Alleged Squatter Charged With Burglary, Malicious Mischief In Cle Elum

A man who was allegedly found squatting inside a vacant apartment complex in Cle Elum earlier this month has been charged with burglary.

The Ellensburg Daily Record says officers with the Cle Elum/Roslyn Police Department and deputies with the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office responded to the location on North Oakes Avenue on April 9 after receiving reports about a burglary in progress.

Witnesses told police a man who'd reportedly been removed from a unit at the vacant complex the day before was back on the property and could be seen sleeping and possibly using drugs inside one of the units.

Get our free mobile app

Officers and deputies arrived at the complex to discover a shattered window and observed someone moving around inside one of the units.

Police entered the unit and contacted the person seen inside, who was identified as 34-year-old Drew Harold Wood, who reportedly told officers that he was at the property to meet an ex-tenant and assist her with moving out.

Investigators say Wood also said he'd found the window broken when he arrived at the complex and that he attempted to call police about it but his cell phone was also broken.
Inside the unit, police found a mattress on the floor, along with a duffle bag and two sacks of food.

Officers discovered Wood had not only been escorted from the premises the day before, but had also just been released from jail about a week prior.

Wood was arrested and booked into the Kittitas County Jail on suspicion of second-degree burglary and second-degree malicious mischief.

At his arraignment in Kittitas County Superior Court this week, Wood pled not guilty to the charges and Judge Chris Herion established his bail at $10,000 with a trial date of June 8.

As of Tuesday, records from the Jail indicate Wood remains incarcerated and has yet to post bond.