The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
In the early morning hours of Friday, March 31, Seaburg’s Sports at the Holiday Mall in Devils Lake was burglarized.
According to court documents, a number of firearms were stolen from the gun shop, which is owned by Mike Seaburg of Carrington.
Police responded to the break-in after an alarm was activated at around 3 a.m. that morning, but did not arrive before the burglar fled.
Court documents state, “Officers arrived on scene and observed the glass on the front door to the business was broken out and evidence indicated someone was in the store.”
The documents go on to detail what was stolen from the store, which includes a rifle, shotgun, various handguns and Glock handgun cases.
Despite fleeing before law enforcement arrived, court documents also detail the critical evidence left behind that allowed police to literally track down their suspect.
According to court documents, shoe prints and tire tracks were left in the snow outside the burglary scene. The tire tracks were determined to be from a stolen Ford pickup, which led law enforcement to a northwest Devils Lake residence later that morning.
“Shoe prints around the residence of where the vehicle was stolen from matched the shoe prints left at the burglary scene,” state court documents. “Officers followed the shoe prints from the northwest Devils Lake residence where the vehicle was stolen, to a trailer in Sunset Park …”
Police then conducted a search of the Sunset Park residence, which turned up firearms that were stolen from Seaburg’s Sports, as well as multiple firearm accessories. The stolen Ford pickup was found a short distance away, in which was found three Glock handgun cases.
Court documents say a witness in Sunset Park identified Chaz Cavanaugh as having left his residence early that morning before returning an hour later with the stolen firearms.
“A search was conducted at Chaz’s residence and an empty Glock handgun case was located in his room,” state court documents. “Chaz denied committing the burglary and stealing the vehicle, but he admitted to being in possession of the stolen firearms at the Sunset Park trailer where the firearms were seized.”
Court documents also say Cavanaugh told police that he planned on selling the firearms with another individual.
Cavanaugh was arrested and booked at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center, and on April 1 he was formally charged with burglary, a Class C felony, and unauthorized use of a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor.
As of press time, Cavanaugh was the only individual charged in relation to the March 31 burglary, and was still being held at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center on $5,000 cash bond.
Cavanaugh is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
