MOSES LAKE - Police were called to the Columbia Basin Herald on Thursday after a Herald employee reported witnessing a male in a vehicle in the parking lot attempt to hide a possible drug pipe from view.

The encounter occurred around 2:40 p.m. when the CBH employee was walking to their vehicle in the Herald parking lot on West Third Avenue in Moses Lake. The employee noticed a red, four-door passenger vehicle, occupied by a female driver, a male in the front passenger seat and another male in the back seat, parked next to theirs.

The employee reported seeing the male in the passenger seat attempt to conceal a glass smoking device in an apparent attempt to keep the Herald employee from seeing the device. Of note, the Herald employee was unlocking their vehicle when this occurred and had a direct line of sight into the victim vehicle to witness the attempted concealing of the device.

The employee then went back into the CBH building to phone 911. The employee went back outside to their vehicle afterward and reported the same instance referenced above regarding the male in the front passenger seat hiding a smoking device occurred again.

Police arrived a short time later and the occupants of the vehicle were detained. Police told the newspaper a small amount of an unknown powdery substance was found on the male who was seen with the possible drug pipe. A needle was found on the other male and the female admitted to police she is a heroin user.

The three unidentified subjects were released from police custody, but will be receiving a court summons when charges are filed. The vehicle they were in was towed and will be searched when a warrant is obtained by police.