RICHLAND -- A Richland teen pleaded innocent to charges he stole an activated GPS device and other items from a decoy cop car being used to combat crime.
Matthew Michael Turcotte, 19, appeared Wednesday in Benton County Superior Court.
He faces trial Jan. 19 for second-degree possession of stolen property and second-degree vehicle prowling.
Richland police reportedly parked an undercover car near the Richland Skate Park last June to fight the recent increase in thefts and vehicle prowls, court documents said.
Then on June 10, Turcotte and a friend allegedly took a backpack full of $980 worth of items from the car. The backpack contained CDs, pens and the GPS unit, which was used to track the stolen goods to the home of Turcotte's friend, documents said.
The alleged accomplice has not yet been charged in the crime, said court records. Turcotte refused to talk to police about the case.
-- Kristin M. Kraemer: 509-582-1531; kkraemer@tricityherald.com
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