News Bites for June 16

EPHRATA – The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is asking for concertgoers to be careful at the Gorge Amphitheater this summer. They recommend taking the following steps to be safe.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Have a concert buddy to ensure someone is watching out for you.

Have an exit strategy in case of an emergency.

Watch out for the safety of others, including strangers.

Don’t take drinks or drugs from strangers – and ideally don’t do drugs at all.

Lock valuables out of sight and practice Lock, Take, Hide.

If you are sick or know someone who is, contact EMTs, the medical tent or security immediately.

Seatbelts must be used prior to anyone riding in the bed of a truck.

For emergency alerts specific to The Gorge, text GORGE23 to 888777.

GCSO is asking the public for assistance in identifying to female suspects who committed a home invasion robbery early Thursday near Royal City.

"If anyone knows who these two robbers may be, we'd really appreciate a call. They're clearly armed and dangerous,” Sheriff Joe Kriete said in a statement.

The victim was awakened at about 1 a.m. by two intruders inside his home in the 1400 block of Road 14 SW, according to a GCSO statement. One of the suspects reportedly pointed a handgun at the victim’s head and cocked the hammer. The pair fled in a white SUV after taking the victim’s cell phone and wallet.

The victim said he did not know either of his assailants.

The first suspect is described as a female with a light complexion, a rose tattoo on the middle of her neck, a nose ring and a piercing by her left eye.

The second suspect is described as a light-complected female in a hooded sweatshirt covering her head.

Anyone with information is asked to contact GCSO at 509-762-1160 and reference case number 23GS06792.

Members of the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team – also known as INET – arrested Todd D. Howell, 42, of Lake Stevens on Tuesday for the delivery of a controlled substance, fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

INET worked with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Ephrata Police Department on the case, according to a GCSO statement.

The investigation which led to the arrest began earlier this month when EPD asked INET detectives to assist in investigating a suspected overdose death that occurred on June 2.

Howell had traveled from Western Washington Tuesday with the intent to sell more than 100 fentanyl pills to a customer in Ephrata at a business’s parking lot. Instead, uniformed officers arrested him without incident.

INET investigators impounded Howell’s vehicle and were granted a search warrant. The resulting search led to the discovery of more than 100 suspected fentanyl pills and user amounts of what is suspected to be crystal methamphetamine.

Howell is booked into the Grant County Jail and faces charges associated with allegedly selling pills at the end of May of this year.

“INET Detectives say that fentanyl is a national crisis. According to CDC data from 2020 and 2021, the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45 is drug overdoses, the majority of which are fentanyl. That data also shows that Washington State saw a 22% increase in overdose deaths in 2022 over 2021,” the GCSO statement said.

According to the Grant County Coroner’s Office, Grant County has already seen nine overdose deaths from fentanyl this year and had 23 last year.

MOSES LAKE – Eric Deane, 62, Marcie Meier, 34, and John Nava, 46, all of Moses Lake were booked into the Grant County Jail for a variety of concerns including alleged robbery and kidnapping associated with a drug debt, according to an MLPD statement.

The associated incident was initially reported to MLPD at about 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The investigation indicates that the victim, who was not identified in the MLPD statement, owed Deane money. Deane had called Meier and asked for help in collecting the money which was reportedly owed for drugs. The victim was lured to a residence in the 300 block of Ridge Road where Meier and Nava were waiting.

Meier allegedly began to assault the female victim by hitting and slapping her, then stealing her car keys and cell phone. The victim was forced to open her phone using face recognition and the suspects attempted to steal money from the victim’s bank account prior to discovering it was overdrawn.

Meier reportedly used the victim’s car keys to grab several purses and bags out of the car and began going through them inside the house, in front of the victim. Meier pulled some of the contents from those items and gave them to Deane as payment for the drug debt, according to the MLPD statement.

There was an apparent disagreement once Meier found out only $50 was owed, though details of that appear unclear, according to the statement.

Meier and Nava then forced the victim into her car and drove her out near Road 7 NE and Stratford Road. There, Meier and Nava informed the victim they were keeping the car as collateral for the alleged debt. The victim’s shoes were taken and she was kicked out of the car with no phone.

An MLPD officer located the vehicle at the College Apartments later Wednesday morning and officers served a search warrant at the Ridge Road address. During the execution of the warrant, Meier and Nava were taken into custody. Several items taken from the victim’s car were found inside the home.

Deane was brought to the police department later that day by a family member and he turned himself in. He later told officers where some of the victim’s items could be found.

The three now face charges of kidnapping in the first degree and robbery in the first degree. Other charges are expected as well.