Suspicious package closes Wells Fargo branch
A suspicious briefcase closed a bank early Wednesday while bomb experts examined it for explosives.
An X-ray revealed the briefcase was filled with notebooks, papers and a checkbook belonging to a 60-year-old Spokane Valley woman, Spokane Valley police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.
Officers responded to Wells Fargo Bank about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sprague and Dartmouth on a report of a suspicious package.
Bank officials opted to evacuate the bank and the Spokane City/County explosives disposal unit was called to the scene, Reagan said. The item was examined and determined to be safe.
The briefcase was returned to the woman, Reagan said. The bank lobby did not reopen because the incident ended after 5 p.m.
Call results in drug charge
Police responding to a domestic disturbance Sunday found a woman who had been head-butted by her boyfriend. They also found 10 marijuana plants in an apartment closet.
About 11:20 p.m. Sunday, police went to 4517 N. Sullivan Road after witnesses reported hearing fighting in an apartment at the complex and a woman complaining she was bloody.
Officers arrived to find a woman bleeding from facial injuries in the parking lot. She allowed police to search the apartment for her boyfriend, who apparently had left prior to their arrival, Reagan said.
Officers found six 2-foot tall marijuana plants in a bedroom closet and four starter plants, Reagan said. The suspect returned to the apartment while police were working on a search warrant to re-enter the home and seize the plants.
James P. Syrett, 22, was charged with manufacturing a controlled substance and fourth-degree domestic assault, Reagan said.
He admitted that the marijuana was his and gave police consent to go back into the apartment to get the evidence.
Sock laced with drugs
A 25-year-old man arrested on three outstanding warrants Sunday handed over a baggie of drugs hidden in his sock before being booked into Spokane County Jail.
About 7:20 p.m. Sunday, an officer stopped two men on bicycles at Main Street and Sargent Road when he spotted them riding down the middle of the roadway, Reagan said.
The officer discovered one of the men was wanted on warrants, Reagan said. The second bicyclist was let go.
Victor Ray Houle, of 125 S. Havana St., was charged with possession of a controlled substance and booked on warrants for vehicle prowling, criminal trespass and third-degree theft, police said.
Houle told the officer that he had drugs in his shoe as the two were walking into the jail, Reagan said. Houle stuck out his left foot and shook it for the officer. The officer removed the shoe and found a baggie of methamphetamine.
He shouldn’t have returned
A 46-year-old man attempted to return a barbecue and a grass trimmer at Wal-Mart on East Broadway last Saturday that he hadn’t paid for.
His nervousness prompted the store clerk to call security, Reagan said.
Gregory M. Sykes, of Renton, Wash., was charged with second-degree theft, Reagan said.
Police responded to the department store about 1:45 p.m. after security reviewed video surveillance and saw a man walk to a nearby exit with the barbecue and grass trimmer, then walk back into the store.
The man attempted to get a refund gift card for the two items, which were valued at $650, Reagan said.
Fast, but not too swift
A 31-year-old man ended up with a felony charge last Saturday rather than a speeding ticket that the officer planned to give him.
On Saturday morning an officer in an unmarked car saw a man driving a Camaro westbound on Broadway at 46 mph in a 35 mph zone, Reagan said. As the officer turned around to stop the speeder, the driver took off at a high speed and turned north on Bowdish Road.
Police pursued the Camaro at speeds of up to 90 mph, Reagan said. The car skidded to a stop at Mission and Mullan. The driver complied with police commands to exit the car when they had him at gunpoint.
Allen D. Meador, 12202 E. Broadway Ave., was charged with felony attempt to elude police, Reagan said. The traffic citation would have been $132.