Moses Lake detectives recover $50,000 buried in field after hotel theft

MOSES LAKE — After days of searching in the summer heat, on Friday, July 31, Moses Lake police detectives recovered approximately $50,000 that had been stolen from a hotel guest and buried in a field near Interstate 90, bringing a successful conclusion to an investigation involving what police described as both forensic evidence and persistent detective work. 

The case began July 27 when a woman staying at a Moses Lake hotel reported that her companion, 60-year-old Mickael Shon Rivera of Colville, had disappeared with a bag containing what she described as her life savings, according to MLPD records.  

According to MLPD records, the woman and Rivera had been traveling across the state and stopped overnight in Moses Lake. The woman told police she woke around 6 a.m. and heard the hotel room door close. When she looked, Rivera and a bag containing between $80,000 and $100,000 in cash were gone,  

The woman chased Rivera from the hotel but lost sight of him before police arrived, according to MLPD Capt. Jeff Sursely.  

Officers responded to the report at about 7:30 a.m. and quickly began investigating. Surveillance video helped officers identify Rivera as the suspect, according to Sursely.  

"Officers responded immediately, were able to grab video and identify the suspect as the person she had been traveling with," Sursely said. 

Police spent much of the day searching for Rivera before locating him later that evening near Ernie's Fuel Stop on Kittleson Road. When officers contacted him, he was carrying just under $40,000 in cash. 

Rivera was booked into the Grant County Jail on a charge of first-degree theft. According to the Grant County Jail roster, Rivera was booked July 28 by the Moses Lake Police Department. 

However, a significant amount of the money remained missing. 

According to police, Rivera told investigators he had hidden the cash but claimed he could not remember exactly where he had left it. 

"Rivera said he had been using drugs and did not know exactly where he put the money," Sursely said. "He assisted officers in trying to find it, but they were unable to locate it based off his description or where he had showed them." 

Following Rivera's arrest and release from jail, detectives continued searching areas he identified. Officers and detectives spent days combing fields and property near Interstate 90 while attempting to determine where the remaining money had been hidden. 

Police said detectives combined physical evidence with surveillance footage obtained from area businesses to narrow their search area. 

"Using video from businesses around the area, they were able to narrow down the area, did another search and ended up finding the $50,000 located on the side of I-90," Sursely said. 

The department announced Thursday that detectives ultimately recovered the missing cash after what it described as dozens of officers spending dozens of hours searching through dust and heat. 

The recovered money has been logged into evidence and is expected to be returned to the victim. Sursely said the victim already has received the first portion of the recovered cash and will be able to retrieve the remainder. 

Police said they have no indication the money was connected to criminal activity. 

"As far as we know, it's non-criminal money," Sursely said. 

The department credited Detective Matt Harum, the lead investigator on the case, and Major Crimes Unit Supervisor Sgt. Rudy Valdez for helping bring the case to a successful conclusion. 

Sursely said the recovery reflects the determination of department personnel to assist crime victims. 

"I think it just goes to the fact that the culture at the Moses Lake Police Department doesn't allow us to give up, and we work tirelessly to try and take care of our victims of crime," he said. 

While investigators ultimately recovered nearly all of the stolen money, the search was not easy. 

"We didn't want it to turn into a money hunt," Sursely said. "Put a lot of miles on our boots looking for it, but we got it in the end." 

The case remains under investigation. Court records regarding Rivera's first-degree theft charge were not immediately available as of this writing.