Coulee cops

Grand Coulee

Police

5/12 - Police went to Coulee Medical Center where a man who had been brought there by Tribal Police on a drug-related issue refused help and signed himself out of the hospital. The man lingered in the waiting area and refused to leave until the officer told him that since he had signed himself out he was trespassing. He left.

- A man told police that someone had attempted to enter his pickup by prying the door. He said a similar issue occurred earlier in the month.

- A man was stopped on Midway Avenue for having a defective muffler and the officer found out that he had neither a driver’s license nor insurance. He was cited for these offenses and warned on the muffler.

5/13 - Police went to a Lakeview Avenue home in Electric City, where a man had reportedly threatened bodily harm to a resident. The resident said the man came onto the property, yelling at him and saying that he would shoot the man’s dog if it came on his sister’s property again. The man making the threats was ordered off the property and kicked the dog before he left.

5/14 - An officer assisted those who were removing a vehicle/boat trailer off the road on SR-155 near milepost 19. A wheel on the boat trailer had come off and the units were blocking the roadway.

- In trying to locate a juvenile reportedly hitch hiking near North Dam Park, an officer found an adult woman, known to him, wearing a multi-colored clown-type wig with a large duffel bag.

- An officer was called to Safeway where he learned that a woman had washed her hands in a fountain pop machine and then left the store.

5/15 - Police were informed by a woman that her cell phone had been taken while she was working with the carnival during Colorama.

- A Coulee Dam man was issued a citation after an officer saw him hanging out his window without his seat belt attached.

- An officer assisted Tribal Police look for a man allegedly involved in an Elmer City burglary. The man was located and turned over to Tribal Police.

- Police responded to an alarm at La Presa Restaurant, but couldn’t find anything out of order.

5/16 - A vehicle lost one of its wheels which ran into a Bureau of Reclamation vehicle causing a scratch. The vehicle was loaded on a tow truck and removed from the bridge area where the accident occurred.

- A woman in the middle of the roadway was reportedly throwing CDs around and obstructing traffic. The woman, holding a CD player, denied that she had done so. She was cited for lying to an officer and disorderly conduct.

- Two people using a metal detector in North Dam Park showed the officer that they carefully lifted the sod and replaced it after locating objects. They said they were cleaning up the park after the Colorama celebration.

- A woman at a Main Street apartment complex told police that a woman dressed in all black, wearing a multi-colored hat was walking around the property. Police asked the woman what she was doing and she was just looking at the BBQ pit.

- Plant Protection advised police that two persons were fishing in a restricted area. The two were advised of this and left the area, which was on the Okanogan County side of the river.

- Police stopped a vehicle that had a loud muffler. The officer could smell stale beer as he approached the driver. The driver said he had had one beer six hours earlier and that the officer might be smelling his cologne. When the officer asked if he could search the vehicle the driver said no and that he knew “his rights.” After letting the vehicle air out for about 20 minutes, and ready to leave the scene, the driver and passenger said they were going to file a complaint with the chief of police.

- A man was cited for not having insurance after he was stopped for having a cracked windshield and a faulty license plate light. He was warned on everything but the insurance issue.

5/17 - A woman at Sunbanks Resort was arrested after she had allegedly damaged $1,000 in articles belonging to her boyfriend of seven months. She was taken to Grant County Jail.

- A Puyallup man, being investigated in a domestic violence complaint, was arrested as a felon in possession of a firearm. He told police that he had a gun and magazine in his duffel bag for safekeeping because his female partner had been drinking. Upon checking on the man, the officer learned of the felony and he was taken to Grant County Jail.

- A man was stopped for a faulty license plate light and the officer found he was driving with a suspended license, didn’t have insurance, and the faulty license plate light. He was cited on the three counts.

- A Coulee Hardware official told police that the gas line on one of the firm’s U-Haul trucks had been cut and that about 10 gallons of gas was missing.

5/18 - A driver of a vehicle stopped near Pole Park was arrested and taken to Grant County Jail when it was learned that there was a warrant out for her arrest.

- A Spokane man was stopped near the overlook area just above Grand Coulee Dam when an officer noticed he didn’t have a front plate on his vehicle. He was cited for not having a driver’s license and insurance.

- A 13-month-old girl was brought to Coulee Medical Center for injuries including a broken wrist, bruised ear, bruised forehead and broken ribs that had healed. Colville tribal authorities were advised to pursue the matter and the child was taken to Spokane for treatment.

Coulee Dam

Police

5/2 - A police unit noticed a lit lantern at the west end of North Dam Park and when the officer went over to the area he coudn’t find anyone.

5/3 - An incident at an apartment complex on River Drive attracted police. Police found a man sitting on top of his son who explained that he heard a lot of yelling and knew his son was inside the apartment. He stated his son had been drinking and he didn’t want him to get into trouble because his son was on probation on a marijuana charge. Police sent the report to Okanogan County juvenile authorities for a minor in possession of alcohol.

5/4 - A report of loud music on Central Drive brought police response. The officer went to the house where the music was coming from, and when no one answered the knock on the door he went to the rear of the house and found a man who said he was listening to “prayer” music. He was told to cut the volume down.

- Police went to the scene of an accident on the Lower River Road where medical personnel stated that the driver had fled the scene. The officer left but was called back again when loud yelling was heard. A search didn’t turn up anyone.

