Police on Friday arrested four men considered to be “well known burglars” responsible for crimes in Spokane Valley, officials said today.

A Spokane Valley night-shift patrol platoon led by Sgt. Don Manning focused on the area of 400 North University Road and the area of 13500 East Rich Road, which police say “have been notorious for criminal activity for some time.”

Arrested were Damian M. Plumley, 22, on warrants for three counts of second-degree theft and one count of first-degree trafficking in stolen property; Steven D.T. Devitt, 42, on a warrant for second-degree theft and vehicle prowling; Christopher Michael Stoddard, 20, on new charges of second-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property; and Mark William Bush, 37, on a Washington Department of Corrections warrant for failure to comply.

 Bush (pictured) is a repeat offender who was targeted by Crime Stoppers in February even though he already was in DOC custody.

Police recovered a large amount of stolen property during the arrests Friday, which property crimes detectives identified and returned to their owners.

“The return of these items took longer than normal because none of the high value items had been reported stolen,” sheriff's spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin said in a news release. “When detectives asked the property owners why they did not report the thefts, the property owners said they had not gotten around to it.”

“Citizens are asked to report any type of theft, suspicious vehicles or persons to either 911 or Crime Check,” Chamberlin continued. “This information is extremely valuable and played a vital role with the multiple arrests made this weekend in Spokane Valley. The Sheriff's Office has devoted extra resources to focus on burglaries in unincorporated Spokane County and the City of Spokane Valley.”

A man targeted by Crime Stoppers missed his court appearing last week because he's jailed in another county, and officials refuse to transport him.

Mark William Bush, 35, is in the Benton County Jail under the Washington Department Corrections warrant for violating his probation.

He was there on Jan. 24 when he was scheduled to appear in Spokane County Superior Court for an arraignment on a felony marijuana possession charge.

When he didn't show up, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest for missing court.

State prison officials say that's not unusual - it's standard not to transport inmates to court until they've address their DOC violations, which spokeswoman Selena Davis said Bush has yet to do.

“This is absolutely par for the course,” Davis said.

What's not par for the course is Crime Stoppers targeting fugitives who are already in custody.

Bush's father, Leonard Bush, is quick to say his son - who has at least four felony and 23 misdemeanor convictions - has done wrong. But he also questions why the criminal justice system seems only to contribute to his son's legal troubles.

“When they have you in custody, shouldn't they notify the court that you are in jail?” he said.

Leonard Bush was with his son when he appeared in court Jan. 10 for an arraignment. His son thought he had a warrant out for his arrest and tried to run himself in, but no one would take him, Bush said.

The next day, Spokane police released a K-9 in pursuit of Mark Bush. They arrested him and described him to media as a prolific criminal with 167 criminal charges.

His father said some of those arrests stem from his son being incarcerated in another county and unable to make court, which leads to an arrest warrant. That's the current situation with the Crime Stoppers fugitive reward.

“Don't get me wrong here - he's done wrong,” Leonard Bush said. “it's just the procedure that I can't understand…But people out there don't understand. All they see is 'caught a fugitive. 160 arrests.'”

Police said they had no idea Bush was in court a day before they tracked him down and arrested him.

Bush still is listed on the Crime Stoppers website and the Benton County Jail roster.

Tipsters can collect $100 - twice the usual amount - if they alert police to his location because he's a repeat offender. No word on whether jail employees will be eligible.

 Spokane police were surprised to learn that a fugitive captured by a police dog on Wednesday had been in court the day before.

“We had no idea he was in court,” Sgt. Tracie Meidl said of Mark W. Bush, 36.

Meidl says Bush, who has at least four felony and 23 misdemeanor convictions, had been eluding police for weeks and knew about his wanted status before he was arrested Wednesday on a Washington Department of Corrections warrant for failing to check in with his probation officer. He also was arrested on Nov. 21 but posted $2,500 bond. Another warrant was issued Dec. 30, according to the DOC.

On Tuesday, Bush attended an arraignment on an unrelated felony marijuana charge at 1:30 p.m. before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Harold Clarke.

Court officials apparently did not know of Bush's fugitive status - he was allowed to stay out of custody and ordered to be back in court Jan. 24 for an arraignment under the early-case resolution program, which allows suspects charged with low-level felonies to resolve their cases quickly.

Now he's back in jail on a no-bail DOC hold.

A man who Spokane police say has 167 criminal charges in 15 years appeared for a court hearing Tuesday and was allowed to stay out of jail despite a felony warrant for his arrest.

 Mark W. Bush, 36, was captured Wednesday night by a police dog after the Spokane police Patrol Anti-Crime Team received a tip that he was near the 400 block of North University Road.

Sgt. Tracie Meidl said in a news release that Bush knew about his wanted status and had been eluding them “for several weeks” before he was arrested on a Department of Corrections warrant for failing to check in with his probation officer. He was arrested on Nov. 21 but posted $2,500 bond. Another warrant was issued Dec. 30, according to the DOC.

On Tuesday, Bush attended an arraignment on an unrelated felony marijuana charge at 1:30 p.m. before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Harold Clarke, a clerk confirmed.

Court officials apparently did not know of Bush's fugitive status - he was allowed to stay out of custody and ordered to be back in court Jan. 24 for an arraignment.

Police say Bush has been booked on 17 charges in the last 11 months. He has three times been captured by a police dog - each time a different dog.

Bush has at least four felony convictions, including third-degree assault in 2008, and 23 misdemeanors, including three counts of obstructing a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting arrest.

His most recent felony charge stems from a traffic stop in September initiated by an officer who knew Bush had a DOC arrest warrant. Bush's probation officer found jar with 61 grams of marijuana in the car, according to court documents.

Bush was out on $2,500 bond when he showed up for his arraignment on Tuesday. Now he's back in jail on a no-bail DOC warrant after his arrest Wednesday.