Pair charged for alleged cabin break-in near Brinnon

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Two people were arrested for residential burglary after an alert neighbor noticed a light on in a cabin south of Brinnon a few days after the owners had left following their weekend visit.

Benjamin Richard Tweed, 34, and Mandy Marie York, 40, are facing charges of residential burglary and third-degree theft for the alleged break-in.

The pair were arrested after a resident who lives near the cabin on
US Highway 101 near McDonald Cove south of Brinnon went to check on the property after the owners had gone home.

The neighbor told authorities she was walking on a trail near the property, which has a kitchen/bedroom cabin and another sleeping cabin, just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 when she noticed a door to the kitchen cabin had been left open.

The neighbor soon realized that both cabins had been broken into and gone through. She then saw another woman nearby, climbing up the steep bank toward US 101.

The woman ignored the neighbor’s shouts, and the neighbor then saw a vehicle up the steep driveway that was stuck, with two men nearby yelling at each other.

Numerous items from the cabin were scattered in the driveway. 

When one of the men saw the neighbor, he started running toward her, according to court documents.

Fearing for her safety, the woman ran home and called the sheriff’s office.

Deputies responded and found a man and woman walking along US 101 about a half mile from the cabins.

The pair looked down as deputies drove past, and the man was carrying a large grocery bag filled with heavy items, according to a probable cause report.

The man, later identified as Tweed, told deputies their car had broken down.

He gave conflicting accounts of who owned the car, where it was, and what was wrong with the vehicle, then claimed he was diabetic and confused.

Tweed then gave several explanations of how the pair had gotten there and how their vehicle had gotten stuck, but the deputy wrote in his report that none of the explanations was “remotely believable.”

Tweed eventually said they had been walking and he needed to use the bathroom when he saw an open door at the cabin and went inside.

He said a person came and picked them up, then the vehicle ran off the road and got stuck.

He also said they couldn’t get the car to move, so they went in the cabin, ate some food, and waited for morning.

Tweed also allegedly said they had taken things from the cabin to put under the car’s tires for traction.

When deputies searched the bag that Tweed had been carrying, items were found that had been stolen from the cabin.

During Tweed’s first appearance in Jefferson County Superior Court last week, Prosecutor James Kennedy said Tweed had a criminal record in Mason County, Olympia, and Yakima, including a prior conviction for burglary.

Kennedy also said that history was dated, with the most recent conviction in 2010, and asked bail be set at $5,000.

Judge Brandon Mack, however, released Tweed on his personal recognizance but warned him a warrant would be issued if he failed to appear for any future court dates.

Tweed’s arraignment was set for Friday, March 31.

Both Tweed and York were listed as transients, with a last known address in Shelton.

During York’s initial court appearance on March 22, Kennedy noted that she had outstanding warrants for her arrest in Shelton and Grays Harbor.

The Shelton warrant had been issued in March 2021.

Noah Harrison, a public defender representing York, asked the court to release her on personal recognizance.

Mack noted his concerns about allowing her release, however, “and never seeing you again.”

The judge set bail at $2,000. 

York’s arraignment was also set for Friday, March 31.

Conviction of residential burglary can carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Third-degree theft can result in a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine upon conviction.