By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch A man who already was in trouble for alleged weapons and drug offenses is now facing separate charges in a Frederickson theft case that prosecutors say he couldn't keep quiet about. He's also the type of habitual criminal that authorities say the public is safer without. Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist earlier this month charged Jacob Gary Reynolds, 32, with burglary in the second degree, theft of a motor vehicle and theft in the first degree for stealing a truck and equipment from a welding business. Reynolds, who was already in custody on unrelated charges, pleaded not guilty and, based on his criminal history, was ordered by a Superior Court judge to be held at the county jail in lieu of $220,000 bail. Lindquist said Reynolds is the kind of criminal that his office is particularly focused on putting behind bars. "Our goal with the High-Priority Offender Program is to make our community safer by focusing resources on the small percentage of offenders who are committing a large percentage of the crimes,GÇ¥ Lindquist said. Concentrating on the small number of individuals who commit a disproportionate amount of criminal acts is a way to reduce crime, Lindquist said. He noted that over the last two years, 149 people were arrested and jailed at least five times apiece. They were responsible for more than 2,000 felonies combined, he said. Here's how authorities say Reynolds, who's already been convicted of felonies five times, fits the bill of high-priority offender: On Dec. 28 last year, Reynolds broke into a welding shop in Frederickson and stole a cargo truck containing $54,000 worth of equipment. Authorities tied the theft to Reynolds in a couple ways. First, police received a tip that the stolen truck was spotted at a residence. The homeowner there told police that Reynolds asked to store the truck and equipment at the residence, and the homeowner didn't think anything was wrong because he knew Reynolds was a welder. It got worse for Reynolds when, during a text message conversation with a company employee, Reynolds admitted to the burglary and described how he broke into the shop. Cell phone records confirmed Reynolds was in the area of the welding business at the time of the burglary. He was arrested by the Sheriff Department. According to Lindquist, Reynolds has been convicted of five felonies and has two other pending felony cases GÇô one for unlawful possession of a firearm, the other for making methamphetamine. He is a high-priority offender, Lindquist asserted.
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