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Police arrest four after burglary at Arc of Spokane thrift store

Kristina Collins, 33, is accused of second-degree burglary and third-degree theft in relation to a robbery at the Arc of Spokane late Sunday night. She allegedly “attempted to just walk out of the parking lot and pretend he did not know what was going on,” Spokane police said. (Jared Brown, The Spokesman-Review)
Kristina Collins, 33, is accused of second-degree burglary and third-degree theft in relation to a robbery at the Arc of Spokane late Sunday night. She allegedly “attempted to just walk out of the parking lot and pretend he did not know what was going on,” Spokane police said. (Jared Brown, The Spokesman-Review)
By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com(509) 459-5047

Spokane police say they arrested four people and recovered hundreds of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise after responding to an alarm at the Arc of Spokane thrift store late Sunday, using a police dog to apprehend one suspect who hid in a bush.

The first officer to arrive saw several people walking away from the store at 808 N. Ruby St., and as the officer got closer, two of the male suspects began running, according to a news release.

The officer chased and found one of the men, 33-year-old Shawn Flewell, hiding under a vehicle in an adjacent parking lot. Officers pulled him out and arrested him, and then discovered he had hidden stolen jewelry in the frame of the vehicle, police said.

Officers also arrested 33-year-old Kristina Collins and 49-year-old Thomas Eldredge, who “attempted to just walk out of the parking lot and pretend he did not know what was going on,” police said.

Police called in a dog, Zeus, to help track the other man who had run away. Zeus found the man, 25-year-old Austin Warriner, about 200 yards away, hiding in a bush, according to the news release. He was treated for “a minor dog bite” at a hospital and booked into the Spokane County Jail at about 1:30 a.m.

Police said all four suspects were interviewed, and surveillance video showed three of them entering the thrift store, stealing laptops, a power tool and jewelry from behind the counter. Two of the men tried to get into cash registers, and one suspect stayed outside to act as a “lookout” for the group, police said.

Each suspect was booked on suspicion of second-degree burglary and third-degree theft. Each has a significant criminal record. Eldredge, Warriner and Flewell have prior felony convictions.

Collins, who has no felony convictions, was released from jail under pretrial supervision Monday afternoon. Bail for Warriner and Eldredge was set Monday at $5,000 in Spokane County Superior Court. Flewell’s first appearance in court was postponed until Tuesday.

Spokesman-Review reporter Jared Brown contributed to this report.