash, but he didn’t know it was stolen, the report states.

Later that day, a bank notified the police that a woman had tried to cash a forged check. She also told officers that Wright had asked her to cash the check, the report states.

Additional thefts from vehicles were reported in the next couple of days. Purloined items included Apple Air Pods, an Amazon Kindle Fire, a phone and three sets of Navy uniforms, size large.

Officers executed a search warrant on Wright’s Oak Harbor Street apartment on Feb. 2. They found Wright hiding in a bed; he tried to run away even after being handcuffed, the report states.

A stolen wallet with credit cards, a stolen cell phone and stolen checkbooks were found in the apartment, according to court documents.

If convicted of the charges against him, Wright could face up to eight and a half years in prison under the standard sentencing range.