Sheriff's investigators arrested a suspected methamphetamine dealer this week after a month's long investigation that yielded not only drugs but three guns.

His Spokane Valley home's backyard is connected to the playground of Trentwood Elementary School.

Gang and drug detectives obtained search warrants for the Eric D. Rangel's home, vehicle and person after a confidential informant bought methamphetamine from Rangel several times.

Police arrested Rangel, 26, Wednesday at East Eighth Avenue and South Carnahan Road in Spokane Valley and seized his car. He had methamphetamine and $3,400 on him, as well as two .9 mm pistols and additional meth in the car.

Detectives searched his home Thursday in the 4900 block of North Calvin Road and seized more meth, as well as heroin, hydrocodone, marijuana, a.12 gauge shotgun and .9 mm ammunition.

Rangel told detectives he sells meth in the Valley, according to a news release by Deputy Craig Chamberlin, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.

He also admitted to leaving a stolen firearm in a motel room where he'd briefly stayed. Deputies had recently recovered the firearm, which Rangel said he'd obtained in exchange for meth.

Rangel has felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing weapons.

Investigators seized stolen property and drugs and arrested two men today while serving a search warrant at a home in the West Garland District.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office Burglary Task Force and Investigative Task Force developed information that stolen property and drugs were being trafficked out of a home in the 400 block of West Kiernan Avenue after a “lengthy investigation,” according to a news release.

A SWAT team helped secure the home.

Nathan Carter, 29 was arrested for second-degree possession of stolen property, first-degree trafficking in stolen property and possession of heroin.

Jeffrey Jennings, 32, was arrested for possession of meth and heroin and second-degree possession of stolen property, as well as a warrant for drunken driving.

Seized stolen property includes electrical musical instruments, multiple laptop computers, overhead projectors and other electronic components. Some of the items were matched to theft reports through serial numbers, but many will need additional follow up by investigators to identify.
  

Eight Spokane residents face federal charges for a heroin distribution ring that authorities allege supplied at least 100 grams of the drug.

The charges in U.S. District Court allege the group distributed heroin in Spokane from last April to this February.

Authorities sealed an affidavit supporting the charges out of concerns for the safety of a confidential informant, according to court documents.

Further details on the case were not available, but arrested in the last two weeks have been:  Gary Erwin Douglass, 57; Charles R. Wallace, 41; Samuel William Wright, 36; Julie A. Rice-Lewis, 38; and James Clayton Lindsay, 57.

Frisco Ayala, 32, Chad Benefield, age unavailable, and Brian L. Sellers, 35, also are charged.

Sellers was arrested with 84 grams of heroin last May after a road rage incident on U.S. Highway 395.
  

All photos of the property are available on the Sheriff's Office website or Facebook page.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office is trying to identify the owners of suspected stolen property seized Tuesday after a resident reported suspicious activity north of Spokane Valley.

Officials found the items, which include silverware, jewelry and medical cards, in a car that Curtis McKelvey, 28, was driving when sheriff's Deputy James Ebel stopped him for driving with expired tabs near Liberty and Argonne roads about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin said today.

Ebel was looking for the vehicle after a neighbor in the area of 7900 East Gunning Drive in the Bigelow Gulch reported two suspicious men who'd walked into a backyard after backing a vehicle into a driveway.

McKelvey told Ebel he and his friend were in the area looking for work, Chamberlin said. He later said he was a heroin addict who needed money to buy more.

He allowed members of the sheriff's office burglary task force to search his car, where they located the suspected stolen property, along with bolt cutters, gloves and shaved car keys.

McKelvey was arrested on a felony warrant out of Adams County.

Photos of the property are available on the Sheriff's Office website or Facebook page. Victims who can identify their belongings should call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 with the number o their theft report. You must provide proof of ownership to get your items back.

A fugitive felon arrested in Spokane with drugs and a gun while wearing a wig and sunglasses has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

James Anthony Stinson, 41, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Stinson was arrested Jan. 16 after a Spokane police officer spotted him driving a blue Ford Explorer while wearing the disguise, according to court documents.

