Man Surrenders After Standoff At Barber Shop

A Spokane Valley man who allegedly broke into a Sprague Avenue barber shop was arrested early last Thursday after holding authorities at bay for nearly two hours.

Mark Eugene Miller, 33, was booked into the Spokane County Jail for second-degree burglary after a standoff with sheriff’s deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers ended peacefully.

The incident started when a man called 911 and told the operator he had broken into the Central Valley Barber Shop, 16702 E. Sprague, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman David Reagan. The man said he had a gun, but the operator had trouble getting more information, Reagan said.

Nine deputies and two state troopers surrounded the barber shop and negotiated with the suspect for almost two hours. Miller, who gave his address as 1216 N. Herald, surrendered about 1:30 a.m., Reagan said.

Deputies who arrested Miller found damage to the inside of the business, Reagan said.

Teen startled by intruders

A 15-year-old girl who was home alone Monday morning when two teenagers broke into her house was not harmed by the intruders.

Deputies are searching for three suspects, two of whom appear to be known by the victim, Reagan said. The third suspect apparently did not enter the house, but was seen leaving with the teens.

Nothing appears to be missing from the house, which is in the 6900 block of East Seventh Avenue.

One of the teens knocked at the door to the house about 11:45 a.m. When the girl did not answer, he walked around the back of the house, and a second teen went inside through an unlocked door.

He left the house when the girl, who was in a bedroom, called deputies after discovering him inside the house.

The boy, described as 16 or 17 years old, came back a few minutes later with the boy who had knocked at the door. The girl called deputies a second time, and the boys left with a girl who was outside.

The second boy also was described as 16 or 17, 5 feet 7 and 160 to 170 pounds. He was bald and wearing a heavy parka. The girl, who is 14, used to be friends with the victim, Reagan said.

Tools, CDs missing from business

Burglars broke into an upholstery business over the weekend and stole a socket set, two air drills and several compact discs.

The business in the 16000 block of East Montgomery Avenue was not identified.

Employees who returned to work Monday morning discovered two doors open. A piece of siding also had been pried loose from the building during the break-in, Reagan said.

Cash stolen from office

A dentist’s office was broken into over the weekend, and cash was taken from the petty cash box.

A woman who works at the office in the 200 block of North Mullan Road found the petty cash box and a file draw pried open when she came to work Monday morning.

About $75 was taken, but the burglar left the coins behind, Reagan said. There were no signs of forced entry, he said.

Bomb threat a hoax

A disgruntled former employee may have been responsible for calling in a weekend bomb threat to a Valley business, deputies said Tuesday.

Employees discovered the threat on an answering machine when they got to work Monday morning, Reagan said. No bomb was found at the business located in the 9500 block of East Montgomery Avenue.

“A caller said, ‘You have a bomb in the back part of the building and it will go off at 10 p.m.’,” Reagan said.

Deputies were unable to determine exactly when the call was made, but said it came in between 5 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Monday.

The name of the business was not released.

, DataTimes