In brief: Police say man kept charity money
Spokane Valley police say a man is pocketing money that he says he’s collecting for charity.
Robert J. Hatch initially operated an enterprise known as “Bikes 4 All Tykes,” police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan said in a press release. He would solicit donations from businesses and either repair bikes or purchase helmets for children, Reagan said.
But, Reagan said, Hatch’s practices changed about a year ago.
“Instead of investing donations in bike helmets, the suspect simply began pocketing the hundreds of dollars he collected from local businesses,” Reagan said.
He has provided detectives with the names of some companies from which he collected money, Reagan said. But police believe more people have been caught in the scam.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Kirk Keyser at (509) 477-3325.
Post Falls
Men ‘didn’t mean to scare anyone’
A report that three men tried to lure two Post Falls fifth-graders into a van last week was a misunderstanding, Post Falls police now say.
Police on Friday interviewed the three men who were in the orange van near Ponderosa Elementary School.
They told police that they yelled at the girls on the afternoon of March 7 but “didn’t mean to scare anyone.”
“It doesn’t appear there was ever an attempt to coerce anyone into the vehicle,” Post Falls police said in a press release.
From staff reports