A Spokane man told of his car's stolen status after a police chase Saturday replied that he “kind of figured that,” officers say.

Tyson G. Blimka 31, is accused of fleeing police in the area of Euclid Avenue and Lee Street in a black Ford Escort with Idaho plates Saturday about 3:20 p.m. Police tried to pull him over after learning the car had been reported stolen on Friday from the 800 block of West Cleveland and likely had switched license plates.

Police pursued Blimka until the engine of the car appeared to quit and the vehicle stopped in the middle of Carlisle.

Blimka told officers he got the vehicle from a man named Brian, police say. He said he knew police were trying to stop him but that the accelerator on the car stuck, according to court documents.

Blimka was booked into jail on charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and attempting to elude police.
  

A key defense witness for imprisoned murder-for-hire plotter Edgar Steele has been sentenced to prison in Washington for stealing cars.

Daryl J. Hollingsworth, 41, pleaded guilty this week to two counts of second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.

The charges stem from Hollingsworth stealing cars July 5, 2010 and June 22, 2009. Hollingsworth has at least 13 previous felony convictions, including for theft, forgery, second-degree kidnapping and second-degree robbery.

He was in the Bonner County Jail when he met Steele, who was awaiting trial on federal charges alleging he'd hired Sagle-area handyman Larry Fairfax to kill his wife, Cyndi Steele.

Hollingsworth testified at Steele's trial in Boise last year that he was asked by Fairfax to design the cover of his book to include a “picture of Larry Fairfax's logging truck running over an Aryan Nations member.”

Steele was a lawyer for the Aryan Nations in a 2000 lawsuit that bankrupted the racist group. Holllingsworth said he also was asked to include a picture of an FBI agent stabbing Fairfax in the back.

The testimony was aimed at discrediting Fairfax, but a jury convicted Steele on all charges in May 2011. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison in November and is being housed at a maximum-security prison in Victorville, Calif.

Fairfax is scheduled to be released from prison at the end of this month on weapons charges related to a pipe bomb he planted on Cyndi Steele's car.

Hollingsworth is in the Spokane County Jail awaiting transport to a state prison.

Related:

June 30: Oldtown chop shop has Spokane ties

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead them to five vehicles stolen from Kootenai County car dealerships in the past two months.

A reward also is available for tips on the people who stole them.

According to Coeur d'Alene police Sgt. Christie Wood:

A 1999 white Jeep Wrangler sport 2-door with a black roof has been missing since March 16.

A 2001 blue Dodge Durango was stolen between April 14 and April 17.

A 1996 blue Chevrolet 1500 extended cab truck was stolen between April 28 and April 30.

A 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab, duramax, 4-door truck was stolen between April 28 and May 2.

Finally, a 1995 white Dodge Ram 3500, 2-door, flatbed truck was stolen between May 1 and May 2.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online. Tipsters do not have to give their names to receive a reward but should leave a code name or number.

A report of a driver passed out in a running Honda with its trunk open and windows fogged up led to the arrest of a 28-year-old man on six felony charges early Saturday, police said today.

Randy Lee Jensen, Jr., could not tell if he was OK and if he knew where he was parked when deputies contacted him in the area of 6000 E. 9th Ave. about 4 a.m., according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

A homeowner called police to report the vehicle parked in his driveway. He said he didn't know who it belonged to but believed the driver was passed out.

Turns out the Honda had been reported stolen April 22, and Jensen had a warrant for driving on a suspended license.

Deputies found a clear plastic bag with Oxycodone in Jensen's right front jeans pocket. They also found several vehicle registrations, credit cards, driver's licenses, gift cards and military IDs that did not belong to Jensen, the sheriff's office said.

The items were stolen in several vehicle prowlings. Jensen had a shaved key in the ignition, along with a key chain with other shaved keys.

He was booked into jail on six felony identity and theft related charges, as well as the misdemeanor driving warrant. He remains there on $15,750 bond after appearing in court Monday. That includes $5,000 bond for an unrelated car theft case from January.

Deputies in Spokane Valley found two suspected stolen firearms Tuesday while contacting a woman who was driving with a suspended license, officials said today.

Jill A. Benton, 27, told deputies she placed a backpack in the bed of a truck next to her vehicle in the area of 400 North University Road and that there were two guns inside, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Benton allowed deputies to search the backpack, and they recovered a KSI Pomona 9mm handgun and a 16-gauge Westpoint shotgun.

