Trio Jailed In Violent Break-Ins Victims Robbed, Raped, Beaten, Stabbed

Three men were arrested and charged Friday in two home-invasion robberies that included raping a woman, beating one man and stabbing another, police said.

Detectives said the violence that hit two homes in separate parts of town was not random.

“This wasn’t stranger-to-stranger violence,” said Dick Cottam, police spokesman. “Some of the people involved in this knew other people who were involved.”

The rampage began Thursday night at a house in the 2400 block of West Riverside.

Residents there told police two armed men rushed in about 9:30 p.m., ordered them to the floor and robbed them.

The bandits hit one of the victims in the head during the robbery. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

About four hours later, two men forced their way into a house in the 400 block of West Euclid in north Spokane, detectives said.

One of the robbers stabbed a man who lived in the house, and the other raped a woman who was there, police said. The bandits then stole some money and ran away.

The stabbing victim was listed in satisfactory condition at a local hospital Friday night. Police said he is expected to recover.

The woman was treated and released from a local hospital, police said.

Witnesses at both locations were able to identify at least one of their attackers, and police went to a residence on West Cleveland looking for the men. Police say three men were involved, with one participating in both attacks.

Police arrested Jason William Lee, 20, and Washington James Bridges Jr., 18, at the house on West Cleveland.

Officers using a police dog tracked down Shawn David Cranford, 19, near the West Euclid house and arrested him there.

Lee was booked into the county jail on suspicion of burglary and first-degree robbery. Washington was booked on suspicion of first-degree assault and burglary. Cranford faces charges of rape and burglary.

The men are scheduled to make a first appearance in District Court on Monday.

Lee was charged with first-degree robbery in May 1997, but acquitted at trial. Detectives said he and four or five other men forced their way into a home in west Spokane and robbed a woman at gunpoint.

Cranford is a suspected gang member who in the past year has been convicted of third-degree assault and attempting to elude a police officer, according to court records.

, DataTimes