Nicholas James Richmond Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

HILLSBORO, Ore- On May 2, 2025, a Washington County jury found Nicholas James Richmond guilty of two counts of burglary in the first degree, theft in the first degree, criminal mischief in the first degree, aggravated theft in the first degree, and four counts of felon in possession of a firearm. On May 12, 2025, the defendant was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $57,000 in restitution to his victims. Deputy District Attorney Mahalee Streblow prosecuted this case before Judge Andrew Erwin.

On January 29, 2024, Tualatin police were notified that someone broke into a locked and refrigerated trailer and a separate shipping container belonging to an area robotics company. They reported 40 lithium batteries worth $44,000 were stolen along with a riding lawnmower and other personal effects. The burglar used a cutting torch to gain entry, which caused another $1,000 in damage to the trailer.

The victim located a Facebook marketplace post advertising the sale of one of the stolen batteries and alerted police. Investigators set up a meeting with the seller. When she arrived, she had three of the stolen batteries with her. She told detectives that her husband and the defendant were concealing the stolen equipment at a storage facility. Investigators located a storage facility close to the defendant’s home and confirmed he was renting a unit there. After obtaining a search warrant, they entered the unit and found 12 of the missing batteries. They also obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s truck, where they located multiple guns. The defendant is a convicted felon and barred from possessing firearms. Investigators then obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s phone, where they discovered deleted pictures of the stolen riding lawnmower.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office commends the investigative work of the Tualatin Police Department on this case. Mr. Richmond will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.