Suspected commercial burglars caught

A man and woman suspected of stealing a log splitter and vintage guitar from a business have been booked into Spokane County jail on burglary and stolen property charges. Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy Steve Stevens found Rebecca Fagerstedt, 42, and Kenneth Thiefault, 33, in a black truck near 6100 N. Hayford Road, when responding to a commercial burglary alarm around 4:45 a.m. Monday, a news release from the sheriff’s office said. Stevens noticed a log splitter attached to the back of the truck. When Stevens approached, the driver, later identified as Fagerstedt, took off. Thiefault was sitting in the passenger seat, the release said. Stevens pulled the vehicle over and Thiefault told the deputy a friend owned the log splitter. However, when Stevens went to the alleged friend’s house, the homeowner did not want to speak with him. The owner of the shop where the alarm originated told police the log splitter had been stolen. The shop owner also found a vintage guitar and case that had been stolen in the back of the truck. Fagerstedt denied knowing anything about the stolen splitter and Thiefault refused to talk to deputies. Deputy Stevens found a window at the victim’s shop had been pried off.