News Bites for July 7, 2023

EPHRATA – Cirilo Alatorre, 67, of Othello was arrested in the 800 block of South State Route 24 near Othello on June 6, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

Alatorre was arrested and booked without incident into the franklin County Jail. He is charged in relation to drugs reportedly found during a search of his home, during which investigators with the Washington State Patrol, Grant County Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office found what they report as more than an ounce of cocaine, more than five ounces of crystal methamphetamine and more than $3,000 in cash. They suspect the cash is associated with narcotics sales and that cameras set up around Alatorre’s home were being used to protect his alleged narcotics distribution activities.

MOSES LAKE — Two Basin men found themselves in Grant County Jail after allegedly prowling a U.S. Forest Service fire truck Sunday, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Police Department.

David Lee Walker, 37, of Soap Lake and Nathan James Huelle, 46, of Moses Lake, were arrested in connection with the theft of more than $10,000 worth of radios and equipment, the statement said.

Early Sunday morning, MLPD officers were dispatched to a hotel on Kittelson Road, according to the statement. Federal firefighters had discovered that their fire truck had been broken into overnight, and five radios had been stolen. The radios are necessary for the crew on a fire scene, so the truck had to be taken out of service.

The theft was captured on surveillance video, which enabled officers to identify and locate the vehicle used by the suspects who had reportedly stolen the gear, the statement said. The vehicle’s owner, Huelle, admitted driving and was arrested. All of the stolen equipment was located in the vehicle.

Walker was identified from the surveillance video and located Sunday evening outside a local business. This was made easier by the fact that he was still wearing the same clothing he was wearing at the time of the theft, the statement said.

Both Huelle and Walker were booked into the Grant County Jail on charges of first-degree theft, first degree malicious mischief and and second-degree vehicle prowl.

GEORGE — Some people got a scare at the Gorge Amphitheatre campground Thursday morning, but it turned out to be unfounded, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Campground security discovered a man trespassing on the premises at about 9 a.m., the GCSO wrote. Security removed the man from the campground and he left on foot down Silica Road Northwest. As he passed a venue gate, the man mumbled something about explosives, which caused employees to call 911. The man was detained by GCSO deputies and firearms detection dogs were brought in, but no explosives were found. The man, a transient from Oregon, was trespassed and released.

“We realize how quickly rumors can start,” the GCSO statement said. “We want to make sure we are transparent in order to stop rumors and misinformation, especially with many concertgoers coming to The Gorge this weekend.”