Suspect goes free in naked burglar case

The alleged naked burglar, a registered sex offender suspected of breaking into a stranger’s Spokane apartment and disrobing last week, has been released from jail without any charges being filed against him.

Trevor Lee Franklin, 22, was freed Monday from the Spokane County Jail. The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t file formal charges against Franklin within the mandatory 72-hour window because Spokane police didn’t get the required reports turned in.

However, police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said Franklin does not appear to be a threat to the community and police no longer believe he is the same man who was caught on surveillance footage earlier this month trying to enter a South Hill home with his pants pulled down to his ankles.

Investigators think the Browne’s Addition break-in was an isolated incident and the investigation continues, DeRuwe said. Franklin still could face charges.

“I think that’s important for the community to know,” she said.

Franklin was in Spokane County Jail on suspicion of residential burglary after allegedly breaking into a Browne’s Addition apartment, getting naked and ransacking it on Jan. 8. He appeared in court on Jan. 9. and a Spokane County Superior Court judge set his bond at $50,000.

The victim and his girlfriend told police they came home to their apartment at the Broadmoor and found Franklin standing naked outside their door. The victim returned Franklin’s clothes to him, and Franklin entered the apartment again and tried to hug the tenant while fondling himself.

Procedurally, law enforcement is required to file a probable cause affidavit in order to keep a suspect in jail for 72 hours. They then must then submit to the prosecutor’s office a complete package including the full police report within that 72-hour window in order for the suspect to continue to be held.

Franklin was released from prison on Jan. 4 after being sentenced to one year imprisonment for third-degree assault. He also has a prior conviction for third-degree assault with sexual motivation for threatening to kill a developmentally delayed woman if she didn’t have sex with him.

He is a level 3 sex offender, the level considered most likely to reoffend.

Police are still investigating the South Hill incident, but no arrests have been made.