Police untangle theft of guns in Medical Lake
One man arrested, 2 guns recovered so far
A reported burglary in Medical Lake last weekend and theft of more than 20 guns resulted in the arrest Wednesday night of a man who allegedly promised the homeowner’s daughter a pickup if she provided the stolen guns.
The case began when a homeowner at 1104 N. Wilcox St. in Medical Lake contacted Spokane County deputies Saturday regarding several stolen guns. Investigators then received a tip that a girl was trying to sell guns to other juveniles, sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin said in a news release.
The homeowner noted that the door to his gun room was kicked in but the exterior of the home remained intact, “so he believes the burglar had to have had a key” and he suspected his 17-year-old daughter was involved, sheriff’s Detective Dave Herrin wrote in court records.
A different investigator interviewed the girl on Wednesday, and police said she admitted that she helped 20-year-old Cody Wolfley steal the guns, including several assault rifles, last Saturday.
They then called 21-year-old Bradley Kelly to get the firearms, which he loaded into his pickup truck, police said she told them.
Detectives began following Kelly on Wednesday afternoon and took him into custody. He appeared Thursday before Superior Court Judge Annette Plese, who ordered him held on a $20,000 bond and set his arraignment for Oct. 16.
The Spokane County SWAT team served warrants Wednesday evening at 1026 E. Ladd St., 326 E. Fellows St. and Kelly’s residence at 1010 N. Dover Road, all Medical Lake locations where witnesses saw Kelly and others handling guns, police said.
Thursday morning, detectives searched Kelly’s truck and found a loaded AK-47 assault rifle secured with bungee cords under the truck’s back bumper. They also found a Kel-Tec .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun in the truck’s rear toolbox. Both guns were reported stolen last weekend from the Medical Lake home.
“Detectives anticipate additional arrests and warrants as the investigation continues,” Chamberlin said.
The 17-year-old girl told detectives that she agreed to provide the guns to Kelly “in exchange for his pickup truck,” court records state, “which she never received.”