ATV theft leads to wild chase
The theft of an all-terrain vehicle Tuesday morning led to a chase and reports of shots being fired.
Police responded when a man called 911 at 7:45 a.m. to report that he and his father were chasing two men he believed had stolen an all-terrain vehicle stored at his father’s home in the 18900 block of East Nixon.
The man reportedly saw a man riding an ATV towing away the second ATV, which also had a rider, said police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan in a press release. The man riding on the towed ATV allegedly pointed a gun at the men giving chase, who thought he fired at them.
In the 19700 block of Eighth, the two ATVs became separated and the towed ATV was left behind. The man ran away and hid in a nearby hay barn, where he was found by police, Reagan said. The gun he carried was determined to be a pellet gun. He was identified as Jonathan D. Marquiss, 28.
The man on the lead ATV apparently ran out of gas in a field nearby and also ran and hid. Police used a tracking dog to find him in an outbuilding, Reagan said. He was identified as Randy S. Sandven, 19.
Police believe the ATV ridden by Sandven was stolen from a home in the 17600 block of East Alki early Tuesday morning.
One of the pursuing officers was injured slightly in the leg when he tangled with a barbed wire fence, Reagan said. No other injuries were reported.
Marquiss, 204 N. Hodges Road, and Sandven, of Loon Lake, Wash., will likely be charged with felony counts of residential burglary, robbery and possession of stolen property, Reagan said.
Knife ups the ante
A man accused of stealing items from the East Broadway Wal-Mart last Thursday allegedly pulled a knife on store employees after they tried to stop him from leaving.
Police were called to the store just after 7:30 p.m. by employees. They told police that they saw the man, identified as James E. Mertens, 40, put a hat beneath his jacket and then walk out of the store without paying, said police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan in a press release.
An employee went after Mertens, who allegedly pulled out a sheathed knife, Reagan said. Police said Mertens was tackled by the employee in the parking lot when it appeared he was going to draw the knife. Other employees helped detain Mertens and bring him back in the store.
Mertens, of Post Falls, reportedly told police he had stolen other items from a store in Hayden Lake, Idaho, earlier in the day. Police also found other items believed to have been taken from Wal-Mart. Mertens was charged with a robbery rather than theft because he used force to take the items and showed a weapon, Reagan said.
Honest to a fault
A woman was arrested Sunday after she reportedly volunteered the information that her driver’s license was suspended and her pockets were full of drugs.
A Spokane Valley police officer pulled over a GMC near Sprague and Havana early in the morning after seeing it make several turns without signaling, said police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan. The driver, identified as 33-year-old Ann M. Miller, reportedly said she had several different kinds of drugs in her pocket.
Miller, 3524 E. Fifth Ave., was arrested. Police found methadone, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, black tar heroin and marijuana in her pocket, Reagan said. She was booked into the Spokane County Jail on four felony charges of possession of a controlled substance. An additional charge for possession of marijuana is pending and she was also charged with first degree driving with no valid operator’s license.
Big screen TVs too tempting
A lot of people want a big screen television, but an Otis Orchards man allegedly took his desire a step further by stealing three of them Saturday night.
An employee of Efficiency Plus Heating on East Sprague called police after he spotted a company van leaving the business parking lot at 8 p.m. He told police that he tried to block the van, then chased it until he lost it near Corbin and Alki, said police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan.
Officers spotted the van in the 18200 block of East Euclid, but the driver ran away. They chased and caught the man, identified as Larry A. Powell, 47. Inside the van they found the large screen televisions which had been taken from three model manufactured homes at The Mobil Corral, Reagan said.
Powell, 3217 N. Velox St., was booked into the Spokane County Jail on felony charges of first-degree possession of stolen property, second-degree possession of stolen property and three counts of residential burglary.