Moses Lake man arrested for theft, resisting officer

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested over the weekend after he was reportedly spotted stealing from a Moses Lake business and tried to resist a officer.

Saturday night the Moses Lake Police Department responded to Walmart on North Stratford Road for a report of a theft in progress. Officers reportedly spotted two suspects conceal store merchandise and went to contact them, according to Capt. Mike Williams.

One of the two suspects, identified as Shawn Vandenbos, 35, of Moses Lake, spotted the officer coming and allegedly turned and attempted to shake the officer’s hand.

“The officer firmly grasped the hand, and told Vandenbos he was under arrest. At that point, Vandenbos appears to have realized his mistake with the handshake. He violently pulled away, attempting to escape the officer. However, the officer was able to quickly introduce Vandenbos to the ground, and take him into custody,” Williams stated.

Vandenbos was allegedly found to be in possession of heroin, a scale and drug paraphernalia. Officers booked Vandenbos into the Grant County Jail for possession of heroin, resisting arrest and third-degree theft. The second suspect, a 24-year-old male whose identity was not released, was found to be in possession of heroin as well, but was released from police custody pending charges.

There was no reported injuries during the altercation between the officer and Vandenbos.

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