Man accused of 60 vehicle break-ins
The burglar broke into cars in secluded parking garages and crowded parking lots, using the cover of darkness or the chaos of large community events.
He peered inside the windows, looking for laptop computers, iPods and digital cameras. A towel or jacket often indicated something worth stealing might be hidden beneath.
Police allege that Matthew D. Campbell was methodical in his search for vehicles to burglarize, sometimes returning to the same location over and over, and not hesitating to smash windows and grab what he wanted.
Campbell, 26, a Post Falls resident, is a suspect in more than 60 recent auto burglaries in Kootenai and Spokane counties. Fortunately for many victims, much of what he’s accused of stealing was found in his car and home when he was arrested Sunday.
“It’s indescribable,” Coeur d’Alene police Sgt. Christie Wood said of the amount of stolen property recovered. “This person had not sold any of these items. He just kept them.”
Still, the rash of break-ins, police say, is a warning not to leave anything of value in your car. Lock the doors and roll up the windows, but also understand that a thief who really wants something will do anything to get it, Post Falls police Lt. Greg McLean said.
Campbell’s trunk was packed so full at the time of his arrest that it was held closed by bungee cords. The inside of the car was crammed with laptop computers, purses and wallets, briefcases, bags of clothes and luggage.
Coeur d’Alene business owner Joe Ellithorpe was one of Campbell’s last alleged victims and one of the few who has had his property returned. Ellithorpe and his wife, Ruth, were at the Rockin’ B Ranch in Liberty Lake when the window of their truck was smashed and Ruth’s briefcase stolen. Inside the briefcase was a set of keys to the Ellithorpe’s gun dealership, Northwest Pony Express.
Police say Campbell went to the business and used the keys to get in, triggering a business alarm. But he allegedly grabbed a laptop before fleeing.
When police arrested him Sunday evening, they found the laptop in his car, police said. It had been reconfigured, Joe Ellithorpe said, and a handful of portable thumb drives containing business files was missing. The loss of the thumb drives, the cost of rekeying the business and replacing the truck’s window totaled about $1,000, he said.
Kootenai County prosecutors charged Campbell with felony burglary, grand theft and possession of a controlled substance – suspected to be methamphetamine – and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges are pending.
Wood said Campbell is believed responsible for at least 32 burglaries in Coeur d’Alene, 20 in Spokane and about a dozen in Post Falls.
One woman reported her purse – containing more than $2,000 in cash for her mortgage payment – was stolen. Several other purses and wallets were reported stolen, along with checkbooks, credit cards and personal papers.
Wood said it appears that none of the items Campbell allegedly stole was used to commit fraud or identity theft.
Investigators have spent this week taking inventory of the stolen property and trying to match items with victims.
The volume of items recovered makes the process arduous, Wood said. In cases where theft reports were filed and serial numbers and descriptions were provided, it’s easier.
In some cases, a theft report was never filed, Wood said. If anyone in the area was a victim of an auto burglary and didn’t file a report, they can contact Coeur d’Alene police at (208) 769-2320 to see whether the property was recovered.
“One of the big things is people shouldn’t be leaving their high-priced items in their cars,” McLean said. “Laptop computers are expensive. I saw five to 10 this guy was able to get his hands on.”
Joe Ellithorpe said it was alarming to have the keys to his business stolen.
“I’m not changing my habits,” he said. “My shop keys are never anywhere but my pocket. My wife is changing her habits. … The big thing is, don’t leave stuff like that sitting in the front seat of your vehicle.”