Alleged car thief arrested after hiding in tree house

MOSES LAKE — An alleged car thief was arrested in Moses Lake early Thursday morning after fleeing police on foot and attempting to hide in a tree house.

About 4:40 a.m., Moses Lake police spotted a vehicle, which had been reported stolen earlier in the evening from the 900 block of North Stratford Road, in the 4800 block of Airway Drive, just outside of Moses Lake city limits. An officer reportedly spotted Antonio Silva, 36, of Moses Lake, in the stolen vehicle. Silva allegedly took off on foot heading toward Cascade Valley after seeing the officer, according to MLPD Capt. Mike Williams.

“Silva was tracked through the yards of several houses and ultimately located hiding in a children’s tree house in a backyard. Unfortunately, there was more of Silva than there was tree house, so he was easily spotted from the ground,” Williams stated.

Officers arrested Silva without further incident and he was booked into the Grant County Jail for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and second-degree theft. Silva’s personal vehicle was found nearby and impounded pending a search warrant. Williams said more charges are expected to be filed against Silva after the search warrant is done.

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