Benton allowed deputies to search her storage unit in Spokane Valley, “where there were several items that she said were more than likely stolen,” according to a news release.

Benton also told deputies she'd picked up a “felon” associate who had been driving a Honda, the sheriff's office said. She took deputies to the Honda, which was listed as stolen. Benton was booked into jail on two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

Police are asking property crime victims to review photos of the seized property from this case and from other investigations on the Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

“Citizens are required to call Crime Check with their original theft report number and must show proof of ownership for the items they recognize,” according to a news release.

Benton is prohibited from possessing firearms because of felony convictions, which include riot, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance related to a medical marijuana robbery in January 2011.

A 17-year-old boy in a stolen van was arrested for drunken driving after running into a fast food restaurant, then disabling his front tires by running over a curb.

The boy also faces charges of attempting to elude police, possession of a stolen vehicle, hit and run, possession of marijuana and driving while license suspended after deputies were dispatched to a van driving recklessly Saturday about 7:30 a.m. in the area of East Bigelow Gulch Road and North Argonne Road, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Witnesses called 911 to report the van, and sheriff's Deputy Matt Spink caught up with near Highway 2 and Day-Mt. Spokane Road.

Spink followed the van and was told by dispatchers that it had just run into the Zip Trip nearby, according to the sheriff's office. He tried to stop the van, but it sped away before the boy drove it over a curb near Lane Park and Chesapeake Road, which disabled the front tires.

Spink arrested the boy. The owner of the van said he'd parked it in front of his home about 11 p.m. the night before and did not know the boy or that his van had been stolen.
  

A police corporal located a vehicle stolen from Lincoln County early today in Spokane Valley.

Cpl. Dave Ellis arrested four people on warrants with the help of sheriff's deputies after he contacting a man and woman triyng to move an Olds Cutlass from he middle of Valleyway Road near University Road about 2:18 a.m., according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

A man standing next to a truck in the driveway of a home believed to be connected to the Cutlass walked into the backyard, and deputies determined the truck was stolen. They contacted the home and found four people with warrants.

Arrested were David B. Buswell, 31, on a misdemeanor warrant for third-degree malicious mischief; Amanda M. Powers, 28; for felony escape from community custody; John P. Oak, 44, for misdemeanor failure to transfer title and Ronald E. Martell, 50, for a warrant for third-degree driving while license suspended.

Oak also was arrested in January for allegedly forging a $15 Spokane County Jail check for more than 200 times the amount.
  

A sheriff deputy's attempted traffic stop led to a chase with a stolen truck Sunday night.

The driver and his passenger fled the truck near Haven Street after city police officers disabled its front and rear passenger tires at the intersection of North Market Street and East Euclid Avenue.

Suspect Gary A. Patterson, Jr., 34, was arrested near the truck and admitted he was a passenger, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's K-9 Brax found the suspected driver Kyle A. Costello, 26, hiding on top of a six-foot tall roof.

Deputy Shawn Audie had been pursuing the truck since trying to pull it over for a defective taillight near East Francis Avenue and Market about 10:15 p.m. Dispatchers told him the truck had been stolen in Spokane earlier that day.

Audie terminated the pursuit when the truck continued to travel recklessly with sparks flying from the front and rare passenger tire rims. He thought he saw a crash on Haven Street but arrived to see Patterson and Costello running from the stolen truck. There was no crash.

The men were booked into jail for possession of a stolen vehicle. Costello also faces a felony eluding charge.

Patterson was arrested about a month ago on suspicion of burglary after he requested - and was given - a bottle of wine when he unlawfully entered a home at at 828 E. Joseph Ave., allegedly.

A stolen Honda Civic located outside a north Spokane garage Tuesday led police to raid a suspected chop shop and arrest two men. 

Dennis A. Martynenko, 23, and Brandon C. Hill, 18, were booked into jail on two counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle after Spokane police Cpl. Shane Oien spotted the stolen Civic parked outside a detached garage near 4000 N. Pittsburg St.

Martyenko and Hill were removing wheels, tires and other parts from the Civic and putting them another car, police say.

Officers with the Spokane police Patrol Anti-Crime Team saw two other Hondas inside the garage that were stripped down and had parts swapped out .

