Two arrested in Adams County drive-by shooting cases

OTHELLO — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Othello Police Department arrested two Othello men late last week in connection with two recent drive-by shootings.

Jean Carlos Avila, 18, was arrested by the OPD, and Carlos Cerna Jr., 19, was arrested March 18 by the ACSO with the help of the Moses Lake Tactical Response Team, according to an ACSO release.

The arrests stemmed from the report of a drive-by shooting on March 12 inside the Othello city limits, the release said. Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck said no one was injured in that incident.

The circumstances of the shooting resembled a similar incident in ACSO jurisdiction Feb. 15, said Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner.

“Deputies responded (on Feb. 15) and collected evidence on scene,” the press release said. “A type of vehicle was identified, but occupants of the suspect vehicle and where the vehicle left were unknown.”

The release stated a suspect vehicle was identified by the OPD in the March 12 shooting in Othello, and ACSO deputies and OPD officers worked together to find it. Avila was with the car and was arrested. Sheriff’s department deputies found evidence Avila was the driver in the Feb. 15 drive-by shooting and further investigation by the ACSO identified Cerna as the shooter in the same incident, the release said.