Taphouse burglar is sentenced
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, May 4th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – A Walla Walla man caught burglarizing a College Place restaurant on Feb. 19 was sentenced Monday. He was also sentenced on charges associated with crimes committed on Feb. 4.
Raul Melgar Moreno, 23, will serve 22 months in prison for burglary and over three years for attempted theft of a motor vehicle and assault. Those terms will be concurrent, and he will get credit for time served.
When officers arrived to reports of an interior motion alarm at the Hop Thief Taphouse and Kitchen on Feb. 19, Melgar Moreno was observed stepping out of the business before quickly going back inside. A K9 officer made entry and located him upstairs hiding under a table. At the time of his arrest, Melgar Moreno had more than $500 in stolen cash in his possession.
Officers discovered he had been released on his own recognizance by a judge on Feb. 9 after being booked days earlier on crimes committed Feb. 4.
