Handcuffed Suspect Jumps Into Frigid River Current Sweeps Man To Waiting Officers

A man in police custody Friday jumped into the Spokane River and tried to make his way in the frigid current.

Spokane police arrested 21-year-old Luke David Beebe after he was accused of breaking into a woman’s apartment in the 2500 block of South Riverton, said spokesman Dick Cottam.

As police prepared to transport the suspect, he escaped and ran. With two officers chasing, the handcuffed suspect plunged into the river and was carried away by the current, Cottam said.

The suspect was quickly captured, however, when the current took him directly to officers waiting on the north bank.

Spokane River water temperatures in winter are typically in the mid-30s, according to the National Weather Service.

Later, doctors at a hospital determined Beebe was cold and intoxicated but otherwise OK.

Beebe, 2434 N. Wall, was booked into jail on charges of residential burglary and escape.

The woman was not injured during the alleged break-in, Cottam said.

Teen faces shoplifting charge

A teenager was arrested on charges of shoplifting and assault Monday after he was accused of attacking a store owner, a customer and a police officer.

David C. Burns, 19, was confronted by the owner of Miller’s Hardware, 2908 E. 29th, on suspicion of shoplifting, Cottam said. The owner and a customer held the teenager until an officer arrived.

The suspect fought with the two men and the officer and later kicked at the police cruiser window until he was placed in leg restraints.

Burns was booked on charges of theft and assault.

Traffic stop yields drugs

Sheriff’s deputies found thousands of dollars and drugs in a car after arresting a man on suspicion of driving with a revoked license.

A car driven by a 29-year-old Medical Lake man was pulled over at Monroe and Garland on Dec. 22. During a pat-down of the suspect, the arresting deputy discovered a thumb-size plastic bag - called a baggie - containing powdered methamphetamine, said Sheriff’s spokesman Dave Reagan.

Methamphetamine - also known as meth, speed or crank - is an illegal stimulant that comes in either yellowish chunks or a powder, Reagan said. Baggies typically sell for $10 to $20.

The deputy summoned a drug dog, which sniffed out what deputies suspected were more drugs in a pill box on the front seat. Inside, the deputies found eight more baggies containing fingernail-size chunks of meth, Reagan said.

A subsequent search of the car by the Spokane Regional Drug Task Force uncovered 2 ounces of meth, $2,000, electronic scales and glass smoking pipes locked in a security box.

The driver, William Y. Rowley, 815 S. Deep Creek, was booked into Spokane County Jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine and driving with a revoked license.

“Meth is the fastest growing drug problem in Spokane,” Reagan said.

Since 1998, meth has accounted for more than half of all drug arrests in the Spokane area, according to the Spokane Regional Drug Task Force.