REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
METRO CHAMPS AND MORE: BHS wrestlers headed to state meet. A14
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013 | Vol. 113, No. 7 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢ THE CROOK’S IN THE MAIL
Man arrested for multi-county theft targeted Bainbridge BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
A Port Townsend man was arrested this week on charges ranging from stealing mail to identity theft, and police said he may be responsible for some of the recent mail thefts on Bainbridge Island. Adam Justin Lysiak, 38, is being held on $250,000 bail after he was arrested Tuesday in Port Townsend. More than 1,000 pounds of mail was discovered in his possession. The bust came after police received a tip that he was living in the area and running an extensive identity theft operation. Port Townsend police were joined by six other agencies when they arrested Lysiak at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Lysiak jumped off the rear balcony of his second-floor apartment before being taken in.
“I don’t think he was anticipating that officers would be there, so he didn’t try to escape Adam J. Lysiak after that,” said Officer Luke Bogues of the Port Townsend Police Department. Lysiak complained of being hurt after his jump, and was transported to a local hospital before being booked into jail. The suspected mail thief is no stranger to authorities. Lysiak was already wanted for escaping community custody in Federal Way. His original conviction out of King County was for identity theft and possession of stolen property and possession
Photo courtesy of the Port Townsend Police Department
Officers sort mail found at Lysiak’s apartment by ZIP code at the Port Townsend Police Department. of fraudulent bank checks. He is also wanted by Kent authorities for three counts of possession of stolen prop-
erty, and in Federal Way for forgery and attempted theft. Fife authorities have also sought Lysiak for a criminal
traffic charge. While based in Port Townsend, Lysiak allegedly traveled throughout Kitsap
and Jefferson counties under the cover of night and opened mailboxes. He is accused of using information obtained from stolen mail to create fake identities in order to pass fraudulent checks and get credit cards. Victims will be contacted through the mail if their information has been discovered in Lysiak’s loot, police said. “We are still pulling mail out of bags, it’s too much mail to go through quickly,” Bogues said. “It’s going to be a long effort.” Computers, printers and other materials were also seized by authorities. The evidence is so extensive that Port Townsend police expect to spend weeks sorting through it all. U.S. Postal inspectors are also lending a hand to help sort through the evidence. SEE MAIL, A21
Islanders ask PSE to go coal free BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
They braved the cold morning warmed by their motivation to get their message heard: No more coal on Bainbridge Island. Coal Free Bainbridge held its first demonstration Tuesday on the corner of Winslow Way and Highway 305, a prime spot to be seen by islanders headed on their morning commute. The group plans to be out on the corner each Tuesday until Earth Day on April 22. It’s the most visible action the group has taken since forming last spring to highlight
the fact that coal is powering Bainbridge. “We decided that we needed to get a group active around this issue, the first thing we need to do is educate the island about where their energy is coming from,” said Erika Shriner, co-chairwoman of Coal Free Bainbridge. Coal Free Bainbridge is a local movement to not only educate islanders about where their power comes from, but to also sway Puget Sound Energy to stop using coal in its power plants. “We are part of the Sierra Club’s Coal Free SEE COAL, A21
Michael Hytopoulos photo
Ethan Hytopoulos, Erika Shriner, Wendy Jones, Theo Hytopoulos, Chiara D’Angelo, Tim Wentzel, Diane Landry, Dusty Collings stand on the corner of Winslow Way and Highway 305 to spread the word that Bainbridge is coal-powered.