Thieves Make Off With Nursery Plants

Thu., May 18, 2000

By Trinity Hartman trinityh@spokesman.com

Hundreds of dollars of plants were stolen from two Valley nurseries this weekend.

Johnstone Gardens, 16816 E. Sprague, was burglarized and vandalized between 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Six cedar wheelbarrows and 16 flats of flowers were among the items taken from the nursery, which is behind the URM Cash & Carry store.

There were also rips in the plastic covering of three greenhouses.

Two suspects were arrested after a break-in at Plant Land Nursery early Sunday morning.

Neighbors summoned deputies around 2 a.m. after seeing someone crawling through a hole cut in the fence. Deputies staked out the nursery at 15614 E. Sprague and watched while two people loaded tomato plants, flowers, small trees and a shrub into a red 1977 Ford pickup truck. The value of the stolen goods was $250, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Two suspects were arrested as they left the greenhouse.

Raymond J. Jeffery, 50, 3523 E. Broadway, was charged with felony burglary and theft. A broken bolt was found in his front pants pocket, said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. David Reagan.

Sonya M. Coville, 28, 1520 N. Magnolia, was arrested on the same charges. They were both booked in the Spokane County Jail.

It is not known whether Jeffery and Coville are suspects in the burglary at Johnstone Gardens.

Anyone with information should call Crime Check at 456-2233.

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