GCSO, Wenatchee PD activity spark ICE rumors in Quincy
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 2 weeks AGO
Quincy Police Department Chief Ryan Green
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. | January 19, 2026 3:00 AM
QUINCY — Rumors that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were in Quincy on Thursday are unfounded, said Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green. However, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office did arrest a Quincy man during a traffic stop at the Jackpot Food Mart on Thursday.
“ICE was not in town,” Green said Friday.
There was law enforcement activity in Quincy both Wednesday and Thursday, Green said, with the Wednesday arrest of a Quincy man by the Wenatchee Police Department in connection with an incident in Wenatchee. GCSO was in Quincy looking for a man with ties to Quincy in connection with an assault case on Thursday, he said.
Ivan Gonzalez Vidales, 29, was arrested Thursday by GCSO’s crime reduction team, investigators from the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team and GCSO deputies in connection with a fraud investigation.
“Vidales is one of many suspects in the investigation focused on the taking of Valley Ag fuel cards,” wrote Kyle Foreman, GCSO public information officer, in a release posted Friday. “So far, nearly $250,000 worth of fuel has been fraudulently purchased.”
Vidales was booked on suspicion of second-degree theft and second-degree trafficking in stolen property, according to Grant County Jail records.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.