Birthday mischief triggers four arrests

Four buddies celebrating a birthday ended up spending Monday morning in jail after officers say they caught them burglarizing Thermal Guard Insulation, 125 N. Dyer Road, said Spokane Valley Police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

A witness called 911 about 40 minutes after midnight Monday and reported seeing four men enter the business compound and go into a building. Officers Jeremy Howe and Mark Benner were first to arrive and spotted people inside.

The men apparently spotted police and began running away, Reagan said.

Howe took Alexander J. Jezior, 18, of Spokane, into custody. A few minutes later, Sgt. Jay McNall arrested 20-year-old John M. Wessels, also of Spokane, at the Broadway Truck Stop. Cpl. Shannon McCrillis arrested 20-year-old Eric A. Janson, of Colbert, near the entrance of the building.

A fourth suspect, 18-year-old David B. Figueroa, of Spokane Valley, was found hiding beneath a truck and was arrested by Officer Tim Jones. All four suspects were later booked into the Spokane County Jail on felony counts of second-degree burglary.

A company representative came to the business and she and officers discovered that someone had spray-painted graffiti on the walls inside the building and had discharged fire extinguishers in various rooms.