M-F Man Arrested In Dayton

DAYTON - Thirty-three- year-old Donald Cowden was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 26, and charged with seven counts, including burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.

Cowden, a Milton-Free­water resident, was arrested in Columbia County and has been charged with burglary in the second degree, a Class B felony, theft of a motor vehi­cle, a Class B felony and pos­session of a stolen vehicle, a Class B felony, each of which carry a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment and/ or a $20,000 fine.

Cowden has also been charged with theft in the sec­ond degree, a Class C felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years impris­onment and/or a $10,000 fine, theft in the third degree and two counts of malicious mis­chief in the third degree, all gross misdemeanors, which both carry a maximum pen­alty of 364 days in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

According to probable cause documents from the prosecutor's office, Cowden was incriminated during an interview with Jonathan Harper as one member of a group including Cowden and Harper that allegedly committed several crimes in Dayton and surrounding areas primarily to get money to purchase meth.

In the documents, Harper said Cowden used a crow bar to open the Touchet Valley Television payment drop box in Dayton. Cowden, along with his roommates Kristy Shelton and Harper, washed the checks and rewrote them in an attempt to cash them, according to the documents. Cowden, Shelton and Harper also opened the city of Dayton payment box.

The documents also state that Cowden, Shelton and Harper were allegedly re- sponsible for the theft of a plumber's van in Walla Walla, which are suspected of using to load up goods they stole from the Dayton General Store.

Cowden is currently being held on $50,100 bail, pending his hearing on Jan. 3, and on outstanding warrants in College Place and Franklin County.