Order Violation on 1200 E. Lacrosse Ave

Sgt. Michael Huffman, PIO


Friday, June 11, 2021 at 5:02 p.m.


Officer responded to a report of a burglary call that turned into a domestic violence call near Rogers High School prompting an emergency alert

On 06/10/2021, at about 1:09 P.M. Officers responded to a report of a burglary in the 1200 block of E. Lacrosse Avenue in Spokane.  As the call progressed, it was determined this was not a burglary but a domestic violence incident.  The male, identified as 38 year old Dennis McElyea, had an order against him protecting a female inside the involved home from him.

As Officers arrived on-scene, they were able to contact the female and her two small children and got them out of the house safely. As the victim was leaving the house, she informed Officers that McElyea was in the basement and he had a firearm with him.

Several announcements were made for McElyea to come out but McElyea did not respond at this time.  For the safety of everyone around the location, the Spokane Police Department issued an emergency alert asking citizens to stay away from the area and to stay indoors if they lived close by.  

Due to McElyea’s criminal history and the possibility he was armed with a firearm, additional resources were requested to include SWAT and the Hostage Negotiation Team. After a short period, McElyea came to the door with nothing in his hands and was taken into custody without further incident.

Once McElyea was taken into custody, a search was done on the residence and a firearm was located inside where the victim said it would be.

A criminal history search on McElyea showed he is a 4 time convicted felon to include 2 counts of Assault 2nd, 1 count of manufacturing methamphetamine and 1 count of an order violation.

McElyea was booked into the Spokane County Jail for Felony Order Violation and Unlawful possession of a firearm 1st degree.  McElyea was also booked on pending charges of Felony Order Violation and Theft 2nd that stemmed from an earlier incident.

The area around this incident has been opened up to normal traffic as the alert was cancelled within about an hour of being issued.



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