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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man with multiple felony convictions arrested after two home invasions near Airway Heights

Spokane County deputies arrested a suspected burglar who waved a pistol at a couple in their home, grabbed the woman by the hair and shoved her face into the floor while demanding to know where they kept money, according to court documents.

The suspect, 44-year-old Brian Gorder, has 28 felony convictions and now faces a slew of new charges, including kidnapping, burglary and assault. He was arrested for the alleged violent encounter with the couple, along with a second home-invasion burglary of the home of a single woman who fled her house as Gorder smash a window to get inside, according to court records.

Both break-ins happened on the morning of Oct. 6 near of Airway Heights.

According to court documents, Gorder entered the home of the couple at about 8:20 a.m. at the West Prairie Village Mobile Home Park on North Craig Road. They told investigators that a man they did not know entered their home uninvited, drew a pistol, grabbed the woman and demanded money.

The woman opened a safe in the bedroom that did not contain any money. Gorder then tied up the woman, stole a cell phone and two cordless home phones, and left. The woman escaped and the couple contacted authorities.

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies were alerted to similar incident about 45 minutes later at a home on Garfield Road.

A woman who lives at the home was preparing to leave when she noticed her car door was open in the garage, documents said. She went back inside her home and closed the door, when she saw a man she didn’t know run across the back deck of her residence. She called for help as she ran downstairs and heard Gorder smash one of her windows from the deck. She escaped out the back of her house and fled in her car, where she waited for help. She told authorities that she noticed items were missing from her car.

A desk and a drawer at the residence showed signs of being rummaged through.

Deputies then found Gorder at a neighboring property. Court documents said that he refused to obey commands or stop walking away from deputies.

A search warrant outlining the incident said that deputies threatened to use a police dog if he did not stop. They alleged in the court documents that Gorder threatened to shoot the dog if they sicced it on him.

They said Gorder did not answer deputies when they asked whether he had a gun. The search warrant document said Gorder tried to get deputies to shoot him by pretending he had a gun in his pocket and reaching into his waistband.

Gorder eventually surrendered, according to court records, and had multiple cuts on his legs that deputies suspect he suffered when kicking in the windows to gain entry to the house of the woman.

Gorder’s numerous felony convictions in Spokane County date back to 2004.

He is jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond.