Stevens County deputies search for homicide suspect

Stevens County deputies are searching for 30-year-old Morgan L. Beadle, suspected of killing a man last week.

A fire was reported in the 800 block of South Fork Mill Creek Road about 5:45 p.m. Friday. The fire was reported by Beadle to a passer-by, who called for help. Sheriff’s deputies and the Department of Natural Resources responded, since the home about 8 miles north of Colville is not inside a fire district.

The owner of the home, 68-year-old Timothy L. Roberts, could not be located, and the home was fully involved in fire, according to a Stevens County Sheriff’s Office news release. Beadle is Roberts’ stepgrandson, said Capt. Andy Harbolt.

Deputies later located Beadle driving Roberts’ vehicle, a 2004 silver Chevy Cavalier. At the time he was considered a person of interest, but there wasn’t enough probable cause to arrest him and he was released after giving a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Roberts’ body was found in Mill Creek just downstream from his home at 11:28 a.m. on Monday. Information gathered during the investigation and the autopsy results led officials to seek an arrest warrant for Beadle for first-degree murder.

Beadle is white with blond hair and blue eyes. He’s 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds and wears glasses. He’s homeless but is believed to be in the Colville or Spokane areas.

He is no longer driving the Cavalier, which was seized by investigators, said Harbolt.

Anyone with information on Beadle’s whereabouts is asked to call the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 684-2555.