SK teens sentenced in church break-ins

Four South Kitsap teenagers will serve at least a month and a half in jail for a rash of burglaries that struck local homes, churches and at least one school earlier this year.

Brian Keith Garton, Beau Leroy McGavran and Samuel Dean White, all 18, were each sentenced to 60 days in Kitsap County Jail last week after pleading guilty to four counts of second-degree burglary in Kitsap County Superior Court.

Alexander Henry Charbonneau, also 18, was sentenced to 45 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of second-degree theft.

According to court documents, Charbonneau was charged with fewer crimes and received a lighter sentence because his role was determined to be largely that of a “lookout” for his accomplices.

All four defendants were also sentenced to 12 months of community custody following their release from jail.

Both Garton and Charbonneau filed standard guilty pleas, while the other teens — White and McGavran — filed Alford pleas, which allows a defendant to accept a plea agreement without admitting guilt.

According to incident reports, the teens’ string of burglaries began March 7 at a home on the 4000 block of Bear Tree Lane, where two off-road vehicles were stolen from a detached garage.

The second occurred on March 16 and involved two dirt bikes and several power tools being stolen from a detached garage on the 7000 block of Bayview Drive.

The next robbery occurred on March 25, and involved a 2000 Subaru Legacy stolen from a home in Olalla, which the suspects later admitted using to break open the gate at Burley-Glenwood Elementary School and the front doors of the Spirit of Life Lutheran Church on Mullenix Road.

At the school, the suspects allegedly stole three laptops and an iPod; at the church, computer equipment was stolen.

The Subaru was later found abandoned on Burley-Olalla Road.

The next day, March 26, two newspaper carriers called 911 after seeing suspicious suspects near Christ the Rock Church around 4:30 a.m. When the deputies arrived, they reportedly saw Garton and White running from the church parking lot and later located them with the help of a police tracking dog.

After placing the teens under arrest, the deputies found Garton’s pick-up truck nearby and determined it was used to ram open the church’s locked gate. Inside the vehicle’s bed they also found various video, computer and stereo equipment taken from the church, along with other stolen items.

Evidence also reportedly connected the suspects to two other burglaries earlier that night, one at Bible Baptist Church on Bethel Road and the other at Bay Ford on Bay Street.

Deputies later identified Charbonneau and McGavran as suspects and arrested them that afternoon.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.