Police Department

Officers Recover Property Stolen from Spokane County Burglary after Spotting Stolen Car

Ofc, Teresa Fuller, 509.209.7188

Friday, May 9, 2014 at 3:53 p.m.

Officers Recover Property Stolen from Spokane County Burglary after Spotting Stolen Car

On 05-08-2014, at approximately 10 a.m., officers of SPD’s Patrol Anti-Crime Team (PACT) responded to a house in the 3000 block of west Francis after Lt. Tom Hendren saw a white Toyota parked in a front yard. The Toyota had no front plate and matched the description of a car on the Hot Auto list distributed to officers every day at roll call. They contacted 37 year old Mark W. Merrifield inside the residence and took him into custody for outstanding arrest warrants. Once a search warrant was served on the residence, officers added several felony charges to Merrifield’s booking sheet.

On 05-08-2014, at around 10 a.m., Lt. Hendren noticed a white Toyota pickup parked in a front yard in the 3000 block of west Francis. The front plate was missing and the back of the truck was backed up to the residence, but the vehicle matched the description of one on the list of currently stolen vehicles in Spokane.

Officers were able to get close enough to verify it was the stolen Toyota. One officer got to the back of the residence to make sure no suspects escaped and also saw a partially disassembled motorcycle on the back porch. The VIN for the motorcycle was found and it too was verified as a stolen vehicle.

Once inside, officers contacted Merrifield who had two bench warrants for his arrest. Merrifield is a convicted felon with his most recent convictions being for Attempting to Elude Officers and Possession of Stolen Property in the 1st degree. Upon further questioning, officers determined that Merrifield’s story about how he had come into possession of the stolen truck didn’t add up.

Once officers were able to get a search warrant for the house, they discovered more stolen items. Those items included more parts for the first stolen motorcycle, a second stolen motorcycle, and two wave runners that had been stolen from Pend Oreille County. They also recovered items taken in a recent burglary on Five Mile Prairie. Those items included irreplaceable family jewelry pieces that had been handed down by other family members, a Rickenbacker guitar, and a number of other personal items belonging to the victims. Officers took Merrifield into custody for three counts of Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle and two counts of 1st Degree Taking Motor Vehicle without Permission.

Most of the stolen items recovered were able to be returned to their rightful owners. Spokane County Property Crimes Detectives are working with Spokane Police to determine what other crimes Merrifield may be charged with. Anyone with further information on these crimes is asked to call Crime Check at 509.456.2233.

• Newer
• Older