Officers also observed other cars parts such as seats, hoods, fenders, bumpers and molding throughout the garage, as well as a stolen Honda scooter. Police contacted the owners of the white Honda and the scooter, who “gratefully responded to identify and take possession of their stolen property,” police said today.

The Spokane police Targeted Crimes Unit served a search warrant at the garage and recovered the stolen vehicles, as well as stolen tools. They say the garage appears to be used as a chop shop where stolen cars are disassembled and their parts redistributed.

Police say Martyenko is a repeat offender with seven felony conviction for property crimes. Hill also has a criminal history, police said.

“This arrest is part of the Spokane Police Department’s effort to identify and apprehend repeat offenders in order to minimize theft and property crimes within the City of Spokane,” according to a news release.

Police offered the following tips to protect yourself from theft: Watch for individuals who are out of place in your neighborhood. Don’t leave valuables in plain view, even if your car is locked. Always park in high-traffic, well-lighted areas when possible. Invest in the purchase of anti-theft security devices. If your vehicle is stolen, report it to the police immediately.

Hondas are the most stolen car in Washington state.

A sheriff's dog tracked a car theft suspect who fled a crash in Spokane Valley early today.

The K-9, Brax, located Justin C. Luce, 32, hiding near a tree about two blocks from the crash near 600 N. Walnut Road, which occurred after Luce fled a traffic stop near Walnut and Broadway Avenue about 3 a.m., according to the Spokane Valley Police Department.

Officer Juan Rodriguez located the crashed car unoccupied with a shaved key inside the ignition. A sheriff's helicopter and Brax tracked Luce to the tree.

Police found a backpack in the stolen vehicle that contained marijuana. Officers say it and several burglary tools found in the car belonged to Luce.

Luce is to be sentenced March 26 for a burglary in Kootenai County that's connected to the theft of a high-end triathlon bicycle recovered by Coeur d'Alene police just in time for Ironman.

Luce also has a conviction in Spokane County for car theft that stemmed from a similar police chase in the Valley last April.

Spokane police arrested the fleeing driver of a stolen rental car after a using their patrol car to stop the vehicle late Tuesday.

  Christopher B. Gooch, 35, told police his cousin told him the car was stolen when police pulled up next to them, and “I wasn't just going to pull over and go to jail for a stolen car,” according to court documents.

Gooch had fled police in a 2011 Toyota Corolla while southbound on North Market Street near East Wellesley Avenue. He sped through red lights before Officer Sean Wheeler nudged the back of the Corolla with his patrol car, which forced it into a spin that brought it to a stop

. Gooch ran from the car but was arrested in a backyard near Buckeye and Atlantic. Wheeler noted in court documents that he advised Gooch that “he was a terrible driver.”

Police say Gooch had suspected stolen checks on him when he was booked into jail. He remains jailed in this case and another attempting to elude police case and a felony drug case from last year.

Gooch's cousin, Justin C. Taylor, 27, who police suspect stole the car, is jailed on drug and car theft charges.

A Spokane police officer investigating a stolen vehicle early Sunday found what he called a “plethora” of property believed to have been stolen in burglaries and car prowlings.

Officer Sean Wheeler located the stolen Kia Rio at 118 E. Sanson about 1:45 a.m. and arrested suspect Amariah J. Carter, 22, for car theft.

Wheeler and backup officers found a checkbook, toolbox and GPS system that had been stolen from a car at 4707 E. Upriver Drive on Friday.

Officers also found sheers and restaurant-style knives that had been stolen from a vehicle on Saturday. They also found an identification card belonging to a residential burglary victim who also is missing $3,000 in silverware, a $2,500 diamond ring and antique China dishes described as “priceless.” Officers recovered only the dishes. The burglary occurred in the 4000 block of East Frederick next door to Carter's home, according to court documents.

Carter told police she was not the only person who had driven the car and declined to comment further, documents say.

Carter was released from jail on her own recognizance Tuesday after appearing before Judge Annette Plese on charges of theft of a motor vehicle, residential burglary, first-degree theft, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a payment instrument and two counts of second-degree possession of stolen property.

This crash in north Spokane began when a sheriff's deputy tried to pull over the Honda. (KHQ-TV photo)

A man in a stolen car swerved into a police cruiser during a chase in north Spokane this afternoon.