Stinson had an escape warrant from the Washington Department of Corrections. Police arrested him in a motel parking lot at 4301 W. Sunset Blvd., and found methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in a black case.

Stinson also had a black and silver Taurus 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in the car, police say. He's prohibited from possessing guns because of six felony convictions, all drug related.

Stinson was charged in Spokane County Superior Court with three counts of possession of a controlled substance. He's out of jail on $10,000 bond with trial scheduled for June.

The federal gun charge in U.S. District Court was filed Tuesday. He has not yet been arrested in that case.

A property crime suspect sought for weeks by Crime Stoppers and Spokane police was arrested Friday after stealing an expensive ring from Fred Meyer, officers say.

Taylor Aleck Contos, 29, was a passenger in a black truck matching the description of the vehicle used in he theft when sheriff's deputies stopped it on Highway 395.

An employee at Fred Meyer at 12100 N. Division St., identified Contos as the man who was looking at rings and left with a Kathy Ireland 1 Karat white gold anniversary ring valued at nearly $4,000.

Deputies recovered the ring from Contos' right shoe after he confessed to stealing it, according to court documents.

Contos had been wanted on six felony property crime cases since he left the Pioneer Center East drug treatment center on Feb. 20.

He was to begin trial this month on charges related to alleged thefts at stores last summer, as well as methamphetamine, heroin and unlawful issuance of bank checks charges.

Now he's in jail on those charges and a new charge of second-degree theft.

This post has been updated.

A man who police say tried to ditch his drug stash after striking a 12-year-old boy with his car was to plead not guilty to four felony charges Tuesday, but a judge found no probable cause and prosecutors haven't refiled charges.

Brandon Lee Maganas, 30, remains jailed after his would-be arraignment in Spokane County Superior Court. The case remains under investigation and he has a Department of Corrections probation hold.

Maganas was driving a 1995 Ford pickup when he struck the boy March 12 in a crosswalk at East Mission Avenue at North Magnolia Street as the boy headed to Stevens Elementary School for his job as a morning crossing guard, according to Spokane police. The boy was taken to a hospital with broken bones.

Witnesses told police Maganas dropped a bag nearby that contained marijuana, glass pipes, methamphetamine, heroin and prescription pills.

Maganas also had a stolen handgun and a shotgun in the truck. He's prohibited from possessing firearms because of felony convictions, including a drug conviction in May 2011.

Spokane police are asking for help finding a prolific property crime suspect wanted on six felony cases.

Taylor Aleck Contos, 29, left the Pioneer Center East drug treatment center on Feb. 20 and has not been located since, according to court documents. A no-bail warrant seeks his immediate arrest.

Contos was to begin trial this month on charges related to alleged thefts at stores last summer, as well as methamphetamine, heroin and unlawful issuance of bank checks charges.

A co-defendant, Kristofer J. Stairs, 29, pleaded guilty in December and was sentenced to six months in jail with credit for 131 days served. He was arrested on a new felony drug charge Monday.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that help arrest Contos, who is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds and last gave an address in the 1500 block of South Lincoln Street in Spokane.

Anyone with information his current location is asked to call 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online.

A homeowner interrupted a burglary Wednesday afternoon and provided such a thorough description of the man that police were able to arrest a suspect about an hour later

The victim was at his home in the 1700 block of East Illinois Avenue about 2 p.m. when he heard someone trying to get in the front door. He chased the would-be burglary away and provided not only a through description of him to officers but also the license plate number of the car in which he fled, according to the Spokane Police Department.

Officer Ken Applewhaite spotted the car about an hour alter and contacted the driver, Robert Monreal Hoguin, 40, who matched the description of the culprit. The homeowner identified Hoguin as the man who tried to break into his home.

Police say they found heroin in Hoguin's coat. He was booked into jail on charges of attempted residential burglary and possession of a controlled substance.

Hoguin was arrested for car theft Feb. 3, but he was released when prosecutors did not file charges within 72 hours, according to court records.

