Reuters -A vacation cabin that disappeared off its foundation in eastern Washington state has been located several miles away, apparently stolen using a flatbed truck by people who intended to live in it, a law enforcement official said on Thursday. The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office said deputies found the missing log cabin in a rural area near Springdale after receiving information about its whereabouts.
“It was stolen. We do have suspects,” said Steven County Sheriff Kendle Allen, who added that it appears the suspects had been living in the building.
“We have search warrants and deputies are examining the property,” he said.
Allen described the cabin as a very small, 10-foot by 20-foot weekend hunting shed that can be moved with a truck. He said it was located about five miles from where it was stolen and had been placed on a makeshift foundation. The cabin’s owner, Chris-Haney Hempel, said she and her family discovered the building missing on Tuesday, about two weeks after they last used it. She thinks it was stolen with a flatbed truck sometime around March 25. “The gate [to the property] was cut. And there were some tracks around back. It looked like a middle of the night kind of thing,” she said.
The prefabricated cabin, which does not have a septic system or electricity, contained light furnishings and camping gear, she said.
“We are relieved,” Hempel said. “Thank God for everyone out there that helped look for it,” she added.
Washington state police find family’s stolen vacation home
Bill Hinton / Contributor