The suspect, Aaron D. Lyons, 33, was arrested after he crashed the 1992 Honda Civic into shrubbery while trying to turn into the Rite Aid parking lot on North Division Street. Deputy Jeff Thurman blocked the Civic with his patrol vehicle and arrested Lyons, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

The chase began about 12:39 p.m. when Thurman tried to stop the Civic in the 8500 block of North Country Homes Road for failing to display license plates.

Before Lyons crashed near Rite Aid, Thurman tried to stop car with a “pursuit intervention technique” that involves nudging the back bumper of a fleeing vehicle, which forces it into a spin and brings it to a stop, but Lyons swerved into Thurman's car to avoid the move, the sheriff's office said.

The Civic was reported stolen on Sunday. Lyons also had a stolen credit card with him, according to the sheriff's office.

Lyons was booked into jail on felony charges of second-degree assault, attempting to elude police, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, second-degree malicious mischief and possession of stolen property, and misdeamenor charges of driving under the influence and driving while license suspended.

A man in a stolen vehicle crashed into a police car during a chase in Spokane Valley earlier today, police said.

 The suspect, Joshua G. Garvin, 27, (pictured) was arrested after the short pursuit in the area of East Sprague Avenue and North Willow Road about 4:30 a.m. Officer Nathan Bohanek tried to stop Garvin after a license plate check on the 1990 Honda Accord he was driving said the car was stolen.

Garvin turned northbound on McDonald from Sprague, then drove westbound on Mission and southound on Argonne at speeds of 50 to 80 mile per hour, according to police.

Police continued the pursuit because vehicle and pedestrian traffic was light. Garvin turned east on Sprague and drove the wrong way on the five-lane road, so officers tried to execute a pursuit intervention technique, but

Garvin swerved to avoid the move and hit the patrol car, “causing damage to both vehicles,” according to a news release.

Garvin was arrested after a short struggle. Police found meth, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, shaved car keys and suspected stolen property.

Garvin was treated for a minor injury and booked into jail for several felonies, including possession of stolen property, attempting to elude law enforcement, and possession of a controlled substance, in addition to the warrants and misdemeanor charges.  More charges could be added if the property found in his possession is determined to be stolen.

Court records show Garvin was arrested in November on charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, posession of a controlled substance, residential burglary and posession of marijuana.

A no-bail warrant was issued Dec. 23 for violating the conditions of a felony sentence imposed in 2007.

An 18-year-old man accused of carjacking a woman who was with her infant remains jailed on $40,000 bond.

Dustin M. Lange is accused of pointing a shotgun at Rachelle Bergman and “racking it” as she was trying to load her newborn baby into her 1998 Ford Escort about 8:40 p.m. Friday in the employee parking lot at Northern Lights Brewery, 1003 E. Trent Ave., police say.

Bergman told police Lange said he would “blast her” if the keys were not in the car, according to court documents prepared by police. Lange also pointed the gun at Bergman's friend Hannah Fretheim, police say. Bergman said she was able to get her 10-day-old son out of the car before Lange stole it.

Police found the Escort in the parking lot of a FedEx warehouse, 4220 E. Broadway Ave., where they say Lange ran through the building still staffed by employees and hid in a trailer at a loading dock.

Fretheim and Bergman identified Lange as the gunman, and police booked him into jail. Officers say they found seven small bags of marijuana and one larger bag, as well as a scale, with Lange after his arrest. They found the shotgun in the wheel well of a truck trailer.

Lange appeared before Superior Court Judge Annette Plese Tuesday on charges of theft of a motor vehicle, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and second-degree burglary (for the FedEx entry.)

Lange was convicted as a juvenile of taking a motor vehicle without permission on Nov. 10 - a day before his 18th birthday, police say.
  

A Spokane man tried to run over a police officer before abandoning the car and fighting with a K-9 today, officials say.

Melvin A. Gillespie, 41, who was released from jail earlier this year after pleading guilty to assisting a suicide, is back behind bars on charges of first-degree assault, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and attempting to elude.

Spokane police stopped a stolen 2002 Subaru Impreza at East Rowan Avenue and North Nevada Street and tried to detain the driver and passenger who had exited, but the driver got back in the car and drove in reverse toward a police sergeant, who had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.

Police located the Subaru, which had been reported stolen Christmas Eve from the Spokane International Airport, in the 500 block of East North Avenue unoccupied. A police dog, Leonidas, found the suspected driver, later identified as Gillespie, hiding in leaves in a backyard in the 500 block of East Everett Avenue.

