Prowler sought after carjacking
Police were searching Thursday night for a car prowler who rammed a woman’s Cadillac DeVille and stole it after she used the car to block the prowler’s vehicle in the parking lot of the Ziggy’s Building Materials, 620 E. Holland Road.
The woman was Patricia Ziegler, whose husband, Reid, is the son of company founder Vern Ziegler.
Police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee said Patricia Ziegler drove into the lot about 3:15 p.m. and saw a man taking a purse from a vehicle. Ziegler pulled behind the man’s vehicle.
Lee said the man rammed Ziegler’s car and she got out and yelled for help. That’s when the thief jumped into Ziegler’s car and drove off with the stolen purse.
The drama didn’t end when the man fled. He left his own vehicle in gear, and it smashed into the car he had burglarized, Lee said.
Taking Ziegler’s car elevated misdemeanor charges to felony carjacking, Lee said. He said the man also could be charged with felony assault for ramming Ziegler’s car while she was in it.
Police were trying to track down the owner of the car the thief left behind to determine if it was stolen, Lee said.
He said the suspect was described as white, in his 20s or 30s, 5 feet 11, 185 pounds, with blond hair. The 2000 Cadillac DeVille is a white four-door model with Washington license 792-SDS.
Anyone with information is asked to call (509) 242-TIPS.
Dog, puppy rescued from house fire
A dog and a puppy were safe Thursday after Spokane firefighters responded to a house fire ignited by a stove burner.
The blaze at 633 W. Shoshone Place destroyed the contents of its kitchen and the wall and roof areas near the stove, said Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. The estimated damage was $20,000.
Fire crews arrived about 11:34 a.m. to find smoke coming from the main floor of the 1 ½-story home, Schaeffer said. A neighbor reported the fire. The residents weren’t home.
The large dog and puppy were found in a back bathroom. The blaze was doused within 15 minutes, Schaeffer said.
Sex offender living in Shadle Park area
Spokane police want the community to know that Earl R. Hall, a level 3 sex offender, is living in the Shadle Park area.
Hall was released after serving seven years for first- and second-degree rape involving 10- and 12-year-old girls in Snohomish County, police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee said. Hall will be staying in and driving a blue 1998 Chevy motor home.
The 53-year-old is described as 6 feet tall and 165 pounds, Lee said. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a heart tattoo with the name “Mary” on his upper right arm.
Hall will be under supervision for 12 months by the Washington Department of Corrections, Lee said. He cannot have contact with minors, consume alcohol or be around places that serve alcohol.
Authorities searching for man with dementia
Authorities appealed Thursday night for help in finding a man said to be suffering from dementia who wandered away from his home in the 7100 block of East Big Meadows Road and was last seen walking west on Dennison-Chattaroy Road about 5 p.m.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan identified the man as Gary Bates, described as 5 feet 10 and weighing 120 pounds, with scruffy gray hair and a beard. He may be wearing a purple sweater and gray sweat pants. Anyone with information was encouraged to call 911.
Reward offered in hunt for felon
Secret Witness is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of Jeffrey Eugene Jonquet, 43.
The Spokane man is wanted on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan. Jonquet is white, 5 feet 7, and 120 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
The warrant carries a $15,000 bond and arose out a Sheriff’s Office investigation, Reagan said. In November, while looking for a stolen sod cutter at Jonquet’s home, detectives found a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and two magazines loaded with bullets.
Jonquet has a felony conviction that makes it illegal for him to be in possession of a firearm.
Anyone with information regarding Jonquet’s whereabouts is asked to call (509) 327-5111. Callers do not have to give their name to collect the reward.
Police seek details after student frightened
Spokane police appealed Thursday for information about a man who followed and frightened a 19-year-old international student Monday morning.
Cpl. Tom Lee said a detective from the Major Crimes Unit was assigned to the case Wednesday when a witness gave a better description of the man.
He said the woman, who is enrolled in the Community Colleges of Spokane International Program, told officers the man got out of his car and tried to talk to her while she was walking near 29th Avenue and Lincoln Street shortly before noon. She walked away, but the man got back into his car and followed her a short distance before getting out and approaching her again, Lee said.
The man continued to follow the woman in his car. He left the area when a resident let her enter the house, Lee said.
The man was described as white, in his 50s or 60s, with sandy or gray hair, wearing glasses and possibly a beard. His vehicle was described as an older, dark blue sedan.
Anyone with information is asked to call (509) 242-TIPS.