Jake Skorheim: Why did a crawlspace intruder get $75K bail while kidnap attempt suspect got none?

A man was arrested Sept. 3 after living inside a condominium’s crawlspace while the owner was unaware in Clackamas County, Oregon, the county sheriff’s office announced.

At approximately 11 p.m., officers responded to investigate a call after a witness saw a potential squatter enter the condominium complex on S.E. Old Town Court near Happy Valley.

“Just imagine this. You’re in your house. It’s night. It’s dark, and you’re hearing something behind the wall, scratches maybe, noises, bumps in the night,” KIRO host Jake Skorheim said. “And you probably think, well, since it’s a rental, maybe it’s rats. Maybe it’s mice.”

Man found living in condo’s crawlspace in Clackamas County

A witness saw a man they believed was not known to live in the complex park his car and walk toward the back of one of the buildings. The witness also reported that a door to a crawl space was opened, with light coming from inside, and then the door was closed.

Deputies arrived on the scene and noticed the door to the crawl space was damaged and locked. An extension cord was also found running through a vent.

The owner was contacted, who told deputies that nobody was supposed to be in the crawlspace, and there should not be lights on inside. The owner also noted that strange noises coming from the crawl space were heard in the past.

Keys to open the crawl space were given to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office deputies, although the keys no longer worked. Deputies then breached the door and located an individual living inside the crawlspace, identified as 40-year-old Beniamin Bucur.

“There are these lights that you can buy, everybody has them, from Costco. You put them outside, and suddenly your yard looks inviting. This also works for crawl spaces,” Jake said. “So he has done the same thing here. He’s put these hanging, twinkling lights in his crawl space, which does cast a lovely light in such a dower space.”

“Really highlights the wood beams,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill added.

“The natural wood color is so lovely. The insulation, not so nice. The dirt floor, not so nice, but whatever,” Jake said. “He also has a bed in there. He has multiple TVs, according to the sheriff’s office. I don’t know why you would need multiple TVs in a space like this, but he’s running all of this stuff off of these extension cords you can see there. He’s got food supplies. This is his home.”

Clackamas County crawlspace inhabitant arrested

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office mentioned Bucur was “obviously living inside” and had remodeled various aspects of the crawlspace to improve its living conditions. Deputies found a bed, lights, chargers, televisions, and other electronics plugged into the building for power. A pipe with residue was also found and tested positive for methamphetamine.

It was estimated that the suspect had been living inside the crawlspace for an extended period of time.

Bucur was arrested and transported to Clackamas County Jail, where he was booked for burglary in the first degree and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.

Suspect’s bail compared to bail amounts in WA

Bucur’s bail was set at $75,000 during a preliminary hearing on Thursday.

“Here’s the crazy part of the story. This jumped out at me,” Jake said. “He’s arrested, and he’s booked, and they charge him with first-degree unlawful possession for the meth they found, first-degree burglary for breaking into this place and all this different stuff that he had, and the judge in this case set the bail at $75,000. Seems totally appropriate to me.”

But Jake compared this case to another story, this time in Lakewood, Washington, where a teenager attempted to kidnap a bikini barista by pulling her through the drive-thru window.

“[The teenager] was charged with first-degree kidnapping, which is a Class A felony in our state. It’s a big deal, and he was released on a cashless bail,” Jake said. “Does that make any sense to you? If you were going to have to be near somebody, would you rather be next to Mole Man or the attempted kidnapper? And [the kidnapper] is on video admitting to the kidnapping. A cashless bail in that situation. And yet, this guy gets $75,000.

“I think we should put bail on both of them,” Jake continued. “That would be my suggestion.”

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (503) 723-4949

Contributing: Jason Sutich, MyNorthwest