Police say Gillespie punched Leonidas in the head several times before he was controlled by officers. The dog was not seriously injured.

Gillespie was sentenced in April to six months in jail for helping his friend William Pickard jump to his death from the Sunset bridge above High Bridge Park in June 2010. Pickard’s body was found wrapped with a cord in what police first suspected was a homicide.

After months of investigation, Gillespie admitted to police that he'd helped Pickard kill himself at Pickard’s request.
  

Spokane police are reminding motorists not to leave their running cars unattended after a vehicle was stolen this morning.

The victim said the car was left warming up in front of their home in the 1500 block of West Carlisle Avenue when it was stolen about 6:30 a.m.

An officer spotted the vehicle in the Shadle Park Walmart parking lot about 20 minutes later and arrested Dustin Richard Burrows, 31, (pictured) on a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Police say it's OK to warm up a vehicle on private property, but running vehicles left unattended on the street can garner a fine of $124. They also are frequently stolen.

“Car thieves are most active in the early mornings, especially when cars are warming up,” according to a news release by Officer Ryan Snider. “Police ask that you sit in the vehicle while it is warming up to prevent it from being stolen.”

Burrows was sentenced in Spokane County Superior Court just three weeks ago to drug treatment for a felony controlled substance charge, according to court records.

A Spokane County man caught with stolen vehicles at his South Hill-area home was visited by police again two days later after detectives heard of a stolen jewelry box matching a box spotted during their first search.

Randall T. Smeltzer, 32, is in jail on possession of a stolen motor vehicle, stolen property and methamphetamine charges.

Detectives recovered a stolen Mazda and a stolen Chevy Trailblazer at his home in the 3600 block of East Thurston on Tuesday, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities say the Mazda had been stolen in Medical Lake; Smeltzer had removed its side windows and installed them in his own Mazda. The Chevy was stolen Monday night from a Liberty Lake home and already had different licenses plates mounted on it. Items belonging to its owner were found in Smeltzer's bedroom.

Investigators reviewing burglary reports the next day noted a report listing a unique jewelry box taken in a burglary on South Fancher Road. They recognized the box as one they'd seen in Smeltzer's room, and Detective Dean Meyer obtained a second search warrant for the home on Thursday.

“The jewelry box was recovered, as was jewelry, checkbooks and identification belonging to other victims,” Sgt. Dave Reagan said in a news release. “Investigators also found evidence linking Smeltzer to two other stolen vehicles.”

A convicted car thief took a man living in a Jeep Cherokee for a wild ride late Friday that nearly included a head-on collision with a Spokane police cruiser, officers say. 

Tyray H. Munter, 24, (pictured) who has previously led police on high-speed chases, is accused of stealing a white 1991 Jeep Cherokee that was parked outside the Union Gospel Mission.

The Jeep's owner, Steve Wilkinson, told officers he was sleeping hard after a night of drinking when he awoke to someone driving his car as police sirens blared behind.

Wilkinson said he'd never met the man before and asked him repeatedly to pull over, but the thief refused.

Officer Erin Blessing was en route to a domestic violence call when she saw the Jeep turned the wrong way onto Third Avenue. She tried to stop the vehicle but “it actually sped up even more” and drove directly at her.

Blessing drove up on a curb to avoid a collision. The Jeep was suspected in a rear-end hit-and-run crash at East Ninth Avenue and South Altamont Boulevard minutes earlier.

Blessing pursued the vehicle until it crashed near East Newark Avenue and South Arthur Street. Two pedestrians had to run out of the way to avoid being hit, according to court documents.

Munter remains in jail on $3,500 bond on charges of unlawful imprisonment, attempted second-degree assault, attempting to elude police and second-degree taking a motor vehicle with permission, as well as a no-bail hold from the Washington Department of Corrections.

Munter has a previous conviction for possession of a stolen motor vehicle for a high-speed police chase in a stolen car in September 2010.

A 21-year-old man escaped a work release program recently after police interviewed him about a series of vehicle thefts in North Idaho.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to the arrest of William V. Woods, who left the Brownstone Work Release Program while serving a sentence for third-degree assault, according to a news release.

He faces charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two counts of first-degree possession of stolen property for the theft of two cargo trailers and a truck in North Idaho, in addition to a fresh count of escape from community custody.

Woods, 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, is a transient with a previous felony conviction for second-degree theft. Anyone with information on his current location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 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.