Six stolen portraits of old movie stars led to a Spokane woman's arrest on drug and burglary charges Monday.

A resident in the 3600 block of East 21st Avenue arrived home about 8:40 a.m. to find a silver Toyota parked in his driveway, according to Spokane police. A man walked out of his garage and got into the Toyota, which was driven by a woman.

Missing from the garage were framed portraits of Clint Eastwood, Humphrey Bogart, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Robert Redford and Errol Flynn valued at $500.

Police located the Toyota about 30 minutes later at 2502 E. Hartson Ave.

Suspect Loyalee A. Elton, 41, got in the car and started to drive, but she was stopped and arrested on suspicion of burglary near East 6th Avenue and South Cook Street. Police say she had $900 in her bra and a baggie with methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin inside, as well as prescription pills. The burglary victim identified her as the driver of the Toyota.

Police searched the Hartson Avenue home but didn't find the pictures. Elton told police she didn't know what happened to them.

A candidate for Kootenai County sheriff who shot a man in downtown Coeur d'Alene in 2009 and later pleaded guilty to a felony heroin charge is not eligible for the position, officials say.

 Adam Mathis Johnson, 27, cannot hold office because he's on probation for two years after pleading guilty to a felony controlled substance charge, Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said Thursday.

Johnson will get his rights restored once he completed a two-year probation term. Until then, he's also restricted from carrying firearms.

Johnson was arrested on drug charges in Post Falls in April.  He was arrested on an attempted murder charge in December 2009 after  a shooting in downtown Coeur d’Alene that a grand jury ruled was self defense. Johnson's victim is suing his own civil lawyer for malpractice.

Johnson was featured in The Spokesman-Review a weekend before the shooting in a story about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.. He was also featured in 2007 in a story about his business, Convertec.

Members of the Spokane Police Department prepare for a drug raid at a home in the 2800 block of East Fourth Avenue on Wednesday. (SPDphotos)

Drug detectives and the Spokane police SWAT team raided a home in southeast Spokane Wednesday night after citizen complaints led to an investigation.

 Police arrested one man and four women and seized heroin and methamphetamine from the home at 2804 E. 4th Ave.

Beverly Lynn Flanagan, 50 (pictured in 2005); Kathleen A. Copeland, 38; Chelsea R. Haine, 23; Marcella R. Walther, 34; and David Andrew Hoitink, 45, are in jail on drug possession charges.

East Central Neighborhood Resource Officer Dan Strassenberg learned of the home from citizens who complained to the neighborhood COPS shop of short-term visitors, increased burglaries and vehicle prowlings and conversations about drugs.

Detectives conducted undercover drug purchases and obtained a search warrant.

Flanagan told police she is a heroin user who had used the day before and had a residue amount in her upstairs bedroom, according to court documents. (Flanagan was sought in 2005 in connection with the drug overdose death of a 22-year-old man. She later pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance – methadone and was sentenced to eight months in jail.)

Flanagan also told police her co-defendants were in an upstaris bedroom injecting heroin. Police arrested Copeland, Haine, Walther and Hoitink there and found loaded syringes and other drug paraphernalia in the room.

Police called the case a great example of police and citizens working together. There are 12 COPS chops and 11 neighborhood resource officers in Spokane.

“The job of the NRO is to follow up on quality of life issues in nuisance properties in their neighborhoods,” according to a news release by Officer Dan Waters, spokesman for the Spokane Police Department. “One part of the NROs' job is to follow up on complaints brought into the shops from Spokane residents.  Any time a resident brings a problem into a COPS Shop, a communications form is filled out and an NRO WILL read the complaint.  As with anything SPD does, the complaints are prioritized and looked into.  This has been an integral part of how SPD is able to work with folks to improve quality of life issues in our neighborhoods.”

A couple accused of robbing a video game store with a pellet gun in January has been charged with five other gunpoint robberies.

Merle A. Andrew Jr., 36, and his girlfriend, suspected getaway driver Nicole N. Stearns, 29, (pictured) are accused of robbing an elderly man Nov. 13 after going to the man's home on West Four Mound Road and claiming Andrew had car trouble.

