Helicopters flying over Monday are from U.S. Marshals

GRANT COUNTY - Despite what an officer reportedly told one woman in Moses Lake, the helicopter equipped with cameras flying over the Columbia Basin Monday was not "spraying for mosquitoes."

A Columbia Basin Herald reader wrote on the paper's Facebook page she called the police department and asked about the helicopter. She claims she was told mosquito spraying was going on. She didn't name who she spoke with.

According to the sheriff's office, the helicopters that were seen are U.S. Marshal's aircraft. No other information could be released at this time. The helicopters were reportedly seen hovering around Moses Lake and Soap Lake Monday.

The U.S. Marshal's task forces combine the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest fugitives, according to its website. Helicopters are just one of the tools the department uses to find fugitives.

- Staff report