Day-care worker charged with theft of jewelry

A day-care employee was arrested Monday after her employer accused her of stealing jewelry and pawning it.

The owner of the day care called police Monday when she found a ring that had been stolen from her home at Shamrock Pawn on East Sprague, said Spokane Valley Police Department spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan.

The woman, whom police did not identify, told police that she hired 29-year-old Nousheen Marashi in January. The owner claimed that not long after Marashi’s hiring, pieces of jewelry began to disappear from the house but there was never any sign that anyone had broken in.

The woman went to local pawn shops and found a ring at Shamrock Pawn and other items belonging to her at Pawn One on East Sprague Avenue. Records showed that Marashi had pawned the ring on Sunday, Reagan said.

Marashi was arrested when she arrived at work. Since the value of the stolen jewelry exceeded $800 she was charged with felony counts of second-degree theft and first-degree trafficking in stolen property, Reagan said. She allegedly admitted to police that she had taken the items.

Use that turn signal

A driver reportedly failed to use his turn signal when he changed lanes Monday night and his passenger was arrested for drug possession after he was pulled over for his infraction.

Police pulled the car over near 15900 E. Sprague Ave. and discovered that the driver, 25-year-old Loren C. Kintner, had a suspended driver’s license, said Reagan. Kintner, of 1023 S. Pierce Road, was arrested and charged with first-degree driving with no valid operator’s license.

In the car’s back seat police allegedly found a backpack and a cell phone case near where the passenger had been sitting. The backpack contained drug scales, a ledger and empty plastic bags while the phone case held several bags of methamphetamine, Reagan said.

The passenger, identified as 29-year-old Juan J. Gomez-Vasquez, a transient, was arrested and charged with possession of meth with intent to deliver.

Security officer evades knife

Police arrested a man Wednesday after he allegedly pulled out a knife and took a swipe at a security officer trying to stop him from taking cold medicine from the Yoke’s at 15111 E. Sprague Ave.

The store employee reportedly saw the man take several packages of cold medicine and leave the store without paying, said Reagan. When the employee tried to stop the man, he pulled out a knife and ran. The employee chased him on a bike.

Officers located the man, identified as 24-year-old transient Joshua D. Roberts, at a nearby store and arrested him. He now faces a charge of first-degree robbery. The knife was recovered, Reagan said.

Garages open for burglary

Police say they have arrested three people who are suspected of committing a string of garage burglaries in the area of 20th Avenue between Early Dawn Road and Sullivan Road.

Police believe two men and a woman drove around looking for open garages, said Reagan. The men would allegedly dash inside the garages, grab an item or two of value and run back to the car driven by the woman, Reagan said.

On Wednesday police arrested 18-year-old Robert C. Howe, 1404 N. Best Road; 18-year-old transient David B. Anderson; and 22-year-old Amra A. Anderson, 704 S. Progress Road. Howe and David Anderson were charged with felony residential burglary. Amra Anderson was charged with two counts of residential burglary (accomplice).

An officer was checking information on pawned items provided by pawn shops and noticed that David Anderson had pawned 20 items since March 8, Reagan said. One of the items was a compound miter saw that had been reported stolen in a garage burglary.

On March 24 another resident in the area reported a garage burglary and provided police with a partial license plate number to a white car. The number led police to a white car owned by Amra Anderson, Reagan said.

Howe and David Anderson were arrested Wednesday at a home in the 2700 block of North Ella Road. Police followed a car that left the home and stopped it when the driver ran a red light. The driver was identified as 23-year-old Timothy W. Ryan, 2716 N. Ella Road. Ryan was not involved in the burglary case, Reagan said, but was wanted in Missouri on four charges of stealing, one charge of tampering and three counts of tampering with a motor vehicle. He was arrested on a fugitive from justice charge.

The investigation into the garage burglaries is continuing.