Undersheriff warns of serial gas station break-ins across Okanogan County

Okanogan County Undersheriff Dave Yarnell

MIKE MALTAIS/WARD MEDIA

PATEROS – While the city had only seven calls for service by the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office over a recent 30-day period, several other cities in the county are having issues with gas station break-ins.

Okanogan County Undersheriff Dave Yarnell advised the Dec. 16 city council meeting to be alert to the problem that has affected Tonasket, Omak, and Okanogan gas stations.

“We have been having a lot of problems with the theft of vaping devices and alcohol,” said Yarnell. “Among juveniles, vaping is the next big thing. They are stealing the vapes to sell to the kids at school.”

Yarnell noted the vapers are catching on to a new substance.

“They have learned that once the nicotine vape is gone, they can replace it and refill it with the marijuana vaping fluid.”

Yarnell said that even though most businesses have internal video for their gaming licenses, the system often is not working because the staff does not turn it on or know how to fix it.

“We had one business in Okanogan has been burglarized three different times,” said Yarnell. “Two of the businesses in Okanogan and Omak were broken into again because the owners only put up plywood over the windows or the doors, and the thieves just ripped the plywood off and went back in and re-burglarized the same business.”

Tonasket has resorted to private security because the city no longer has a contract with the sheriff’s office.

Brewster Police Chief Marcos Ruiz told the Quad City Herald that Brewster has not experienced a similar theft problem.

Yarnell also reported that the North Central Washington Drug Task Force (NCWDTF) has restricted its operations to federal lands.

“Our narcotics laws have been watered down by legislation in Olympia,” said Yarnell. “Most of our investigations are occurring on the Colville Indian Reservation where the feds still consider things to be felonies.”

Yarnell said that over the past year the sheriff’s office has reduced the number of cases being worked stateside. 

“We are looking at putting together a group of deputies to address some of the alleged drug houses in some of our communities,” Yarnell said. “One of the deputies we hired from tribal police was a former narcotics detective. He has the training to lead a small group of deputies in some focused investigations.”

In a related issue the city approved an annual $5,000 participation fee to NCWDTF for 2025. 

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media