Whatcom woman arrested, man sought for alleged theft of $63,000 excavator
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Maple Falls woman and is still searching for a man after they allegedly used fake names to rent a $63,000 excavator and trailer and then never returned it. The woman, who had 18 previous felony convictions, reportedly was found with a loaded AR-15 in her home when police arrested her.
Amanda Laine Bryant, 36, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on Aug. 18 on suspicion of charges including first-degree theft, first degree criminal impersonation and unlawful possession of a firearm, and jail records show she was released Friday, Aug. 21, on $25,000 bail.
The sheriff’s office is seeking Bryce Joseph LaCasse, 33, for his connection to the alleged theft, Chief Deputy Kevin Hester told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
On June 10, LaCasse and Bryant arranged to rent an excavator and trailer under the false names of “Kara and Mark Livingston,” court records state. Bryant reportedly provided a credit card number for the reservation, but could not give a security code, and the card was denied and later found to be a Canadian Visa.
LaCasse signed the rental agreement written to Mark Livingston as “Mike” and took the equipment, according to court documents, and when the victim attempted to receive payment from LaCasse and Bryant, he was unsuccessful in contacting them.
The victim located the equipment in the 3800 block of Nelson Road using GPS, court documents state, and spoke to a witness who said LaCasse and Bryant were the two seen operating the equipment. In addition to the $63,259 cost of the equipment, unpaid fees for the equipment reportedly added up to $2,224.50.
Sheriff’s Office detectives used surveillance video to identify LaCasse as the man who signed the rental agreement and traced the number “Kara” provided on the rental agreement to a phone registered to Bryant, court documents show.
Deputies placed Bryant under arrest on Aug. 18 at her home in the 8300 block of Golden Valley Boulevard. While searching for LaCasse in the residence, deputies reportedly found the AR-15 in plain view at the foot of stairs leading to Bryant’s and LaCasse’s bedroom.
Court records show LaCasse has 12 previous felony convictions in Whatcom County since 2007 for possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude police, possession of stolen property, trafficking stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping.
Bryant has previous felony convictions for theft, forgery, identity theft, providing false identification during a crime and controlled substance violation since 2002 in Skagit, Yakima and Chelan counties.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 10:51 AM.
