Crime mostly down in Grant and Adams, report says

EPHRATA — While crime went up in some individual categories in the unincorporated areas of Grant and Adams counties between 2022 and 2023, overall it was on a downward trend, according to information released Tuesday by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

The annual report provides information for 2023 about crimes ranging from felonies (murder, fraud and rape among others) to misdemeanors (DUI and trespassing as examples). It breaks down additional data, such as weapons used in crimes and the type of drugs found in drug offense cases. 

Counties and cities file separate reports, so the data for Grant and Adams counties covers only the unincorporated areas. The data for cities with their own police departments, such as Moses Lake and Othello, will be in a separate story.

According to the WASPC report, 10,410 people lived in unincorporated Adams County and 48,535 in the unincorporated areas of Grant County. Smaller sample sizes have a big impact on the numbers - for example, the murder rate in unincorporated Adams County dropped by 100%, because the number of murders went from two in 2022 to none in 2023. 

In addition, Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff's Office, said crime trends are hard to interpret sometimes, even for law enforcement.

“Some of these, we just don’t know why they go up or go down,” Foreman said. 

Fewer incidents were reported in Grant County in most categories, reports of simple assault being an exception. That category went from 315 reported incidents in 2022 to 368 in 2023. Of those, 211 involved domestic violence. Aggravated assault cases dropped from 79 reported in 2022 to 62 in 2023; of those, 24 involved domestic violence. Grant County had two murders in 2023 but no manslaughter cases. There were 12 reported rapes, down from 27 reported in 2022. There were nine cases of kidnapping reported in 2023, compared to 11 in 2022. Three involved domestic violence. 

Reported cases of intimidation dropped from 43 in 2022 to nine in 2023. Two of those cases involved domestic violence. 

There were 111 reported violations of a no-contact or protection order in 2023, compared to 114 in 2022. Eighty of those cases involved domestic violence.

Unincorporated Grant County had 37 DUI cases in 2023. The county reported 455 cases of larceny or theft, compared with 670 in 2022. Vehicle thefts dropped from 224 in 2022 to 121 in 2023. 

In unincorporated Adams County, reported crimes went down in almost every category. Among serious crimes reported rapes and arson were the exception. Reported rapes increased from seven in 2022 to nine in 2023; there were five reported cases of arson in 2023, compared to three in 2022. 

Drug violations and violations of a no-contact or protection order also increased. Protection order violations rose from 15 in 2022 to 22 in 2023; 20 of them involved domestic violence. Reported drug violations rose to 22 in 2023, up from eight in 2022.

The number of reported simple assault cases decreased, from 113 in 2022 to 104 in 2023. Of those, 81 involved domestic violence incidents. Reported aggravated assaults dropped by half, from 36 in 2022 to 18 in 2023. Ten of those involved domestic violence cases. 

Reported cases of intimidation dropped from 40 in 2022 to 24 in 2023. Four involved domestic violence.

There were 43 reported cases of DUI in 2023 in Adams County. Reported larceny/theft cases decreased; 118 were reported in 2023, compared to 250 in 2022. Vehicle thefts dropped to 21 in 2023, down from 51 reported in 2022. Burglary reports dropped from 85 in 2022 to 60 in 2023. 

Seventeen juveniles were arrested in unincorporated Grant County in 2023, and 14 in unincorporated Adams County. For adults, the total arrests were 267 in Grant County and 106 in Adams County. 

One-third of the drug violations reported in Adams County involved stimulants, while opiates accounted for 17%. Other unspecified drugs made up the other 50%. The percentages of drug offenses were almost even in unincorporated Grant County, with 34% being opiates, 33% stimulants and 33% involving marijuana.

In most cases where weapons were used, they were mostly fists or feet. In 388 cases in Grant County the perpetrator was using fists or feet. Firearms were used in 44 cases, and knives or other cutting instruments in 12 incidents. In unincorporated Adams County, hands or feet were used in 123 cases, firearms in 20 and blunt instruments in five. 

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

    An arson-caused fire near Adams County in 2023. Reported incidents of arson went up slightly in Grant County in 2023, according to a report issued by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.