A sheriff's helicopter helped police track drunken partygoers in Spokane Valley early Sunday.

Officers called in back up from other law enforcement agencies to help them control people at the part in the 16100 block of East Broadway Avenue, which they responded to about 1 a.m. after reports of a party and disturbance.

Sheriff's helicopter Air 1 was patrolling and alerted police to several people in the road and surrounding yards.

Police said several drunken people refused to obey their commands. The majority eventually went back inside as requested, but Rion Holmes, 24, was arrested after refusing commands to stop walking in he middle of Broadway and disrupting traffic, police say.

Police say Holmes also continued to yell at others around the home and encouraged them not to cooperate with police. He was arrested for riot, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.

Nicholas Loverro, 22, also allegedly refused commands and was arrested for riot, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Homeowner Justin Doggett, 25, was booked into jail on suspicion of providing alcohol to minors. An underage female was cited and released for possession of alcohol. Officers arrested a total of nine people, police said.

Above is a video showing a 24-minute police chase last weekend that ended with the arrest of Sergey A. Alekseyev, 19.

Two men suspected of carjacking a 2001 Volkswagen Bug were arrested late Saturday after being pursued by a sheriff's helicopter.

A motorist who tailed a Spokane County sheriff's patrol car at speeds up to 90 mph was arrested after being tracked by the Air-1 helicopter, officials said Monday.  

Sergey A. Alekseyev, 19, was arrested after sheriff's Air-1 tracked 1996 Honda Accord he was driving from northbound Freya Street to the 5800 block of Yale Road, the sheriff's office said.

The family of two boys who were rescued by a Spokane County sheriff's helicopter crew last month will be thanking the crew at a special ceremony this evening.

Volunteer pilot Dave Valenti and Deputies Chad Ruff and Brandon Armstrong will be recognized at the North Spokane Library Branch, 44 E. Hawthorne Road. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich will attend.

The boys, ages 7 and 9, became lost Jan. 16 as they hiked in the snowy Pine River Park area in north Spokane County.

Spokane Search and Rescue teams and the sheriff’s helicopter, Air One, were called out to assist regular patrol deputies after the boys were reported missing about 5:25 p.m.

The team used the helicopter's searchlight to find the boys on their second flight over the area. Ruff jumped from the craft as the crew performed a “one skid” landing on the hillside, the sheriff's office said.

He wrapped the 9-year-old with his flight suit after realizing he'd waded out into the Little Spokane River in a failed attempt to reach homes on the opposite bank, according to a news release.

The flight crew provided ground search teams with GPS coordinates and the boys and Ruff were removed by volunteers on ATVs. The boys have since recovered.

Hear a helicopter circling and wonder what it’s up to? You’re not alone.

To quench that curiosity, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office now will log the helicopter unit’s activities on its website. Click on the “Air Support Unit” link, then on “Incident Reports.”

“Area residents frequently contact media for information after hearing Air One circling their neighborhood at night or seeing it above during daytime searches,” the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday.

Crews will try to update the log at the end of each flight, although some sensitive material, such as assistance to active police investigations, won’t be included, the sheriff’s office said.

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies have been asked to contact at least three motorists per hour this weekend as part of extra impaired driving patrols.

The emphasis is part of a Hoopfest patrol effort that began Friday and includes aircraft.

A Washington State Patrol Cessna plane will be above the city today and Sunday to catch impaired reckless drivers.

When the plane isn’t up, the sheriff’s helicopter will be.

“Air One will be used for vehicle pursuits and searches, should the need arise, and will be available for call-out throughout the Hoopfest event,” according to a news release.

The sheriff’s office has scheduled extra patrols for impaired drivers and boaters deputies have been asked “to make at least three motorist contacts per hour and to have a zero tolerance for impaired drivers.” 

The marine unit will have two teams patroling county waterways today and Sunday.

Sgt. Dave Reagan said the sheriff’s helicopter typically is out on the weekend but this likely is the first Hoopfest in which it has worked with the WSP plane.

Hoopfest, the largest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament in the country, begins Saturday.