Police Department

Power Shut Down Related To 500 W. 2nd Ave.

Ofc. John O'Brien, PIO

Monday, October 29, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.

Downtown power is disrupted while Spokane Police Department (SPD) officers remove a subject from a confined area housing high voltage electricity. Casey D. Thompson (22) was arrested for Malicious Mischief 1^st Degree.

On October 29th, 2018, just before 11:00am, a police officer was flagged over at 500 W. 2^nd Avenue about a male who entered an area under the sidewalk containing high voltage equipment. Officers tried to negotiate with Thompson to come back up the ladder but he did not comply nor did he engage in much conversation.

The Spokane Fire Department and Avista responded to the location to assist SPD in the removal of Thompson. Avista advised SPD it was unsafe to enter the confined space with the power supply on. The area of downtown impacted by the power shut down occurred between Post Street to Division Street and from Riverside Avenue to 3^rd Avenue.

Officers entered the utility area and took Thompson into custody around 12:15pm. Thompson was in possession of some brass threaded caps used on the Avista utility equipment.

Power was restored within approximately ten minutes.

Thompson was transported and booked into jail for Malicious Mischief 1^st Degree under RCW 9A.40.270 which states, “Causes an interruption or impairment of service rendered to the public by physically damaging or tampering with an emergency vehicle or property of the state, a political subdivision thereof, or a public utility or mode of public transportation, power, or communication.”

Special thanks go out to the Spokane Fire Department, Avista, and Century Link for their assistance along with all the businesses affected by the power shut down.

• Newer
• Older