Warden family stops burglars

MOSES LAKE — Six people were arrested in Moses Lake Thursday morning after their alleged involvement in a burglary at a Warden family’s home.

The burglary was reported at about 3:30 a.m., according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

The female homeowner reported suspects entered her home where she and her boyfriend and their two children live on state Route 262. The woman heard a noise, opened her bedroom door to investigate and saw a man standing in the hallway of her home. She shut the door and quickly woke her boyfriend.

The family barricaded themselves in a back bedroom while the suspects were inside the home.

As one of the suspects continued to bang on the bedroom door, the male homeowner told police he was unable to successfully barricade the door so he opened it to confront the suspect. The woman opened the bedroom door to release their dogs in an effort to get the suspects to leave.

“Once in the hallway, (the male) stated he struggled with the suspect and forced him out the front door,” the sheriff’s office reported.

There was more than one suspect in the home at the time of the invasion and they were all yelling profanities and the name of a gang, the sheriff’s office reported. While the male held the front door shut to keep the suspects out, he continued to hear the suspects yelling the gang name and profanities.

“The suspects continued beating (and) kicking at the front door … finally he could hear them leaving the front porch,” the male victim told authorities. “They then went to his vehicle and began smashing out windows.”

The suspects continued to break items on the porch and in the front of the home.

DVDs and a DVD/VCR player were reported stolen from the residence. Deputies located some of the missing items strewn about the front of the home outside.

Deputies located blood drops in the entryway of the home and a stick outside the home was covered in blood. Authorities determined the blood outside did not belong to the homeowner because he did not go outside. He confirmed he had minor scrapes on his head and forearms.

Law enforcement began searching for the vehicle and the van was located near state Route 17 and Baseline Road near Moses Lake.

A deputy performed a traffic stop and located six people inside.

Inside the vehicle was allegedly blood, DVDs and a DVD/VCR player, the sheriff’s office reported. As the deputy approached the vehicle, the people inside appeared to be shedding some of their clothing.

A suspect matching the description given by the male and female was located inside the van.

All six suspects inside the vehicle were arrested. Moses Lake police assisted during the arrest.

Grant County Undersheriff John Turley said the suspects were a combination of juveniles and adults, both male and female. Most identities were not available Thursday.

Nicole R. Pleinis, 25, Moses Lake, was arrested for burglary in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, malicious mischief in the second degree, theft in the third degree and possession of stolen property in the third degree.

The van was impounded pending a search warrant.