Moses Lake men charged in theft ring

Five Moses Lake men are working their way through three court systems after being caught in a theft ring that stole big-ticket electronics from big-box stores.

The men are charged in Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties with crimes related to thefts at Wal-Mart stores in Wenatchee, Chelan, Ephrata and Moses Lake; Costco in East Wenatchee; and a tire store in Grant County.

According to court documents, here is how the thefts unfolded in Chelan and Douglas counties:

On Sept. 10, two men left the Wenatchee Wal-Mart through a fire exit door with three 32-inch televisions loaded into shopping carts. They put the TVs into a dark minivan and drove away.

On Sept. 14, three men tried to leave Costco out a back door with about $4,000 worth of merchandise, but they were detained by store employees and an off-duty sheriff's deputy. A third person waiting in a van outside drove away.

On Sept. 24, two males walked out of the Wal-Mart in Chelan with two shopping carts filled with items. They loaded a desktop computer and a 32-inch television into a minivan, but left a cart filled with another $1,200 worth of merchandise.

An hour and a half later on Sept. 24, the Wenatchee Wal-Mart reported an attempted theft of a desktop computer. A neighboring homeowner confronted the thief, who left in a minivan.

Wenatchee police investigating the Wal-Mart attempted theft discovered similar crimes at Wal-Marts in Grant County. They obtained suspect photos and compared them to video surveillance taken at the store. Some of the suspects were already in jail after being arrested at Costco.

Randal R. Collier, 20, Justin W. Sibley, 20, and Kurt Christman, 19, were all charged in the Costco theft. Sibley and Christman, along with David R. Hagar, 36, and Robert Sharrah, 19, were charged in Chelan County. Hagar was charged for thefts at the Wenatchee and Chelan stores, Sibley and Christman for just the Wenatchee Wal-Mart, and Sharrah for just the Chelan Wal-Mart.

Hagar, Collier and Sharrah have also been charged in Grant County for thefts.

Collier pleaded guilty Monday in Douglas County to first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree theft and sentenced to three months in jail.

Sibley pleaded guilty in Douglas County Superior Court on Nov. 2 to first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree theft and was sentenced to four months in jail. He is scheduled to plead guilty in Chelan County Superior Court on Nov. 16.

Christman pleaded guilty Nov. 2 in Douglas County to second-degree theft and first-degree criminal trespass and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. The next day, on Nov. 3, he pleaded guilty in Chelan County to second-degree theft and trafficking in stolen property and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. The two sentences are to run consecutively.

Sharrah pleaded guilty on Oct. 14 in Chelan County to two counts of second-degree theft and was sentenced to two months in jail.

Hagar has not pleaded guilty to any charges yet. Chelan County Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Forrest said Hagar faces the harshest penalties because of his previous criminal convictions.

Hagar, Collier and Sharrah will all be sent to Grant County to face charges there, said Chelan County deputy prosecutor Kevin Forrest.