ACSO officers help recover vehicle; 3 arrested

Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a recovered stolen vehicle call Jan. 3 in which the vehicle reportedly was followed by the caller, according to an ACSO social media.

“The subjects were actively being followed by the complainant after observing a stolen motor vehicle being driven in the area,” the post said.

Irenia Lissett Barraza, 41, of Moses Lake, and Cristian Vargas-Hernandez, 26, of Othello, were taken into custody while an Othello Police Department officer assisted in locating a third suspect who was being followed by the vehicle owner. The third suspect, Miguel “Omar” Lopez-Arellano, 43, of Othello, was eventually arrested in the 2100 block of West Cunningham Road as a result.

All three were accused of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Lopez-Arellano was also accused of possessing a dangerous weapon, which was found when he was searched during the arrest.

Lopez-Arellano and Vargas-Hernandez were both provided with substance abuse referrals after suspected controlled substances were found on them during booking.

As of Friday, all three suspects were not listed as inmates at the Adams County Jail. Barazza had been assigned a bond of $5,000; Vargas-Hernandez had a bail of $500; and Lopez-Arellano had a bond of $10,000.

Wagner advised area residents to take simple precautions, such as locking vehicle doors, parking in well-lit areas or in a garage and generally being aware of their surroundings to avoid having their cars and trucks stolen, given it is a commonplace crime.

“The first one was from Dec. 6, so that was stolen out of Othello. The second one was stolen out of Adams County out of a location out on Reynolds Road, but within, I think it was about 20 minutes or so, we already had them. … And then this one, I’m not sure how long it was stolen, but it’s obviously different people stealing all these different cars, so I would say it’s pretty common, but I wouldn’t say it’s a major uptick,” Wagner said.