Pack arrested on felony charge

MOSES LAKE — Nathaniel Pack, owner of Pack’s Taxi and Delivery, was arrested Jan. 1 and charged with the unlawful imprisonment of his wife after an alleged domestic dispute over their children, according to court documents. Unlawful imprisonment is a class C felony in Washington.

A police narrative of the incident indicates Moses Lake officers responded to a report of verbal domestic violence around 3 p.m. at the Pack residence. The responding officers established that Pack had allegedly prevented his wife from leaving their bedroom during an argument over whether their children would stay in the residence. Nathan was detained by officers and booked into Grant County Jail without further incident.

Pack’s wife told the responding officer the two were in the process of divorcing and Pack had become aggressive toward her, so she decided to take their children and leave, according to court documents. She told officers that he had refused to allow her to exit their bedroom with their daughter, and she requested that a no-contact order be filed against him.

Judge John Antosz said in court that he “barely” found probable cause for the arrest due to a lack of information in the police report, and advised that more detailed reports in future cases would help the court, according to court documents. Deputy Prosecutor Ed Owens requested a no-contact order be filed, but the court denied it due to the lack of information in the police report describing the duration of the unlawful imprisonment.

Court documents indicate that Pack requested a public defender. In order to qualify Pack would have to prove to the court he is financially unable to cover his own court costs. State regulations permit the use of an indigent defense fund to pay fully for a public defender if a defendant is unable to pay for legal defense or if the defendant’s annual income is under 125 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that would be $31,375. Besides co-owning Pack’s Taxi and Delivery with his wife, Pack describes himself as the owner of the Moses Lake-based Grant County News.

Emry Dinman can be reached via email at edinman@columbiabasinherald.com.