SEQUIM — A homeless man living in the Sequim area has been arrested after law enforcement officials said he went on a weekend crime spree in which he stole three vehicles, wrecked two and burglarized two homes, surprising the residents of one house in the middle of the night.
Joseph R. Golbeck, 18, was arrested Monday for investigation of theft of a motor vehicle, first-degree theft, hit and run-attended property damage, third-degree theft, residential burglary, second-degree burglary, minor in possession of alcohol, second-degree trafficking in stolen property and resisting arrest.
He remained in the Clallam County jail Tuesday on $16,000 bail.
“Golbeck admitted to all activities from the weekend,” said Sheri Crain, Sequim Police Department deputy chief.
“Golbeck was responsible for an extensive amount of criminal activity in a short time frame.”
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said Golbeck stole a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee registered in Sequim sometime late Saturday or early Sunday and then drove it off the road and wrecked it at 3177 West Sequim Bay Road between 3 a.m. and 3:45 a.m. Sunday.
He fled to a nearby home, where he broke in looking for car keys and was confronted by the homeowners, said Chief Criminal Deputy Brian J. King of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
“They were woken up at about 3:30 a.m. to noises in their house and observed an unidentified male subject standing in their kitchen,” King said.
Golbeck fled on foot, King said, adding that the homeowners apparently did not immediately notify law enforcement officers of the incident.
Golbeck then walked over to the John Wayne Marina and entered an occupied but unlocked rental cabin at 2643 Sequim Bay Road looking for keys to a vehicle parked outside, King said.
King didn’t say if the residents knew of his entry.
“The suspect located vehicle keys on a night stand and, stealing the keys, the suspect then entered a vehicle attempting to steal it, only to run into the side of another cabin,” King said.
He hit Cabin 6, King said.
Golbeck found keys in a nearby van and took off in it, staying out of the reach of law enforcement until Monday evening, King said.
Sequim police officers began investigating after a 5:42 a.m. Sunday report of a wrecked Jeep on West Sequim Bay Road and learned of burglaries in the area, according to Sequim Police Chief Bill Dickinson.
“Sequim officers awakened the jeep owner at 8:45 a.m. and determined that the car had been stolen overnight without the owner’s knowledge,” Dickinson said.
At about 4:28 p.m. Monday, Officer Kindryn Leiter spotted the van stolen from John Wayne Marina at 300 S. Sunnyside Ave., Dickinson said.
“She was able to turn around in traffic and found the van parked,” Crain said.
“Golbeck ran from Officer Leiter when contacted with the van. He ran approximately half a block before he responded to her yelled commands to stop.”
Leiter was initially the only officer involved. Other officers assisted with needed follow-up throughout the evening.
Golbeck was taken into custody without incident, the van was recovered and Golbeck was interviewed, police said.
The chain of events allegedly involving Golbeck is not the norm for the Sequim area, King said.
“It’s rare. It is certainly not common that we get multiple stolen vehicles by one individual,” he said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.