La Grande man takes to social media for help finding items stolen from his home
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, January 6th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – Bret Wheeler of La Grande has taken to social media for help with locating items that were stolen from his property on Morgan Lake Road in La Grande over New Year’s weekend. Erick Paul Kynaston of Walla Walla was arrested in relation to the theft but there are items of sentimental value that he would love to get back if possible.
Kynaston was arrested by the Walla Walla Police Department on January 3rd on charges of two counts of Theft 2, two counts of Identity Theft 2, PSP 2, two counts of Possess Stolen Vehicle, and two counts of Fail to comply. At the time of this report, Kynaston was still housed in the Walla Walla County Jail.
Below is the social media post made by Bret Wheeler:
“Our home on Skyline Lane, just up Morgan Lake Road in La Grande, was burglarized over New Years weekend while we were out of town. They broke out the back window and pried open locked doors. They went through all of our things, stole my car from the garage, my son’s dirt bike he got for Christmas, guns, tools, power equipment, jewelry, computers, and countless other items. However, it is the sentimental stuff like jewelry given to my wife from her grandmother, coins given to my son from his grandfather, and special momentos given to us by my father just before he passed away two months ago today that just can’t be replaced.
Erick Kynaston of Walla Walla, Washington was arrested Tuesday morning by the Walla Walla City Police Department while in possession of my car and some of our other stolen property including a loaded gun, a pried open safe and items from just about every room in our home. The previous day this individual was caught on surveillance cameras in my car and using my American Express at Home Depot and Sportsman’s Warehouse.
On Monday, January 2nd at 8:34 a.m., I was able to locate my stolen iPad through the locator app and it was inside this maroon Nissan Frontier parked at the Arrowhead Travel Plaza in Pendleton. One of my friends located the vehicle there, followed the suspect when he fled, but lost him when the driver veered off on a gravel road knowing he was being tailed. The Nissan has Oregon Crater Lake license plates, number 51840, that are not registered to that vehicle and they may have been swapped again by now. Early the next morning, at 12:44 a.m., my stolen iPad pinged again to the pictured location at 800 SW First Street in Pendleton.
I am offering cash rewards for information leading to the recovery of our stolen property and the prosecution of this individual along with associates for the burglary of my home, property damage, and auto theft.
I will pay $1,000 cash for evidence that links any and every individual involved in this crime that leads to an arrest linking them to the burglary and auto theft.
I will pay $500 for any evidence that leads to an arrest of any individual linked to recovered stolen property.
I will pay the retail value of any item recovered that cant be replaced such as my fathers antique shotgun, grandma’s jewelry etc.
You can contact me directly or get in touch with Deputy Flowers at the Union County Sheriff’s Department with any information that may be helpful. Stay vigilant friends.”
