A transient man has pleaded not guilty to charges of an alleged burglary and vehicle prowling at the regional Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife building in Ridgefield earlier this month.
On Oct. 23 Kevin Zima, 25, had his initial arraignment in Clark County Superior Court where he made his not guilty plea. Zima faces charges of second-degree burglary, theft and vehicle prowling, as well as possession of burglary tools, according to court documents.
According to a probable cause affidavit for Zima’s arrest, the Ridgefield Police Department was dispatched at about 7:15 a.m. Oct. 10 to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife regional office on South 11th Street in Ridgefield, on a report of an unknown individual who had climbed a fence into the back of the property and was breaking into one of the vehicles kept there. Responding law enforcement detained the individual, identified as Zima, and frisked him, finding multiple keys in his pockets and his pants covered in shards of glass. Zima “immediately” admitted to climbing the fence and taking the keys from one of the vehicles, according to the affidavit.
A responding officer found a vehicle with a smashed window and fresh glass on the ground, the affidavit stated, with a screwdriver and towel inside that appeared to be used in breaking the window. Zima said the vehicle was in that condition when he jumped the fence.
According to the reporting party in the affidavit, Zima was contacted by officers as he attempted to climb back over the fence to exit. Law enforcement also found two WDFW hats in Zima’s backpack, which he said he took from the vehicle. A hammer and multiple screwdrivers similar to the one in the back of the vehicle were also discovered in a search of the backpack.
A note on Zima’s booking sheet stated that the defendant “appears to have schizophrenia.”
A followup investigation by RPD identified an additional 12 vehicle prowls, all on WDFW property, according to court documents. Many of the vehicles’ locks had been punched, with each opened and gone through for an estimated damage of at least $750.
Zima is scheduled for a readiness hearing Dec. 10, according to court documents.
