Off-The-Cuff Amusement Not So Funny, Except To Rescuer

As a varsity wrestler at University High School, Craig Bishop spent four years wriggling out of tight spots.

But the Valley teen was no match for a pair of stubborn handcuffs discovered in a friend’s junk drawer late one night last month. When the curious 19-year-old playfully slipped the cuffs over his wrists, he launched his friends on a four-hour adventure they won’t soon forget.

It involved bent saws, flattened drill bits, desperate calls to locksmiths - even a quick trip to the Erotique Boutique adult store on East Sprague. It also included a 4 a.m. visit from the Spokane Valley Fire Department, and soon after, one from Sheriff’s Sgt. Cal Walker.

“It was kind of a humorous break for us,” admitted Walker, who responded to the 911 call for help on July 23. “They were really friendly - a neat group of kids. But they were really embarrassed.”

It all began as a quiet evening of hanging out. Six friends gathered at the Valley home of 19-year-old Pamela Finnegan and began to watch “Independence Day” on video. Soon, they were bored.

“We’ve all seen (the movie) a lot of times,” Finnegan said.

Looking for new entertainment, Bishop opened a junk drawer and spotted a pair of handcuffs. Thinking Finnegan had the key, he slapped them on.

“I’m the person who tries things,” Bishop said.

This time, he regretted it.

They searched and searched, but the teens couldn’t find the key. Later, they would learn that Finnegan’s father found the high-quality handcuffs in the Spokane River while fishing.

He never had the key.

Desperate, the teens tried to free Bishop using saws, drills and other tools belonging to Finnegan’s dad. The sturdy cuffs didn’t budge.

“We flattened all (my dad’s) drill bits,” Finnegan admitted. And the cuffs were only getting tighter.

The teens called four different locksmiths, who advised them to try bolt cutters. Unfortunately, few hardware stores are open at 2 a.m.

While a few of the teens continued to saw and hack, another made a quick trip to the Erotique Boutique - just in case the owner had any advice.

The teens admitted, they had no idea what type of handcuffs they were dealing with.

Finally, after four hours of fruitless labor, the teens called 911.

Fire officials came and cut off the looser cuff, but the tight one required a key.

Sgt. Walker, who works the graveyard shift, heard the call and drove over to help.

“He was totally laughing so hard,” said Finnegan, who apologized to Walker several times for making him come over at 4:30 a.m.

Walker took it in stride.

“I told them I was almost disappointed,” Walker said.

Pleas for help with handcuffs, he said - especially at 4:30 a.m. - often turn out to be even more interesting than this one.

, DataTimes