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

Grand Coulee Police

1/1 - Two vehicles were towed away after a collision on Midway Avenue that caused extensive front-end damage to both vehicles. One of the vehicles had failed to yield to the other as it was turning onto Spokane Way.

1/2 - Police responded to a residence where a woman said she had been sprayed by pepper spray. There was no discoloration or odor from the spray. The woman said she didn’t know how she was sprayed but that her eyes were swollen. The situation was handed over to a medical crew.

- Police responded to Weil Place where an argument reportedly led to a contractor punching a cabinet. Police knew the contractor had been working on a remodeling job at the residence for approximately two years. The argument was about the length of time the job was taking. Police spoke to the contractor who was still in the area and told him he was being placed in wrist restraints for safety reasons but not yet being arrested. The man refused to comply. He is known to police to be unpredictable in interactions with law enforcement. The man kept his truck between him and an officer who eventually attempted to reach the man’s shoulder. The man then ran off and police chased him. The man slipped on gravel and fell, and police gained control of him and put him in the back of a police car. Police took note of the damage to a drawer in the cabinet caused by the man punching it and spoke to a witness who provided the same details. The man was charged with malicious mischief by way of physical damage and for resisting arrest. He apologized for the incident and was let go.

1/3 - Police searched the area between Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam but were unable to locate a male wearing black with a backpack with what appeared to be the barrel of a gun sticking out of it. 

- A man was chased by a German shepherd on Grand Coulee Avenue. Police rounded up the dog and returned it to its owner who was warned about the animal running at large

1/5 - Police killed and removed an injured deer on Roosevelt Drive.

- A Jeep Cherokee hit a Toyota Prius that was stopped in a Midway Avenue parking lot. Police took photos of damage. Both vehicles were able to be driven away by the drivers who suffered no injuries.

- Police spoke to two people on Weil Place where a family dispute involving a bag of candy led to a physical altercation. The people separated in order to cool off from the situation. 

1/7 - Police observed a small motorcycle without a license plate or taillights traveling in both lanes of Midway Avenue while heading North. The vehicle was pulled over. The driver refused to provide breath samples. He was arrested for driving under the influence and later refused to exit the police car to continue with being processed. He was taken to Grant County Jail for driving under the influence and for obstruction. Coulee Dam police assisted in the case.

- A man parked on Weil Place said a woman he has an ongoing dispute with owed him money and that he wanted to pick up tools he had left at a house she owns. Police told him that the money was a civil matter but that he could grab his tools. The man said he didn’t have money and police said that was his problem, and that he should have enough fuel to get to Soap Lake where he was heading. He eventually hooked up a trailer to his vehicle and drove away, but still left some tools of his at the location.

- Police spoke to people at NuCoulee Boulevard where three people are being banned from at the request of the homeowner who has been stolen from in the past. A fourth person is still allowed to stay in a trailer at the property. 

Coulee Dam Police

1/2 - A police report notes a case involving assault at the bar in Electric City but doesn’t provide additional details.

1/3 - A man on Birch Street reported his vehicle had been broken into and items belonging to CenturyLink, his employer, were taken, including a laptop and tool bag containing Ram keys. The man said he must have left the vehicle unlocked as there was no apparent sign of forced entry. Police contacted the employer and provided details on how to get more information to police to complete the reporting process.

- While near Riley Point, an overlook just below the Grand Coulee Dam, police noted a Toyota Tacoma with red tribal license plates. In December, police had found tribal plates affixed to the wrong vehicle and so ran the Toyota’s plates and found the same situation. The plates were registered to another vehicle and not in the state database. The officer had warned the tribal commander of fleet vehicles previously to resolve the issue of plates being affixed to the wrong vehicles. The driver was unaware the plates weren’t correct and was told the plates needed to be confiscated and to contact his supervisor about the matter. Police were later contacted by a tribal council member about the situation. They told him the plates aren’t legal in Washington because they aren’t affixed to the vehicle they are registered to. The council member told police that it hadn’t been an issue for over 20 years and that Coulee Dam was making it an issue. The council member continued to assert that the plates were legal and had never been an issue before. Police explained the tribes would have to be in a compact with the Department of Licensing for the plates to be legal. The council member said he would speak with attorneys regarding the matter.

1/4 - A Holly Street woman told police she was receiving messages from an ex-boyfriend that were scaring her. Police told her how to file for a no-contact court order. She said she didn’t want to go to court. She said she would send screenshots of texts to police but did not. Police were unable to contact her again. The police report notes that the case does not appear to be criminal in nature and the alleged victim isn’t cooperating with police in order to complete the investigation.

- A man saw a person dressed in black standing near his vehicle on Coulee Boulevard. Police searched the area and didn’t see anyone.

- A Lake Roosevelt student was charged with trespassing and taken to Okanogan County Juvenile Detention. The student had been suspended and then was hanging around on school property. He was told he was banned from the premises until the school allowed him back, but returned to school property, leading to the charge.

- Police spoke to the owner of a black Subaru with a loud exhaust following a complaint about the noise of the vehicle and about it speeding. Police were familiar with the loud vehicle. The owner said he had the vehicle loud on purpose. Police explained he could be ticketed if he didn’t resolve the issue.

1/6 - A woman at the Columbia River Inn reported her boyfriend had pushed her, then left on foot, barefoot, and wearing a gray hoodie. Coulee Dam Police, with assistance from Grand Coulee Police and Grand Coulee Dam security, searched for the suspect but were unable to locate him. The woman was found to be intoxicated and there was insufficient evidence of a crime. She explained that he had tried to leave the motel room, she prevented him from doing so, and he moved her out of the way in order to leave.

- It was reported that a man had struck a woman while on Tulip Street, then took off on foot. The property is on tribal trust land and the people involved are tribal members. A Grand Coulee officer said he was available to assist tribal police if needed. The report notes that the investigation did not lead to probable cause to arrest anyone and the Coulee Dam officer did not respond to the location.