Man with loaded handgun arrested in east Spokane after breaking into stranger’s apartment

A resident in east Spokane awoke to find a stranger with a loaded handgun in his apartment Tuesday night, leading police on a manhunt that ended in an arrest.

Police were called to a residence in the 1800 block of East South Riverton Avenue around 8:30 p.m. on a report of a burglary.

The resident told police he had left his back door unlocked while taking a nap and awoke to see a man in his kitchen, according to court documents. After he chased the robber out, he noticed his wallet was missing from the kitchen counter.

He was able to provide a description of the man and an officer spotted a subject matching the description nearby on Riverton and Magnolia Street.

Arturo J. Champine, 25, told police he was at the apartment to visit his sister and accidentally knocked on the wrong door, court documents say. He said he opened the door when no one answered but did not go inside. Officers wrote in court documents that Champine appeared very evasive while he was being questioned.

His sister told police that Champine knew where she lived and had just been at the apartment complex the night before, court documents state.

Inside a bag Champine was carrying was the victim’s wallet, some meth and a loaded handgun, according to court documents.

Champine, a convicted felon, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of methamphetamine. His bond was set at $50,000 during a court appearance Wednesday.