Teen accused of vehicle prowling, gun theft

EPHRATA — A teenager is accused of stealing several items, including a gun, out of a truck in Moses Lake over the weekend.

Grant County prosecutors charged Jose Macias Jr., 18, of Moses Lake, with theft of a firearm, second-degree theft and second-degree vehicle prowling.

About 8:40 a.m. on Saturday the Moses Lake Police Department received a report of a past vehicle prowl in the 2900 block of West Marina Drive in which a handgun had been stolen out of a truck. Police arrived at the scene and contacted the victim, who advised a .22 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, a GPS unit, a pair of sunglasses, and a cellphone were stolen out of his vehicle, according to police records.

The next night police received two photos from a security camera in the area of the vehicle prowl that showed two people arrive at the scene in a Chrysler New Yorker. Police later learned one of the two people was a 12-year-old boy. The Chrysler was spotted about 11 a.m. Monday morning heading south on Division Street. Police stopped the vehicle and questioned the four occupants in the car, two of whom were Macias and the 12-year-old boy.

The driver of the vehicle gave police permission to search the car and officers reportedly found the stolen GPS unit in front of where the boy had been sitting, but did not find any other evidence in the vehicle. Police pulled up the video of the vehicle prowl and reportedly recognized one of the two suspects as the 12-year-old boy.

“The other subject walked toward (the victim’s) truck and he looked very much like Macias, especially the hairline and short cropped hair,” wrote a officer.

Macias allegedly opened up the driver’s side door of the truck and climbed inside on knees. He reportedly closed the door behind him and opened up the center console, where the gun was said to have been located. Officers believe the juvenile suspect attempted to open up the door on another vehicle, which caused an alarm to sound and Macias to get out of truck and run. A short time later the 12-year-old boy and another subject reportedly returned to area and the boy entered the truck through the front passenger door. The boy and third unidentified suspect later got back into the Chrysler and left heading north on Marina Drive.

The boy was taken into custody for theft of a firearm and vehicle prowling, but he reportedly told officers he wanted to speak to a lawyer before talking about the alleged crimes. Macias told police he didn’t steal any guns.

“I told him I saw him and (the boy) enter that truck and several things are missing, including the gun. Macias finally told me he and (the boy) had entered the truck but he hadn’t taken anything, especially a gun,” wrote a officer. “He told me there was a third person with them that night and he might have taken it.”

Macias wasn’t able to provide the name of the third suspect to police. The owner of the prowled truck later told police a $2,400 pair of binoculars was missing out of his vehicle, according to police records.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com