Police raid reveals meth; 2 arrested
A police raid of a Spokane Valley apartment Wednesday morning found methamphetamine and related paraphernalia, one of three incidents producing meth arrests earlier this week.
Detectives assigned to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Investigative Support Unit executed a search warrant they obtained after making several undercover purchases of meth from occupants of the residence, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, sheriff’s spokesman.
Occupants Ryan J. Tatsey, 22, and Crystal M. Valencia, 18, were arrested and booked into the Spokane County Jail –Tatsey on a felony count of delivery of controlled substance/methamphetamine and Valencia on an outstanding misdemeanor traffic warrant.
Tatsey was in the apartment when detectives entered about 8:45 a.m. Valencia was arrested at her place of employment, a day care at Sprague and Evergreen. She had a drug pipe in her possession at the time of the arrest.
Detective John Nowels said that in addition to their arrests Wednesday, both Tatsey and Valencia have multiple counts of delivery of a controlled substance pending.
On Tuesday, a 42-year-old Spokane man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after he was contacted with a companion at Mansfield Avenue and Pines Road about 10 p.m.
Officer Mark Speer was patrolling the area when he saw two men walking along Pines with their backs to traffic. They also appeared to be carrying open cans of beer.
He stopped the two, and one, Thomas Jeffrey Neal of Spokane, dropped a white light bulb on the ground behind him. The second man, 43-year-old Shawn P. Schinzler, 1224 E. Westview Court, told Speer he had an outstanding escape warrant.
Speer arrested Schinzler on the warrant and then checked the light bulb dropped by Neal. It contained a small amount of methamphetamine, and the officer arrested him as well.
He drove both suspects to the Spokane County Jail, where Neal told the officer he had additional drugs in the front of his underwear. Speer removed a latex glove from the suspect’s undershorts and discovered it contained a pill bottle containing 11 grams of meth.
Neal told the officer the drugs weren’t his and he didn’t know how they had gotten into his underpants, Reagan said. An additional search turned up an additional baggie of meth from the suspect’s shoe.
Speer booked Neal into jail on a felony count of possession of methamphetamine. Also on Tuesday, officer Jeff Thurman was patrolling near Trent Avenue and Park Road when he saw a Chevy Blazer do an improper turn. He also noted the SUV had its license plate obscured.
He stopped the Blazer and identified the driver as Dale R. Hasse, 44, 917 N. Vista Road. Hasse and the passenger kept making furtive movements inside the SUV, so when Cpl. Mark Fox arrived, he and Thurman removed the two from the vehicle.
As the passenger got out, he reached into his pocket. Thurman removed his hand and discovered a pill bottle containing methamphetamine. He arrested the passenger and identified him as Michael V. Grzogorek, 62, also of 917 N. Vista Road.
A check of Hasse’s driving status revealed his license is suspended. Thurman drove both suspects to the Spokane County Jail.
He booked Grzogorek on a charge of possession of controlled substance and Hasse for third-degree driving while license suspended.