Man, 39, arrested on firearms charge

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies Friday night arrested a man on an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives warrant charging him with felony possession of firearms.

James E. LeLaCheur, 39, had been staying in the garage at 700 S. Vercler St. without the owner’s permission, said Lt. Steve Barbieri.

Because LeLaCheur was considered a high-risk suspect, a SWAT raid was planned on the home at 11 p.m. Friday. Two sheriff’s patrol cars had staked out the address, but five minutes before the raid, LeLaCheur left the residence with his 27-year-old girlfriend in the driver’s seat of a small, white car, Barbieri said.

Patrol units pulled them over near Pines Road and Sixth Avenue. LeLaCheur was taken into custody, and his girlfriend, Karla H. Taylor, was detained on suspicion of driving without a license.

The ATF warrant stemmed from a search warrant that was served Thursday in Stevens County when more than 30 firearms were found, Barbieri said.