 Andrew told police he was familiar with the man because the man helped him get his car out of a ditch a couple years ago, police say. He said he used the stolen money to buy heroin.

Police beleive Andrew and Stearns also robbed Village Center Cinemas in Wandermere at 12622 N. Division St. on Dec. 2.

The couple also is accused of robbing a movie theater in Airway Heights Nov. 21, according to court documents.

They were arrested for that robbery Jan. 17, after they were already jailed for the holdup at GameStop in Airway Heights, which occurred just after Andrew stole a pellet gun from Wal-Mart.

Andrew also is accused of robbing the GameStop at 410 E. Holland Road on Nov. 26.

He's also believed to have tried to rob Ace Cash Express, 3515 N. Division St., on Nov. 29 and the Howard Johnson, 3033 N. Division, on Nov. 30.

Stearns and Andrew were charged Monday with four counts of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted first-degree robbery.

A driver with a suspended license who fled a traffic stop in his 2006 Ford Mustang was arrested on a bevy of charges late Sunday, officials said today.

David B. Middleton, 44, stopped his black Mustang near East Sprague Avenue and North Farr Road about 9:13 p.m. and reached toward the passenger's console as if he was complying with orders to show his documentation, but he suddenly drove off at a high rate of speed, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Deputy Russ Olson joined Corporal Dave Ellis in the pursuit, which they ended near the 8800 block of Sprague as Middleton's exceeded 100 mph in the 35 mph zone, according to a news release.

Deputy Jason Karnitz spotted Middleton turn north into a parking lot of on Sprague, and he and Olson pinned Middleton's Mustang with their patrol cars as Middleton accelerated toward Karntiz, the sheriff's office said. Middleton resisted arrest and “received a small abrasion” when the deputies took him to the ground, according to the release.

Deputies say a bag from Middleton's Mustang was found on the ground about five feet from the passenger's door. It contained plastic baggies, glass pipes commonly used to smoke illegal narcotics, scales, a pellet gun and paperwork with Middleton’s name on it.

Middleton was booked into jail on felony charges of eluding police, second-degree assault, possession of meth with intent to deliver and possession of heroin. He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest and third-degree driving while suspended.

A Spokane woman forced her way into a man's home and shocked him with a Taser over a $150 heroin debt early Wednesday, police say.

Faith M. Lee, 39, was arrested on a first-degree burglary charge with Roger Larry Blair, 53, after a resident at 2922 W. Hartson Ave., Micah W. Kaluzny, said they shoved their way into his apartment. Lee shocked Kaluzny with a Taser and stole his cellphone.

Spokane police saw red marks on Kaluzny's stomach that were consistent with a Taser.

Officers located Lee and Blair at an apartment at 2232 E. 1st Ave.  Police found a scale and heroin in the apartment, as well as Kaluzny's cell phone. Blair, who was wanted on a felony warrant, told police he accompanied Lee to collect a drug debt and “act as muscle” to make sure she didn't get hurt, according to court documents.

Both suspects remain in jail after appearing in Superior Court Wednesday afternoon. Blair also faces a drug possession charge.
  

 A methamphetamine dealer ordered to report to jail by last Sunday arrived early thanks to the Spokane Police Department's drug unit.

 Gerald A. Oglesbee, 42, had been ordered Jan. 3 to report to jail by last weekend to begin a 45-month prison sentence for four drug convictions.

Drug detectives arrested him on new drug charges Jan. 11 while searching his home in the 2200 block of East Pacific Avenue.

Oglesbee was arrested in December 2010 and last May after detectives on both occasions found meth at a home in the 1700 block of East 1st Avenue.

Police allege he was selling heroin while out of jail awaiing resolution of those cases - a confidential informant bought the drug from him using an “unwitting individual” twice in November, according to court documents.

Detectives also followed Oglesbee in December from the Pacific Avenue address to a home in he 2200 block of East Boone Avenue, where they had arrested a woman on heroin charges three weeks earlier. Police say he stayed at the Boone Avenue home a short while - consistent with a drug deal.

