Robbery Attempt Ends Up Costing Suspect Money

A robbery attempt ended up costing one thief at least a quarter.

The suspect entered Larry’s Quick Stop, 28312 N. Newport Highway, at about 10:20 p.m. Monday and asked the clerk for change for a quarter, said Spokane County sheriff’s spokesman Dave Reagan.

The clerk, 47, took two dimes and a nickel from the till and then closed it. As the clerk turned to hand the man his change, the suspect sprayed him with pepper spray and tried to open the till, Reagan said. The phone rang as the clerk was wiping the spray from his eyes. The clerk told the caller he was being robbed and to call 911, Reagan said.

When deputies arrived, they helped the man wash the spray out of his eyes and discovered the suspect had left behind his quarter and his pepper spray.

The clerk described him as a white male in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall, thin, with dark hair and a thin mustache. He was wearing a long, dark jacket with a hood and dark tennis shoes.

Burglary foiled by off-duty deputy

Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Kirk Keyser was off duty Sunday at about 10 p.m. when he saw a white male standing in his driveway, peering into his car in the 17000 block of North Boston.

When Keyser asked the man what he was doing, he said he was looking for someone and gave the name of someone who didn’t live there, Reagan said. Keyser told him so and the man gave another name. No one by that name lived there either and so the man gave yet another name, then walked away, Reagan said.

Keyser went back inside and saw the man hiding behind some trees. He called 911, then saw the man run south.

Hoping to be able to give the dispatcher a better location, Keyser drove after the man and found him in the garage of another residence, picking up items at random, Reagan said. The owner of that house said he didn’t know him.

Deputies arrived and arrested Harold J. Spencer, 32, who gave his address as 5432 E. Union, on a charge of residential burglary.

Man arrested for drugs, firearm

A routine traffic stop led to one man’s arrest for possession of methamphetamine and a firearm.

Deputies saw a 1975 Chevy pickup with no license plate illumination driving north on Highway 2 Friday at about 11 p.m. They pulled over the truck to talk with the driver about the infraction.

When they ran a computer check on the driver, deputies found that he is a convicted felon and that he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, Reagan said.

They searched the suspect and found two dirty syringes; a clear, 6-inch glass pipe typically used for smoking meth or cocaine; a purple felt bag containing a tin with a small amount of meth in it; and a flashlight case also containing a tin with white powder residue, Reagan said. In the suspect’s coat pocket they found a third syringe, he added.

When deputies searched the vehicle, they found an empty holster under the front driver’s seat and a holstered .357-caliber Magnum, loaded with six bullets, Reagan said.

On the passenger side of the truck, deputies also found more meth tucked into a flashlight, Reagan said.

Garen Felker, 31, who gave a Newport, Wash., address, was arested on a charge of felony possession of meth and felony possession of a firearm.

Teen looking for fun lands in jail

Spokane police arrested a teenager who shot out windows in a business and shot at a house Feb. 1 about 5 p.m. on the North Side.

Officers responded to a report of a subject firing a BB gun in the 5700 block of North Atlantic and another report of a window damaged in a business in the 5700 block of North Division.

Police quickly identified John R. Blackstock, 19, of 5718 N. Atlantic, as the suspect, said police spokesman Dick Cottam. Blackstock told police he was “looking to have some fun” so he shot out his neighbor’s windows and those of a business behind his residence, Cottam added.

Police recovered the BB gun at Blackstock’s residence. No one was injured by the shots, Cottam said. Blackstock was booked into jail on a charge of second-degree malicious mischief.

Teen in Tempo fails to escape law

A 16-year-old Deer Park boy was arrested Feb. 1 after he tried to outrun a sheriff’s deputy who saw him run a stop sign.

The teen, who lives in the 600 block of East First, drove a Ford Tempo through the stop sign at Highway 395 and Crawford in Deer Park at about 8:50 p.m., Reagan said.

He drove away from the marked patrol car at speeds in excess of 75 mph on Monroe Road, Reagan added. The young driver lost control as he tried to turn onto Parker Road from Monroe, and the car spun out.

The suspect tried to drive around the oncoming deputy’s car several times, then tried to back away at high speed, Reagan said. The Tempo stopped after backing more than 50 yards, and the driver surrendered.

The teen was taken to Spokane County Juvenile Detention and booked on a charge of attempting to elude a police vehicle. His passenger, his terrified sister, was released to a family friend, Reagan said.