Man with stolen puppy pulls gun on owner, police say

A Spokane man found with a stolen puppy was arrested Wednesday evening after allegedly pointing a loaded gun at the puppy’s owner. Joseph Piapot, 35, is being held in the Spokane County Jail. He is charged with two counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of illegally owning a firearm. A woman who was with Piapot, Tralana Chambers, 21, also was arrested on two counts of drug possession after police found her with a pipe and a bag of methamphetamine. The seven-week-old puppy, Cutter, is back with his owner after disappearing Monday from a fenced yard. Court records say a friend of the owner spotted the puppy Wednesday, with Piapot and Chambers, in an alley near West Mallon Avenue between Cannon and Elm streets. The friend, Neidra Johnson, approached Piapot and Chambers, who said they had paid for Cutter, records say. Johnson tried to pull the puppy away from Chambers, who allegedly responded by pulling out a knife. Johnson also told police that Piapot punched her in the back of the head, but she didn’t press charges. Johnson left the alley and alerted the owner, Darren Davis, who later found Cutter in a nearby yard with Piapot and Chambers. Davis retrieved his puppy and began to walk away. That’s when Piapot pulled out a gun, records say, and “racked the action of the pistol and pointed the gun directly at him … smiling as he did this.” Piapot also pointed the gun at Marlon Witcher, another friend who accompanied Davis, records say. After more “discussion” about the puppy, Piapot and Chambers ran away, records say. Davis and Witcher, with Cutter in hand, then flagged down a police lieutenant who was on patrol a few streets over. Four more officers were called to the area, first arresting Chambers, who initially gave the fake name “Susie Castor,” records say. Officers reported finding the gun in her backpack and the pipe in her bra. They later found Piapot in an alley. He has eight previous felony convictions, records say, including second- and third-degree assaults and illegally owning a firearm.