Oglesbee was to be arraigned on the new heroin charge today, but prosecutors have not yet filed charges.

He remains in the Spokane County Jail waiting transport to prison. He has 10 previous felony convictions and four as a juvenile, as well as at least 17 misdemeanor convictions.

A gunpoint robbery at a Spokane ice cream shop in the middle of winter has been solved nearly a year after the crime, prosecutors allege.

Michael W. Robison, 24, was arraigned this week on a first-degree robbery charge for the Jan. 9 hold-up at Basin Robbins, 1230 S. Grand Blvd.

The robbery seeking money from ice cream sales occurred as Spokane was hit with arctic temperatures.

Robison's ex-girlfriend, Breanne M. Snyder, 25, told police it only netted $75, according to court documents. Snyder talked to Spokane police after an unrelated arrest in October and said she'd driven Robison, who she said had a black BB gun, to the Baskin Robbins and picked him a few minutes later. She said he told her he robbed the store and had gotten $75, documents say.

Snyder said she and Robison were addicted to OxyContin and heroin and were stealing to support their habit.
Two off-duty firefighters, Scott Coldiron and Darrin Coldiron, were eating at a nearby restaurant and followed the robber. They told police he got into a white Toyota driven by a woman. Robison owns a white 1998 Toyota Tacoma.

Robison pleaded not guilty to the armed robbery charge on Wednesday. He is not in jail.

A man suspected of robbing a north Spokane bank last week was arrested on Saturday in Portland, Ore.

Jeremiah J. Pickup, 21, was arrested about 4 a.m. Saturday at a hotel, said Spokane police Officer Tim Moses.

Pickup's booking photo is featured at right. A surveillence images from the bank robbery is at left.

Police believe he's the man who robbed the Chase Bank at 5508 N. Division St. on Wednesday afternoon.

The robber told a bank teller he had a weapon and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. 

Police said last week that they believed the culprit was Pickup and released surveillance images showing the robber.

Pickup was taken into custody by Portland police and booked into the Multnomah County Jail on a heroin possession charge and a parole violation. He faces a first-degree robbery charge in Spokane County and also is suspected of robbing a bank in Multnomah County, Ore.

A woman already facing federal charges for a counterfeit money ring has been indicted by a grand jury on a heroin charge.

Tawny Michelle Rhodes, 39, faces not less than five years and no more than 40 years if convicted of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, but she could get at least 10 years if she has a previous drug convictions.

Rhodes was sentenced to 18 months in prison on state drug charges last month but is in the Spokane County Jail awaiting trial in U.S. District Court for allegedly manufacturing fake money between May and August.

Also charged in the counterfeit cash scheme are Cole T. Monson, Melissa A. Smith, Ronald Dale Mueller, 44; Brandy Mueller, Jessica Crabtree and Robin Knuttgen.

Crime Stoppers is offering rewards for tips that lead to the arrest of two accused drug dealers.

Tysen R. Foster, 25, is charged with four drug felonies related to alleged cocaine transactions with confidential informants in February, March and April, and from a jail strip searched that revealed cocaine in his anus, according to court documents.

A $20,000 arrest warrant was issued Aug. 15 after Foster didn't show up for his arraignment.

Also wanted is Darcy Deanne Kern, 44, who is accused of selling heroin on two occasions last summer. She also faces possession charges for heroin that was found during a traffic stop on Aug. 18, 2010. Kern told detectives she bought the heroin in Seattle, according to court documents.

Police found a Jennings .22 caliber semi-automatic in her 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, which she's prohibited from possessing because of a previous felony drug conviction, documents say.

Kern is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and four felony drug charges. A $5,000 arrest warrant was issued Aug. 17 after she didn't show up for an arraignment.

Kern, 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds, last gave a home address in the 5800 block of North Elgin Street in Spokane County.

Foster, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, is a transient, accoridng to Crime Stoppers.

Anyone with information on their current location is asked to call 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online. Tipsters do not have to give their name to collect a reward but should leave a code name or number.