A burglary occurred at a business in Hoquiam near the intersection of 27th and Bay Ave on June 7. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools were taken and an estimated $15,000 – $20,000 dollars in damage was done to the business.

According to a Hoquiam Police Department Facebook post, the Grays Harbor Drug Task Force was able to follow leads on the case with the assistance of the business owner. A suspect was identified and a sting operation was initiatied on Tuesday by undercover Drug Task Force (DTF) detectives in the Tumwater area to “purchase” some of the stolen tools. Upon the suspect’s arrival, with several of the stolen tools, DTF detectives, along with deputies from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, surrounded the suspect and took him into custody. Thirty-nine-year-old Joshua Lee Sibbett of Puyallup, was booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail for 2nd degree burglary and 1st degree trafficking in stolen property. He is being held on $20,000 bail.

The detectives then followed up on leads established during the investigation and served search warrants on residences in Thurston and Pierce counties, including Sibbett’s residence.

With the assistance of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, detectives recovered additional stolen property owned by the Hoquiam business. Most of the property that was stolen during the initial burglary has been recovered.