A 58-year-old Lakebay man will be arraigned Friday for residential burglary in Jefferson County Superior Court for allegedly breaking into a home near Lords Lake.

Gary Lee Geisler Jr. made his first appearance in Superior Court on Monday following his arrest early Sunday.

Deputies found Geisler near a Honda parked outside the burglarized home just before 2 a.m. July 10, according to court documents.

Five days earlier, the owner of the property had reported a burglary at the residence, and said thousands of dollars of equipment and tools had been stolen, and solar panels were also missing.

Locks and chains on the gate to the property had been cut off, and new ones had been put on the gate after the owner discovered the place had been burglarized.

A family member visited the property on Sunday and had planned to camp in a tent by the river. When the person arrived, however, she discovered the gate was open and the chains were gone.

The woman was worried that the burglars had returned, and also told 911 dispatchers that the family had heard up to 10 people who were part of a theft ring had burglarized the property.

An officer found Geisler near the home roughly an hour later.

He said he had permission to camp on the property, and had talked to the owner’s sister five days earlier and had gotten the OK to stay there.

Unopened packages of pink padded sheets were found near the Honda, which matched blankets found inside the house. The owner of the home said it was bedding that was intended for her disabled daughter.

She also said she had not spoken to Geisler in 15 years and that he had no permission to be on the property.

Officers also found a scanner/radio on the driver seat of the Honda, and a family-talk style radio next to it. A sheriff’s report noted that such radios are commonly used by burglars “to alert each other of potential danger to their theft operations and to monitor law enforcement traffic or response.”

Geisler was arrested for residential burglary and third-degree theft just after
2:30 a.m. Sunday.

During his first appearance in court Monday, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tuppence Macintyre asked that bail be set at $35,000.

Macintyre recounted Geisler’s extensive history of theft and burglary, as well as previous convictions for possession of stolen property and burglary tools in Kitsap County. Geisler also had an earlier charge of fourth-degree assault in Pierce County, and traffic tickets in King and Snohomish counties.

Macintyre also said Geisler did not appear to be working alone during the alleged burglary and took advantage of knowing the owner of the Lords Lake property.

“He appears to have been working in concert with others,” Macintyre said.

Geisler asked for a court-appointed attorney, and Superior Court Judge Keith Harper set bail at $20,000.

Harper set Geisler’s arraignment for Friday, July 15.