EPHRATA - A Royal City man will be serving 15 days in jail after being caught with heroin in his pocket at a Moses Lake store.

Kevin Flerchinger, 23, of Royal City, was found guilty in Grant County Superior Court of heroin possession on Feb. 17. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail by Judge Evan Sperline, the minimum for that offense.

Sperline based the sentence upon Flerchinger's lack of a felony history.

Flerchinger's offense took place on Feb. 1. About 8:20 a.m. the Moses Lake Police Department received reports of a theft in progress at Lep-Re-Kon Harvest Foods in Moses Lake, located at 2709 W. Broadway Ave.

An employee at the store told an officer they saw Flerchinger putting items, including some chocolate milk, under his clothes. The officer stopped Flerchinger as he was leaving the store and escorted him to a conference room for questioning.

Flerchinger admitted to being in the store and taking the items. He told the officers he concealed some of the items in his clothes prior to going to the customer service desk to cash a check.

The store reportedly would not cash his check, and Flerchinger told the officers he left the items at the customer service desk.

When the officer asked Flerchinger if he still had any store merchandise, he stated no, but he allegedly reached for his front pockets. The officer grabbed his hands and searched him for weapons.

When the officer asked Flerchinger if he had any dangerous weapons, Flerchinger allegedly reached for his right front pocket again, according to police records.

Upon searching him, officers found a small bag of heroin, three hypodermic needles, a spoon with drug residue, used tinfoil, a roll of duct tape, a pair of knit gloves, sunglasses with the tag still attached, a pack of lighters, laundry detergent and a large bottle of chocolate milk stuffed down the front of his pants.

The total value of the stolen items was $25.37.