The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Grand Coulee

Police

1/30 - A vehicle owned by an Elmer City woman was pulled over for outdated Montana plates. Police had ticketed the driver twice for this offense and referred the matter to the prosecutor for its owner trying to avoid taxes by registering the vehicle in another state.

- A customer at Safeway alerted officials there that a man had walked into the store, gone to the liquor aisle, put two bottles of spirits into his pants and walked out without paying for them. The store caught the theft it on video and police will try to use that to identify the thief.

- An Electric City man was identified as the burglar who took jewelry and a gun from an Electric City residence. The man was already in Grant County Jail on another matter when police spoke with him. He admitted taking the gun and giving it to another person in Omak, they said. He had the jewelry on him when he was picked up for the other charge. New charges include burglary, theft of a firearm, being a felon in possession of a handgun, trafficking in stolen property and theft. He had been jailed on felony charges before.

1/31 - An officer checked on a domestic call on E. Grand Avenue in Electric City but was unable to make a decision on what went on because he didn’t have an opportunity to talk with the man involved.

2/2 - An Electric City woman told police that she had a “pop up” on her computer screen that said her computer had a virus and gave a number to call. She called the number and was told she needed to give the party a credit card number, and then the “pop up” would be eliminated. She said she suspected a scam and called her credit card to cancel the charge and change her number.

- A Grand Coulee man told police that he had been trying to get into a storage locker that belonged to a deceased person and had cut the padlock to the wrong locker. Police contacted the correct person to let him know what had occurred.

2/3 - Police were called when a person with mental problems left the emergency room at the hospital without any clothes on below the waist. A member of the hospital’s security staff returned the man to the emergency room so police were not needed.

- A man on Kelso Avenue in Electric City was arrested for domestic violence and for driving while his license was suspended. The report was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.

- A man on “A” Street gave police three counterfeit $5 bills he found near his house.

- Police helped settle an issue between a man and his son at a W. Grand Avenue residence in Electric City. The man, who had a bad back, wanted his son to shovel snow and put wood in the fireplace. The son agreed to do so after the officer spoke with him.

2/4 - A report of a vehicle hitting a deer near North Dam Park brought an officer to the scene. The deer had damaged the front of the car and its side panel.

2/6 - Police checked on a vehicle that had rolled over and was on its top on SR-174. The male driver was taken by ambulance to Coulee Medical Center and the State Patrol was called, since the accident was outside city limits.

2/7 - The identity of two males who were spinning their tires on the Eden Harbor road was given to the National Park Service since the location is under NPS control.

- Police checked on a hit-and-run accident and learned that someone had hit a vehicle on Dill Avenue and left the scene. An officer found the person responsible and the damage was caused by a trailer hitch. The two parties agreed to work it out.

- Police responded to a barking dog call and found the dog curled up in front of LaPresa Mexican Restaurant. The dog got up, barked a couple of times and then lay down again in front of the restaurant.

2/8 - A Grand Coulee man told police that he had received a call from a party saying they were from the Internal Revenue Service. He said he knew it was a scam but wanted to report it.

- A man on E. Grand Coulee Avenue, who told a driver that was speeding past his house to slow down, got a rude response.

- Police got another report of a fraudulent IRS call. The Hill Avenue woman said that if she didn’t pay her debt she would be arrested.

2/9 - A 911 caller who said someone had swerved a vehicle and almost hit him hung up without identifying himself. He then told the dispatcher that he now was “in the wilderness.” Police went to the location in Electric City but couldn’t find the vehicle or the caller.

- An officer spied a Cadillac with a Montana plate that had been stopped before because the tabs on the vehicle were not current. The Nespelem driver received a ticket for not having a trip permit, no insurance and no driver’s license on his person. The car was impounded and three people in the vehicle walked north on SR-155.

Coulee Dam

Police

1/25 - A woman reported that someone had stolen a wood stove from a home she had for sale on Central Drive. The officer could see marks on the floor where someone had moved the stove.

- Police found a young deer dead in the roadway at Columbia and Douglas and removed it from the roadway.

1/26 - The alarm went off in the police department at city hall when the janitor entered his code but it didn’t turn off the alarm.

1/28 - A woman driving a semi-truck told police that she had to swerve to avoid a car hitting her trailer, and that in so doing a wheel and tire were damaged when a curb was hit. The officer helped her get the wheel off the trailer so she could continue on her way to British Columbia.

1/29 - A report of an assault at the elementary school brought an officer to the campus. One student had struck another over a binder incident. Since one of the students had a history of causing trouble, the incident was referred to Okanogan County juvenile authorities.

- An officer identified a man wanted on a warrant during a walk through of the Coulee Dam Casino. He was taken to Okanogan County Jail.

1/30 - A man on Holly Street reported that four of his Star Shower laser lights were taken while he was away in the evening.

1/31 - An officer cited a man on Civic Way who didn’t use his directional signals and also cited him for expired plates.

1/31 - A pickup was stopped on River Drive for not signaling a turn. The driver said he had a blown fuse, so the turn signals didn’t work. He was cited for having an expired vehicle registration and for having faulty equipment.

2/1 - A woman on Yucca Street complained to an officer that a large dog in the neighborhood liked to bark and she was afraid for her children. The officer went to the house where the dog was located, but there was no one home, and he couldn’t find the dog.

2/2 - A driver making an improper turn from Roosevelt Way onto River Drive, nearly causing an accident, was stopped and given a verbal warning by the officer.

- A vehicle crossing the bridge was stopped and the driver warned because of a faulty brake light.

2/3 - A juvenile was seen and arrested on a warrant for a minor drinking in a public place and for third-degree theft. The juvenile threatened the officer and his family while at the police station and all the way to county jail, saying that he had a gun and when he got out of jail he would come and kill the officer and his wife, according to the report. He said that the Coulee Dam officer couldn’t arrest him because he had been on the reservation when arrested.

2/4 - Several drivers got warnings for rolling stops, and one for a head lamp being out.

2/5 - A woman sitting at a slot machine at the Coulee Dam Casino was arrested on an outstanding warrant and taken to Okanogan County Jail.

2/7 - Police learned that a woman had texted a man, stating that she was going to jump off the bridge. Police looked all over for the woman and finally found her at a house on Tulip Street. The woman stated that she was having a tough time and had only wanted to see her son. The officer offered to help her and she took his card.

2/8 - Police responded to a court order violation and found that the parties were tribal members, so the issue was forwarded to tribal police.