Woman gets stolen motorcycle back

A Coulee Dam woman chased a thief off with a shovel in the middle of the night last week when she realized someone was stealing her motorcycle.

The dirt bike stolen from Jaci Gross at her Coulee Dam residence on Stevens Avenue very early last Wednesday, Oct. 5, was recovered about noon the same day in Electric City.

Gross was out in her lawn with a shovel when police arrived and told officers she was looking for the person who stole her motorcycle.

She said in a Facebook post that the thief had also tried to take her four-wheeler ATV, “but I chased him with a shovel and he got away.”

She said a Coulee Dam officer responded immediately.

Police started searching the area around 1 am., around Cole Park but couldn’t locate the bike. Officials also checked the Washington Flats and the North Columbia areas.

Later the same day about noon, the red 550cc 1982 Yamaha was recovered by Grand Coulee Police, who found it leaning up against a concrete wall in Electric City. It had been reported that some people were seen riding the motorcycle around town until they apparently got tired of it and ditched it.

The motorcycle was returned to Gross, who happened to be featured in that day’s issue of The Star in a story about her 500-mile pilgrimage through Spain.

Gross had explained to officers that she had been riding the motorcycle and had parked it beside the house with the keys in the switch.

Gross said she went outside after her dog started growling.

Police said they checked with USBR Plant Protection to see if their cameras had recorded the incident. They were told that something was seen in the back of a pickup as it was going toward Grand Coulee but they couldn’t tell what it was.