Four allegedly broke into two grocery stores and stole cigarettes and lottery tickets
Four people allegedly broke into a pair of Custer-area grocery stores early Tuesday, attempted to access ATMs in the stores and stole cigarettes from one store and Washington State Lottery tickets from the other.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Brent Taylor Cheney, 29; Treven Joshua Elgersma, 22; Alena Rae Sharp, 33; and Dylan Yourstone Sielicki, 38, into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree burglary and one count each of second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree malicious mischief, second-degree theft, third-degree theft, second-degree possession of stolen property, third-degree possession of stolen property and criminal conspiracy.
Shortly after midnight Tuesday, Dec. 3, the owner of Sunrise Grocery received notice that someone had broken through the door of the business, which is located in the 8000 block of Sunrise Road and was closed at the time, according to a Sheriff’s Office release.
Deputies found that a specific brand of cigarettes had been stolen from the store and that someone had attempted to access the ATM located in the store, the release said.
The owner also told deputies that they saw a late model Dodge Ram pickup with a construction rack over the bed leaving the scene southbound on Sunrise Road, according to the release.
At 1:30 a.m., the owner of M&M Delta Grocery, located in the 1300 block of Birch Bay Lynden Road, reported an alarm at his business, the release said. A live video feed showed that the front door had been pried open.
An attempt to access the ATM at that grocery also was made, the release said, and the investigation revealed that several Washington State Lottery scratch tickets had been stolen.
While responding to the Delta Grocery burglary, a deputy spotted a Dodge Ram pickup matching the description from the Sunrise Grocery burglary, the release said. The vehicle reportedly attempted to turn into a field, but was stopped by a gate.
With the help of Ferndale Police officers, Cheney, Elgersma, Sharp and Sielicki, who were all in the truck, were arrested.
Inside the truck in plain view, deputies found cartons of the cigarettes reported stolen from Sunrise Grocery, the release said, while a blue pry bar, which appeared to be used to open the ATM machines, was found in the bed of the truck.
As one of the suspects exited the truck, Washington State Lottery tickets fell to the ground, the release said, adding that the tickets’ sequential numbers matched the ones stolen from Delta Grocery.
Three of the suspect’s shoe patterns also matched those left at Sunrise Grocery, according to the release, and each of the suspects’ shoes had glass embedded from the broken door.
Damage to Delta Grocery was estimated to be $1,000, according to the release, while Sunrise Grocery had an estimated $500 in damage.
Jail records show that Elgersma was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, while Cheney’s bail was set at $2,500. No bail amounts were listed for Sharp or Sielicki.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 5:06 PM.
