PONDERAY — The long arm of the law has caught up to a Washington state man implicated in a costly theft from 2017.

Richard Donald Townsend is charged with burglary and grand theft in connection with the theft of more than $8,000 worth of tires from Perfection Tire.

Townsend, a 55-year-old from Spokane, turned up in the Spokane County Jail earlier this year, court records show.

Surveillance video footage from an adjacent car wash showed a vehicle pulled into the darkened parking lot at about 10:30 p.m.. It left and a pickup truck pulling a double-axle trailer later arrived. As many as 80 tires were taken from two locked storage units on the premises, according to Ponderay Police.

Townsend was the subject of investigation in Spokane and a tracker was placed on his vehicle after detectives obtained a search warrant. The tracking device did not lead to the recovery of the tires, although a search of his phone showed conversations involving new and used tires, according to probable cause affidavit.

At the time of the theft, authorities said it was one of the largest tire thefts they had seen.

Townsend was served with a $10,000 arrest warrant.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for July 6.

Grand theft is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while burglary is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.