Two arrested after chase north of Ephrata
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 4 weeks AGO
Two people were arrested after attempting to run away from Grant County Sheriff’s deputies north of Ephrata Monday afternoon.
COURTESY PHOTO/GRANT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 3, 2026 5:34 PM
EPHRATA — A Wenatchee man and a Moses Lake woman were arrested and booked on suspicion of burglary after allegedly breaking into a residence in Douglas County and trying to elude law enforcement in Grant County on Monday afternoon.
Fernando Camarena, 31, Wenatchee, was booked into the Grant County Jail on one count of residential burglary and one count of attempting to elude law enforcement, according to Grant County Jail booking records. Katie Wenz, 30, Moses Lake, was booked into the Chelan County Regional Jail on one count of first-degree vehicle prowl and one count of third-degree theft, according to CCRJ records.
Douglas County Undersheriff Tyler Caille said Tuesday that Camarena and Wenz allegedly broke into a residence at Rimrock Meadows near the Douglas County-Grant County line. It’s a relatively remote location, he said.
“A lot of the residences, or properties, (in the area) are more seasonal,” Caille said.
Douglas County deputies responded to the report of a burglary in progress at about 2 p.m. Monday, wrote Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, in a media release.
“The suspects left the area in a red minivan and drove into Grant County,” Foreman said.
A GCSO deputy found a van matching the description of the vehicle involved in the burglary traveling east on Sagebrush Flats Road Northwest north of Ephrata, Foreman said.
“The deputy tried to stop it,” he said. “The driver did not stop, and several deputies joined the pursuit as it continued toward Ephrata.”
The pursuit ended near the intersection of Sagebrush Flats Road and Johnson Road Northwest.
“The minivan drove off the road and into the sagebrush in an attempt to get away. When the van became stuck, both the driver and the passenger got out and ran,” Foreman said. “Deputies caught them a short time later.”
Camarena was transported to Samaritan Hospital, treated, released and booked into jail. He was still at GCJ as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, held without bail. Douglas County charges against him are pending, Caille said. Wentz was still at CCRJ as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.
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