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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 07/21/2022 - Yesterday, 7/20/22, the Sheriff’s Office released information about an ongoing series of vehicle thefts, focusing on Ford Super Duty pickups from the early 2000’s.
In yesterday's release, we shared that some of this theft series included vehicles that had already been stolen and recovered being targeted again. We also shared the names and relevant criminal history of two suspects in the investigation, and asked the public to assist with any information about the thefts or those suspects. In response to that request, we learned that one of the suspects, Jesse Chenoweth, was booked into another county jail during the time frame of our incidents. We updated our social media to reflect that Mr. Chenoweth is no longer a focus of our investigation and are issuing this information to update yesterday’s press release. We are sorry to have mistakenly named Mr. Chenoweth as a suspect. Criminal investigations, detentions and even arrests necessarily happen in an environment of incomplete information, often combined with urgent concern for public safety. The purpose of investigations is to learn the whole truth, whatever it is. In this case, we learned that our initial suspicion—though based on legitimate investigative information—was wrong. We take very seriously our responsibility to provide reliable information to the public. We will continue to balance our responsibility to inform the public about urgent public safety problems, like this vehicle theft series, with the responsibility to provide only the most accurate and reliable information possible. Our investigation into the serial theft of Super Duty trucks remains active, and we continue to ask the public’s help with any information they might have.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Chris Whitsett509-962-7525christopher.whitsett@co.kittitas.wa.us
