BG man accused of $225,000 in travel trailer theft

A Battle Ground man faces charges of burglary and theft after he allegedly stole three travel trailers from a storage facility in Walnut Grove last month.

On Aug. 24, Matthew Scott, 39, made his first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on three charges of first-degree theft and three charges of second-degree burglary. His bond was set at $7,500 and he is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Sept. 7.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office first learned of the theft on Aug. 15. The victim had been away from the property the theft occurred at in the 7300 block of Northeast 43rd Avenue in Vancouver since Aug. 11, leaving a four-day timeframe for the theft to occur, according to a probable cause affidavit.

An anonymous tipster said Scott and another person rented U-Haul vehicles and had stolen trailers, the affidavit stated. The tipster said they heard one of the trailers was at Scott’s house and another was at a house in Amboy.

When the sheriff’s office arrived at Scott’s residence they found a travel trailer parked in front that matched the description of one of the trailers reported stolen, the affidavit stated. A neighbor told a sheriff’s detective that Scott had told him he bought the trailer on clearance. Another neighbor of Scott’s told a sheriff’s detective she had seen a U-Haul truck that had been pulled up to the allegedly stolen trailer.

A sheriff’s detective also found a trailer matching the description of one of the stolen trailers behind the Amboy residence, according to the affidavit. A resident there said Scott’s alleged accomplice towed the trailer to the location with a U-Haul rental truck.

The two recovered trailers’ vehicle identification numbers confirmed they were stolen, according to the affidavit.

The sheriff’s office contacted the U-Haul corporate office to verify that Scott’s alleged accomplice rented a pickup truck and motorcycle trailer on Aug. 12, extending the rental of the trailer until Aug. 16, according to the affidavit. The company confirmed Scott rented a box truck from Aug. 15 to Aug. 16.

Scott was pulled over during a traffic stop and questioned, the affidavit stated. He told authorities someone he knew had dropped off the trailer but he did not identify the person and asked for a lawyer.

Only two of the three trailers reported stolen were recovered as of the Aug. 23 affidavit.