Coulee Cops

Grand Coulee Police

8/28 - A semi-truck had somehow “dropped a load” of apples on the road and sidewalk near the gas station in Coulee Dam. An officer removed some of the apples from the sidewalk, didn’t see them as a traffic hazard, and reasoned that local wildlife would eat the apples soon enough. 

8/29 - An Alcan Road property owner was cited for a code violation and for public nuisance after an officer observed two motorhomes, accumulating tires, and other garbage on the property. The owner said an occupant was being evicted.

8/30 - An officer responded to a report of a woman trespassing in the “Industrial Area” belonging to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation along SR-155. The woman said she was just out on a walk and didn’t know she was trespassing. The officer’s report noted that the area is fenced in and it should be clear it is restricted. After first getting a fake name, the officer learned her real name and found she was wanted on arrest warrants. The jail wouldn’t book her due to restrictions, however, and she was simply told she was banned from USBR property and was given a courtesy ride to Coulee Dam.

- Police elected not to tag a white pickup on Dill Avenue for removal after observing it only slightly parked on the public roadway. The pickup doesn’t have a rear license plate and the front license plate revealed that the registration expired in 2020. Police may choose to have the vehicle towed if it isn’t moved completely onto private property.

8/31 - At about 3:30 a.m., police saw a red pickup at the Chevron gas station in Grand Coulee. Knowing that a red pickup hadn’t stopped for Grant County deputies recently, the officer confirmed that it was the same vehicle. The officer was alone and talked to the man, who admitted to not stopping for county deputies before, saying the lights were far behind them and then turned off.  The man became agitated and reached into his pocket where the officer had seen he had a folded knife. The officer told him to remove his hand from his pocket which the man refused to do. The officer, being alone, chose not to get into a physical altercation with the man, especially since he had a knife. The man had moved towards the officer’s vehicle which was unlocked, then the officer moved back towards his vehicle. The man then got into his pickup and drove off on SR-174 towards Wilbur. The officer followed him with his lights activated, but eventually ended the pursuit, with the pickup leaving city limits. Police confirmed the identity of the man, who now faces the charges of refusal to obey an officer’s command and of obstruction.

- A Division Street woman believes a man had been in her home, likely looking for pain medications. She wanted him banned from her property, and police made a note to inform him of such when they are able to contact him. A couple days later, police were asked to check on the welfare of a shirtless man lying on the roadway somewhere near Banks Avenue. It was the same man, who said he was fine and was lying on the pavement because of having suffered a heat stroke in the past, and the pavement feeling good. He was told about being banned from the Division Street residence.

Coulee Dam Police

8/27 - A traffic hazard was reported near Sunny Drive and Third Street in Electric City. There were no further details on what the hazard was.

8/28 - A Coulee Boulevard resident told police that while smoking a cigarette his neighbor threatened to put a death hit on him from a hitman if he reported her for smoking marijuana. He said she has complained about his music in the past. Police spoke to the neighbor and she was surprised at the report, saying that he has asked for rides to stores in the past and had even said “good morning” recently.

8/30 - Police checked on the welfare of a girl in Electric City at the behest of her father who had heard there had been law enforcement responses to the home where she stays. Police spoke to the girl’s mother and found the girl to be doing well. Police relayed this information to the father.

8/31 - Police were unable to contact a caller who had called 911 and got disconnected. The 911 call had vague details about a woman getting into a fight with her boyfriend somewhere near the casino but not needing an ambulance. Police left a voicemail on the caller’s cell phone.

- Police checked on an unrented Stevens Avenue home in Electric City where a female was possibly trespassing in the back yard. Police didn’t see any signs of forced entry or anything else suspicious at the residence. Police told the owner they would continue to patrol the area at night. 

- Police were unable to directly serve paperwork to a Kelso Avenue resident and so left the paperwork on their porch. 

9/1 - A Coulee Boulevard man wanted an incident document in which, while smoking a cigarette, his neighbor yelled at him about smoking and said he owed her money.

- A man who is banned from the casino was sitting on a sidewalk belonging to the casino and drinking whiskey. He was told he couldn’t be there, and was cited for drinking in public. Police poured out his whiskey, which agitated the man, and he left the casino’s property without further incident. He was later reported as a suspicious person for sitting on a city owned sidewalk near Harvest Foods. This was not a crime. 

- A car’s engine area was on fire while parked in the Harvest Foods parking lot. An employee put the fire out with an extinguisher. Police left once the department arrived.

9/2 - While driving near Camas Street and 12th Street in Coulee Dam, a woman slowed down to avoid hitting a deer and was rear ended by an SUV that then took off. Police collected details about the driver and vehicle and were able to determine who it likely was. Police eventually saw the vehicle driving north on SR-155 and pulled it over. The driver denied having rear ended a vehicle that night, and said damage on the front of her SUV was from her “old man” hitting a deer a couple months back. Police smelled intoxicants on her. At the police station, she eventually blew breath samples in the 0.15-0.16 range, above the 0.08 driving limit. She was cited for driving under the influence and then was free to go.

9/3 - Shots were heard shortly before noon in the north Columbia Avenue area of Coulee Dam.