Coulee Dam restaurant owner arrested

The owner of a popular restaurant was arrested on domestic violence charges last week and remains in jail.

Juan Moreno, the owner of The Melody restaurant in Coulee Dam, was arrested by Grand Coulee Police July 23 after his estranged wife and her boyfriend told police he threatened them with a knife and baseball bat, abducted her and tried to run over him.

An Elmer City woman, who had called 911 about a disturbance next door to where she was visiting in Electric City, told police details that backed up what the two alleged victims had said.

Police found Sarah Redstar, who is separated from Moreno, walking barefoot on the hot pavement of SR-155 at Snider Road.

She and her live-in boyfriend, Cole Schilling, told police Moreno had burst into Schilling’s home on West Grand Avenue armed with a baseball bat and butcher knife, threatened to kill her, then dragged her out of the house, punched her in the midsection, forced her into his car, and sped off, trying to hit Schilling in the process and taking her to his home on Partello Street in Grand Coulee.

Redstar told police she’d escaped when he put the bat and knife in his trunk.

Moreno told police Redstar had stolen money from his business, and that she had agreed to clean the restaurant for him. He said he had picked her up for that purpose, but hadn’t threatened anyone.

Matching up the statements of those involved and one from an uninvolved witness, Sgt. Gary Moore arrested Moreno on domestic violence-related charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault.

Moreno was also charged with attempted vehicular assault for allegedly trying to run over Schilling, causing him to dive over a fence.

Moreno remained in the Grant County jail Tuesday night, according to the jail roster.