- The Bureau of Reclamation response team called police to state that a tourist on tour had taken pictures of a guard station and security personnel while touring Grand Coulee Dam. The caller said that those on tours are told not to take pictures of guard stations or personnel. The officer met the tour bus and asked to look at what the tourist had taken with his digital camera. There were no pictures of a guard station or security personnel on the camera. A check revealed that the individual didn’t have any warrants outstanding.

5/5 - A man stopped because his license plate light was out was arrested for driving while his license was suspended. The officer found on him a baggie with a controlled substance in it. The report is being sent to the Okanogan County prosecutor’s office for official charges.

- An officer was called to Camas Street where a couple reported that a neighbor had a “sick” dog. The couple said the white and black terrier mix was malnourished. The officer looking at the dog from 50 feet away couldn’t see anything wrong with it and tried to gain the attention of the owners, but they were not home at the time.

- Plant Protection advised police that there were fishermen at “Geezer Beach,” an area off limits. Police advised the fishermen that they were in a closed area and they left.

- Officers advised five property owners that they were in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance and that they should clean up their properties. Two of the five were on Camas, two were on Central Drive and one was on River Drive.

- Plant Protection advised police that there was a man in the lower Visitor Center parking lot using a metal detector. Police advised the man that he couldn’t do that on Bureau property. The man apologized and said he would stop.

5/6 - Four property owners were advised that their properties were in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance and they needed to correct the problem. Two of the properties were on Holly Street, one on Pine and the other on Spruce Street.

- Police arrested a wanted man walking near Pole Park and took him to Okanogan County Jail.

- A woman advised police that the door to her car received damage as the car in the adjacent parking spot near Sixth and Birch was backing out. The officer received a recording from the Casino security camera showing the people involved. The investigation is continuing.

- A man found a loose dog on Camas Street and advised police that he was going to put up posters and try to locate the owner.

- Police were called to check on an RV parked in the upper Visitor Center parking lot and that people are not supposed to camp there. Police were advised by the RV owners that they had been drinking and didn’t want to drive. After checking with Plant Protection the RV owners were advised that they could stay.

5/7 - An officer played a bit of tag with a driver traveling north on SR-155. While following the vehicle the driver turned off the road into a parking area. The patrol vehicle drove on and parked and later the suspect vehicle drove by and the officer followed again and the vehicle driver turned off again. This happened three times before the patrolman pulled the man over. No offense was committed so nothing was done and the driver drove on.

5/8 - Officers responded to what was described as an argument at a residence on Civic Way. The man at the residence told police that a woman was banging on his door and yelling; he didn’t respond and the woman finally left.

5/9 - Police checked on a 911 hang up call from the National Park Service. Personnel explained that the NPS had a new phone system where you had to dial a nine and a one to get an outside line and someone made a mistake. NPS personnel apologized for the mistake.

- Four property owners on Ferry Avenue and one on Stevens Avenue were advised that their properties were in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance and that they needed to correct the problems.

5/10 - A property owner on Stevens Avenue, two on Columbia Avenue and one on Douglas were advised that their properties were in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance and that they needed to comply and make corrections.

5/11 - A driver whose brake light wasn’t functioning correctly was pulled over by an officer who found five children in the back seat of the pickup, some without having a child’s seat or seat belts. The registration was expired, the woman didn’t have insurance and she was driving with a suspended license. Her husband, who had a valid license, took control of the vehicle.

- Three property owners on Fir Street received notices that their properties were in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance and were advised to correct the problem.

5/12 - Police checked on a man lying in the small park north of the dam and learned that he was resting in the park after visiting the beer tent in Grand Coulee. He was suspended for failure to appear in court, had a DUI, had violated an interlock requirement and had a non-extraditable warrant from King County. He wanted to go to the casino to get a ride.

5/12 - A clerk at a service station in Coulee Dam told police that a woman asked to park a car there because it was broken down. She told police she was purchasing the vehicle from a cousin in Electric City for $1,300, and had put $600 down on it. The clerk said he saw a man get in the car and drive it away and thought it might be stolen. The woman said that the owner likely picked it up.

5/15 - A clerk at the Coulee House Motel told the officer that an intoxicated man was in the lobby and wouldn’t leave. She said he asked for her help in getting a room but when she asked his name he gave an off-hand remark. Police asked the man to leave and the clerk asked that the man be banned from the motel.

5/16 - A man reported to police that he saw two young women trying to enter an unoccupied building near the end of the bridge. Police stopped the women who were walking the bridge and they said they were just walking to Delano.

5/16 - A Chevy pickup lost its wheel while crossing the Coulee Dam bridge and the loose wheel hit a Bureau security vehicle causing minor damage. The officer controlled traffic until the Chevy could be removed by wrecker.

- Six residents were advised that their properties were in violation of the town’s nuisance ordinance and that they needed to correct the problem.

5/17 - Police were told that a woman had left her 5-year-old in the car while she was drinking in the casino. An officer went to the location and found that the woman wasn’t drinking, just picking up a deli sandwich while on her way to Spokane.

- Plant Protection advised police that a security person had found a small and folded piece of plastic near the restrooms at the lower parking lot. The security officer said he thought it might be a piece of a fake improvised explosive device. It was placed in an evidence bag.

5/19 - A woman on Columbia reported to police that she felt threatened by her neighbor, who came to her door to complain about her chicken getting into his backyard.

- Officers advised 10 property owners that they needed to clean up their properties.

5/20 - Plant Protection advised police that someone saw a bear in the vicinity of the Marina Way guard post. An officer went to the area and saw the bear, about a 100-pound animal, cross Marina Way and move toward the radio tower.