Theft reports spike in Cheney

Thefts were up in August, with 32 incidents reported in Cheney. That’s 18 more than July, and 18 more than last August.

The Cheney Police Department’s activity report for August also included seven assaults, six instances of domestic violence, four criminal alcohol offenses, three burglaries and one rape.

Monthly highlights included completion of the Washington State Patrol Access audit in which the communications department met with 100 percent compliance for four agencies: the Cheney Police Department, Cheney Municipal Court, Eastern Washington University Police Department and the Medical Lake Police Department.

Jami Hoppen of the dispatch staff has left the department to become a police officer in Auburn, Wash., and the department has begun a search to find a replacement.

The department has completed training for its new mobile data browsers that have been installed in police cruisers. The computers went online Sept. 11.

Public hearings will soon be held to discuss the department’s 2009 budget.

Detective Matt Pumphrey arrested a man who has been allegedly been raping his two daughters for the past 10 years. Pumphrey had to coordinate with agencies in Oregon, Washington and Maine to make the arrest. Pumphrey also interrupted a theft in progress of some beer at Safeway after noticing some suspicious activity in the parking lot of the store. He made several arrests in the incident.

Officer Justin Hobbs helped organize a new Block Watch in the Gary Street neighborhood.

From Sept. 4 to 12, the Cheney Police Department responded to the following reports:

Two cases of unlawful use of a credit or debit card and an unlawful issuance of a bank check written in Dec. 2007, five instances of malicious mischief, seven reports of theft, one report of a residential burglary in which nothing was taken, two reports of domestic violence, a report of suspicious circumstance in which someone had written some profanity and racial slurs in sidewalk chalk on a street, found a blue bike and responded to a report of a runaway. The 14-year-old boy was located and returned home.

Officers also made the following arrests:

Sept. 6

•Christopher A. Landis, 20, on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana at the 100 block of west First Street.

•Holly K. Keech, 42, on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at the 100 block of First Street.

•Nikee B. Larsen, 20, on a felony warrant issued out of Spokane at the 2300 block of University Lane.

Sept. 7

•Luis E. Galvan, 27, on suspicion of domestic violence assault at the 700 block of west First Street.

•Filmon K. Gebrekristos, 26 on suspicion of theft of a multicolored bicycle at the 1100 block of First Street.

Sept. 8

•Barbara L. Barbee, 45, was arrested on two warrants issued in Stevens County. One warrant for suspicion of two counts of forgery and one for failure to appear in court on a possession of stolen property charge.

Sept. 10

•Dawn M. Fix, 38, on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at the 100 block of Betz.

Sept. 11

•Michael V. Murphy, 68, on a warrant issued from Cheney Municipal Court for failure to comply.

Medical Lake

The Medical Lake Police Department responded to the following incidents Sept. 1-7:

There were two reports of assault, two violations of court orders, one report of a possible sex crime, one report of malicious mischief, one motorist assist, one assist of another agency and a civil standby.

Officers made the following arrests:

Sept. 3

•Nicolas Castro-Galban, 22, of Spokane, on suspicion of driving with no valid operator’s license near State Road 902 and Stanley.

Sept. 5

•Terry L. Ingwaldson, 54, of Spokane, for suspicion of driving with a suspended license near Lake and Lefevre Streets.

Sept. 6

•A juvenile female on suspicion of theft and possession of marijuana in the 500 block of east Barker Street.

Airway Heights

The Airway Heights Police Department assisted other agencies in 12 incidents during the week of Sept. 8-14. Officers also responded to four traffic collisions, four reports of theft, participated in three welfare checks on children, three incidents of harassment, two noise complaints and two assaults. Officers responded to two commercial alarms, one incident of shots fired and one report of a missing man.

Officers made the following arrests.

Sept. 8

•Robin M. Griffith, 44, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Garfield, and was also booked into Lincoln County Jail for a misdemeanor warrant for no valid operator license without identification.

Sept. 9

•Melissa J. Cameron, 31, was arrested on a warrant for suspicion of driving with a suspended license at the 13500 block of west Sixth Ave.

•Keith L. Dafler, 50, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for reckless driving at the 1700 block of south Lawson.

Sept. 13

•Ricky L. Heesh, 49, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Hayford.

•Holley A. Williams, 42, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Hayford.

•David L. Hickam, 23, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Hayford.

Sept. 14

•Robert N. Edinger, 28, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Hayford.

•Jason W. Lyden, 32, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Albert.

•Angela M. Bonanno, 20, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license at State Road 2 and Hayden. Her passenger, Curtis Kellerman, 23, was arrested on a warrant for felony escape.