One in custody after early morning burglary
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 2 months AGO
One person is in custody after a morning burglary in the 1200 block of Adair Street in Moses Lake, near the Larson community.
SOURCE: GOOGLE MAPS/GCSO
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | October 13, 2022 5:35 PM
MOSES LAKE - One man is in custody and another is being sought after the pair broke into a Moses Lake woman’s home in the 1200 block of Adair Street, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office staff. The woman was not injured, nor were law enforcement officials who responded to the incident.
“(The resident) was pretty shaken up. She kept her head under some really terrible circumstances – having two men armed with knives come into her home, and she was able to call 9-1-1 and then escape to them to the safety of law enforcement officers,” said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman.
The incident happened fairly close to the GCSO Moses Lake substation which had deputies present and ready to respond when the emergency call was received by the Multiagency Communications Center which answers 9-1-1 calls in Grant County.
A statement released by GCSO said the call initially came in at 7:50 a.m. Thursday morning when the woman, who was not named, called to report that two men had entered her home armed with knives. They instructed her to remain in her kitchen while they moved around the home. Once officers arrived, she ran out of the duplex, as did one of the two alleged burglars.
Law enforcement contacted Moses Lake School District officials who locked down North Elementary, Larson Heights Elementary and Endeavor Middle schools. Grant county Head Start also locked down.
The Grant County Tactical Response Team arrived after the remaining suspect shut himself in the home. He was later found in the attic of the home and detained by a K9 officer until arrested.
The captured suspect was later identified as Roberto Robles Mejia, 42, of Moses Lake.
Foreman said Robles Mejia will likely face unspecified charges associated with the Thursday morning incident.
Robles Mejia was taken for treatment of injuries related to his interaction with the K9 officer. He had not been booked into the Grant County Jail as 5:30 p.m. Thursday evening, but was expected to be.
A second suspect is still being sought after escaping from the area. The man is described as a Hispanic male wearing a black jacket and black pants and a shirt with a Chicago Bulls logo on it.
Anyone with additional information regarding the missing suspect or the incident, in general, may contact the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at 509-754-2011.
R Hans Miller may be reached at [email protected]. He welcomes letters to the editor which may be sent to that address electronically.
ARTICLES BY R. HANS MILLER
Awareness helps prevent porch pirates’ success
EPHRATA — At least 58 million packages were stolen in the U.S. last year, with about 25% of Americans being the victims of theft, according to the United States Parcel Service. At the local level, there are thefts occurring regularly as well, but that doesn’t mean that you’re stuck being the victim, authorities say. “The experience of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office is that package theft happens regularly,” said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. “It is a crime of opportunity. When someone’s out looking to try and make a quick buck, they may drive through a neighborhood looking for unattended packages on the front porch.”
Gorge shooting trial rescheduled to 2026
EPHRATA — The trial in the case of James Kelly, the man charged in the June 2023 shooting that led to the deaths of two women at the Beyond Wonderland music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre, has been bumped to early next year, according to court documents.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In appreciation of educators ...
An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.