Undercover deputies witness burglary in Ephrata

MOSES LAKE — An Ephrata man is lodged in the Grant County Jail after undercover deputies reportedly witnessed him steal items from the Ephrata Landfill, which led to the recovery of items stolen during burglaries in Grant and Adams counties.

Undercover deputies were surveilling 42-year-old Lamar Loomis, of Ephrata, in connection with several local burglaries and reportedly witnessed him commit a burglary about 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. Loomis allegedly cut a fence in order to gain entry to the Ephrata Landfill and stole several items, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Loomis left the area on a stolen ATV and was followed by detectives, who reported watched him load the stolen items into a van. Loomis was then followed to the 1500 Arnold Drive, in the Larson community, where he was taken into custody.

The Arnold Drive home and van were searched and deputies recovered items that were reportedly stolen during a number of burglaries in Grant and Adams counties. Loomis, who has a lengthy criminal history, was booked into the Grant County Jail for investigation of several counts of second-degree burglary, first-degree possession of stolen property and possession of a stolen vehicle. The investigation into the thefts is ongoing.

“Detectives were following Loomis around for nearly 30 hours starting on Tuesday, and their hard work yielded great results,” Sheriff Tom Jones said. “Sometimes patience pays off in dividends, especially when we can take a long-time criminal off the street.”

If you have any information on the thefts contact the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at 509-762-1160 or via email at crimetips@grantcountywa.gov.