Two Charged in Sammamish Christmas Burglary

Late Friday, the King County Prosecutor’s Office charged two people being held in connection with several local burglaries, and a third suspect could be charged next week, Sammamish Police said.

On Dec. 26, Sammamish Police arrested Amber Byrd, 32, of Issaquah, and 34-year-old Nickolas Pogue, of Everett, along with a 30-year-old Carnation man. 

On Friday, Dec. 30, Byrd was charged with two violations of the Uniform Substance Control Act, for possession of methamphetamine, and for possession with intent to deliver heroin. She also was charged with first degree possession of stolen property, according to a release from the Sammamish Police Department.

The same day, Pogue was charged with two counts of violation of the Uniform Substance Control Act, for possession of methamphetamine, and for possession with intent to deliver heroin. Pogue also was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and first degree possession of stolen property, the release said.

Byrd and Pogue remain in custody at King County Jail.

The third man, who was initially booked for outstanding warrants, will likely be charged next week.

The case began last Sunday, when a Sammamish couple returned home Christmas afternoon to find their front door shattered and jewelry and cash taken from their home. The investigating deputy noted that the glass appeared to have been broken by two steel ball bearings likely launched from a slingshot. 

On Dec. 26, another Sammamish deputy was monitoring a Klahanie apartment where the occupants were believed to be hiding stolen property and selling drugs. He saw a vehicle leaving the complex and recognized the driver, a 30-year-old Carnation man, from past arrests and knew he had a suspended driver’s license. He stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver, who also had an outstanding warrant for trafficking in stolen property. A search of the driver revealed a steel ball bearing and several items of women’s jewelry. The deputy recognized the ball bearing from the previous day’s case report. Based on a photograph of the jewelry taken at the scene, other deputies contacted the burglary victims, who identified the items as theirs.

Based on a statement made by the arrested driver, detectives executed search warrants on the Klahanie apartment, an associated vehicle and an Issaquah storage unit on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28. They recovered thousands of dollars in jewelry and power tools that have been connected to a total of four area burglaries so far, and led to the arrests of Byrd and Pogue.

The Christmas burglary victims identified a number of items recovered from the storage unit as belonging to them as well. 

Additional charges could be filed if more of the recovered property can be identified to specific crimes.