Alleged burglars' trespass triggers intense manhunt

MOSES LAKE – Two men suspected of illegally entering a Moses Lake Home on May 10 were caught the same day after they jumped a security fence at the Grant County International Airport and set off an intense manhunt.

It wasn't until after Randy D. Triplett, 36 of Othello and Joshua M. Zarbok, 23 of Kennewick were caught that authorities realized they were the suspects in the invasion of a home on Road H.4 NE. ?

The call started at around 5 a.m. with the report of trespassing in progress at property in the 9500 block of Road H.4-NE just north of the airport property. The caller, a neighbor, noticed two people walking around the property with a flashlight. ?

The two suspects fled when deputies arrived, then jumped a perimeter fence and entered onto airport property. That intrusion caused the airport to suspend operations while several people searched for the suspect, Sheriff Tom Jones said.

Security personnel at Takata, General Dynamics and other industries near port property were notified, and they secured their facilities while deputies searched for the suspects. ?

The search lasted about three hours and involved law enforcement officers on foot, ATVs, and the State Patrol’s airplane. An off-duty deputy and a private citizen also launched their airplanes and helped with the search. Both suspects were eventually tracked down hiding on the airport property. ?

It was later found that the two men had entered the home on Road H.4 NE, allegedly to burglarize the home. They were taken to the Grant County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary and criminal trespass.

Additional charges are likely as deputies continue their investigation. One of the suspects was found to be in possession of a white colored powder substance which field-tested positive for cocaine. One of the suspects was found armed with a .22-caliber pistol. ?

The airport resumed normal operations around 8:00 a.m.