High bail set for Silvana theft suspect

Published 10:45 pm Friday, April 18, 2008

SILVANA — One of his neighbors chased him off with a loaded gun. He fought with deputies when they tried to arrest him.

Robert Boone, 38, a man accused of stealing from his neighbors and the dead, is a danger to the community and should be behind bars, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler said Friday.

He asked the court to revoke Boone’s bail and hold the Silvana man in jail until his trial in May.

“He is terrorizing the community,” Stemler said.

Wearing a tie and a button-down shirt adorned with cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew, Boone was handcuffed and led off to jail on Friday. A judge ordered him held on $150,000 bail. If he posts bail, he will be required to be on electronic home monitoring and prohibited from leaving his mother’s 20-acre property.

Boone is accused of stealing thousands of dollars in antiques and tools from his neighbors in 2006 and 2007. Police also found urn markers from an Everett mausoleum on the property where he lives with his mother. Detectives believe one the urns held human ashes, but the urn was broken and the ashes were gone. Police believe Boone intended to recycle the metal for cash.

He posted $3,000 for the $30,000 bail and was released from jail. He was ordered to stay out of trouble.

Boone ignored the court’s order, Stemler said. He violated the conditions of his release by committing new crimes, the deputy prosecutor told the judge on Friday.

Boone was arrested at his mother’s home last week after police found stolen fishing equipment inside the van he was riding in, according to court documents. Detectives believe that Boone recycled some stolen lead fishing weights for cash. When deputies went to arrest him, Boone allegedly hid under a bed. He fought with deputies when they tried to pull him out, court records said.

Boone has admitted to using methamphetamine, Stemler wrote in court papers. His mother told deputies her son has a drug and theft problem, according to court records.

His neighbors are concerned for their safety, Stemler said. They have met with Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick and held numerous neighborhood meetings to discuss how to protect themselves.

“It’s not enough to increase bail because Sheriff Lovick has met with the community,” said Anne Harper, Boone’s attorney.

While there may be community outrage, that alone doesn’t merit an order to hold her client without bail, she said. The loss of property amounts to less than $400 in the new theft allegations, Harper said. His total bail is already $100,000, she said.

Harper didn’t argue against the electronic home-monitoring. She anticipated that Boone would secure $15,000 to bail out of jail in the coming days and return to the neighborhood. The judge again ordered him not to commit any new crimes.