Ellensburg Man Accused Of Stealing Three License Plate-Reading Cameras From Town Of Kittitas

An Ellensburg man is facing several criminal charges after police say he stole three license plate-reading cameras from the city of Kittitas earlier this month.

The Kittitas Police Department says two of the cameras were stolen on or around Aug. 5 from the area of Parke Creek Road, while a third was taken from an overpass on Interstate-90 just outside of town.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says an image of the person taken by one of the cameras they stole was used to identify him as the suspect.

After matching the images to photos found on Facebook, 22-year-old Griffin Perry Hinchliff was contacted by police at his residence in Ellensburg, where he reportedly admitted to officers that he'd stolen the cameras as a way to "passively protest government surveillance of citizens."

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Hinchliff also reportedly told investigators that's he'd planned to sell some of the parts and pieces from the stolen cameras.

Police say they searched Hinchliff's residence and recovered the stolen cameras, along with several pieces of clothing he was captured wearing in the surveillance video used to identify him.

Hinchliff was booked into the Kittitas County Jail for suspicion of theft and malicious mischief, both in the second-degree, and bonded out shortly afterward.

At his arraignment in Kittitas County Superior Court last week, Hinchliff pled not guilty to the charges and his trial was scheduled for Nov. 2.

According to the Sheriff's Office, each of the cameras has an estimated value of $1,400.