Updated at 6:45 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A 41-year-old man from the Boistfort Valley was arrested this morning after a search warrant served at his home yesterday turned up evidence authorities believe means he was chopping up stolen vehicles and selling their metal for recycling.
Sheriff’s deputies who went to the 200 block of Lake Creek Road yesterday with the state patrol and other county employees describe what they found as an illegal wrecking yard.
[1]Michael Glenn McBride
Michael Glenn McBride was picked up just before 9 a.m. today in connection with possession of stolen property, and other related offenses, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies yesterday also found about three-quarters of a pound of marijuana, a digital scale and two firearms at the property, according to the sheriff’s office. McBride is a convicted felon and prohibited from owning guns, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said in a news release.
An investigation began a few weeks ago when a tipster reported McBride was bringing assorted vehicles to his residence, especially in the past three weeks and it seemed suspicious, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies obtained receipts from Hand in Hand Recycling in Centralia which showed McBride had been bringing in numerous auto parts and scrap from vehicles, as much as 1,700 pounds on one recent day, according to Brown.
Deputies spoke with him on Saturday when he attempted to turn in parts without the title or registration, Brown reported.
Identification numbers from vehicle parts at McBride’s property matched a Ford 150 pickup truck stolen in July from Curtis, Brown said. The cab of the truck was discovered on Sunday off King Road in Winlock and the bed of the truck was found on the same road yesterday, Brown said.
Detectives found McBride this morning in a travel trailer behind a residence on the 1100 block of Koontz Road south of Chehalis, according to Brown.