Police keep $400k from vacant house

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) — The Walla Walla Police Department can keep $401,000 officers found in a vacant house.

Walla Walla Superior Court Judge Donald Schacht ruled Thursday that it be forfeited as drug money and a man who claimed it is not the rightful owner.

Officers responding to a noise complaint in 2006 found the money at a house. An investigation led officers to methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine at a storage unit in Umatilla County, Ore.

A man caught attempting to flee out the back of the house initially said the money was not his but later tried to claim it.

Police Officer Tim Bennett says the department can only use the money for drug enforcement but it will be a big help in paying for equipment and training.