TACOMA — A Port Angeles woman indicted on a federal residential burglary charge after she told a ranger in Olympic National Park that she found a safe while kayaking in Lake Crescent pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Monday.
Michelle Madona Osborn appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday, where she pleaded not guilty, and trial was set for Oct. 28. Osborn has been released from federal custody on bond.
On Aug. 9, rangers were notified of a burglary in progress on East Beach Road at private property within Olympic National Park.
When Ranger Matthew Bolin arrived there, he spotted Osborn pushing a blue wheelbarrow containing a safe, which was attached to a broken piece of particle board and partially concealed under a life jacket, according to court records.
When Bolin ordered her to stop and detained her, Osborn offered an explanation as to what she was doing.
“[I was] paddling in my kayak and I found the safe in the lake,” Osborn told the ranger, according to court documents.
The electronic safe and its contents did not show any sign of water damage.
When officers frisked Osborn, a large Kelly Hanson black glove, for the right hand, fell out of her clothing, according to court documents.
The property owner told the ranger that while the wheelbarrow belonged to her, the safe and kayak did not belong to her.
Later that night, rangers learned that the safe and kayak belonged to a couple who owned a nearby home.
When rangers visited the neighbors’ home the next day they found a Kelly Hanson black glove — for the left hand — in the middle of the driveway. Inside the home was a broken particle board shelf in a closet.
The owner was able to open the safe and was able to identify other small items that were found in Osborn’s possession, court documents said.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.