Man gets 25-year term for home invasion

A man who helped stage a home invasion robbery in 2005 that victimized an elderly couple has been sentenced to 25 1/2 years in prison.

Steven P. Unruh fled the area after he and three female accomplices broke into the home on Five Mile Road, armed with a handgun. They stole some of the personal possessions of Edward Pringle, 88, and his 84-year-old wife, Virginia, including jewelry and credit cards. The couple was not physically injured.

Unruh fled to California and was arrested more than a year later while playing in a band near Tulsa, Okla. He was extradited to Spokane. The three women who participated in the robbery – Delinda Combs, Pamela Drake and Karen Applegate – were also arrested in Oklahoma and pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

The Spokane Police Department on Wednesday commended the law enforcement teamwork that resulted in Unruh’s arrest. The Spokane Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency were involved in Unruh’s pursuit.

Unruh was sentenced Friday by Spokane County Superior Court Judge Sam Cozza. He was convicted Sept. 13 on two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree assault, first-degree burglary and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.