Elusive burglary suspect facing two felony charges

A registered sex offender who had eluded authorities for months before his capture in Gold Bar back in January has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges.

Brett Card remains in custody, with two trial dates set in Snohomish County Superior Court, according to the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The 26-year-old man, also known as “Wild Card,” was arrested on suspicion of burglary and for failing to register as a sex offender, after being found sleeping in a trailer. The Forks man had been in violation of his parole with the Washington State Department of Corrections at the same time, according to law enforcement.

Gold Bar Police Chief Dave Casey made the arrest. When Card was questioned, he told Casey eluding officers had been one of the greatest rushes of his life.

Casey was investigating a string of forced-entry burglaries going back to November, and the chief reports no more have occurred since Card’s arrest.

Authorities report they could only tie him to one of the dozen burglary incidents. Casey says he was able to access evidence he hadn’t previously on the same day of the arrest, and that he determined Card was not responsible for at least one of the burglaries he was investigating.

A judge set bail at $5,000 for failing to register and $20,000 for the burglary. The burglary charge was originally filed in Everett District Court, but was dismissed and refiled in Snohomish County Superior Court. A trial call is set for Friday, March 30. His trial call for failing to register is set for Friday, March 9.

Before homeowners began calling in the crimes, Card had already spent 30 days in jail in October for failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted of third-degree child rape in 2015, which in Washington is when a person has sex with someone at least two years younger — between the ages of 14 and 16 — and was sentenced to 27 months of confinement and 36 months of community custody.

A witness was able to identify Card during one of the burglaries in December, according to court documents. Someone was home during two of the incidents, including a 18-year-old man who had previously met Card, according to court documents.

Casey received a tip via Crime Stoppers that led him to a trailer in town where the 26-year-old was reportedly sleeping. He called in back up. Card was arrested without incident. His appearance was haggard when he was found, according to Casey, and he had jumped in a river days before, when he thought police had caught up with him.

Card knew law enforcement was looking for him, according to court documents. While he was hiding out, he allegedly called his fiancée and asked her and others to send in tips saying they had seen him in his hometown of Forks.

He said he planned to hop a train out of Washington as investigators chased false leads, according to court documents. On his personal Facebook page, his profession was listed as a “Career Criminal.”

He reportedly admitted to the burglary upon his arrest, according to probable cause documents. He told Casey he had worked for the homeowner and sold her meth, but she didn’t pay for either. Card reportedly told police he sold her jewelry he stole, but would not tell deputies from where.

Casey said he believed Card had the capacity to become violent. The man may not have been previously because he wasn’t confronted while carrying out a burglary.

No bail has been set for Card’s parole violation. An omnibus hearing for the burglary is scheduled on the same day as his trial hearing starts for failing to register.