News bites for Oct. 19, 2023
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
EPHRATA — Amateur radio enthusiasts in Grant County took part in a Simulated Emergency Test on Oct. 7, according to a statement from the Grant county Sheriff’s Office.
The test, in which 13 Ephrata-area stations participated, was intended to assess amateur radio communications capabilities in the county, the statement said. The test involved contacting nine communities across central Washington by amateur radio, including Othello, George, Wenatchee, Moses Lake and Soap Lake. Teamwork among radio operators led to communication with the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray south of Tacoma, the statement said.
MOSES LAKE — Grant County Fire District 5 firefighters assisted fire science students at Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center in “burning down the house” Tuesday morning, according to a statement from GCFD 5.
The exercise involved setting fire to small simulated “dollhouses” built by CBTECH construction students, the statement said. The simulation helped students understand fire behavior, reading smoke and the effects of fire suppression and ventilation.
All 11 students in the program have been accepted as cadets with the fire district, the announcement added.
OTHELLO — A Warden man will serve at least three years in prison for his role in a shooting in Othello, according to a statement by the Othello Police Department.
Joel Sergio Gonzalez, 21, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree assault, with a firearm enhancement, according to the statement. Gonzalez was sentenced to 39 months in prison, at least 36 of which must be served because of the enhancement.
On Aug. 18, OPD officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 1000 block of East Cedar Street, according to a previous statement by the OPD. Moses Lake Police officers located the suspects, later identified as Gonzalez and Cristina Perez, 35, of Othello, and arrested the two after a high-risk traffic stop. Gonzalez and Perez were booked into Franklin County Jail.
Nobody was harmed in the shooting or the arrest, the OPD wrote.
ARTICLES BY STAFF REPORT
Three booked after threatening victim, stealing his car
MOSES LAKE – Three Moses Lake men were booked into the Grant County Jail Tuesday morning for assaulting a man, threatening to kill him and stealing his car on Monday, according to a statement from Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
Ephrata PD releases statement on jail death investigation
EPHRATA – The Ephrata Police Department released a statement Tuesday indicating that the Central Basin Investigative Team, a joint task force made up of law enforcement agencies from around the region, is investigating the death of Richard Lambert, an inmate at the Grant County Jail.
Woman threatens parents, drives away with infant
MOSES LAKE — Kelsey Galvan, 20, of Moses Lake was arrested Sunday after reportedly threatening her parents with a knife and driving away intoxicated with her child unsecured in the vehicle.