SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Five people were arrested on multiple gun and drug charges after two suspicious vehicle calls on the same street in Spokane Valley.
On March 8, deputies with the Spokane Valley Police Department (SVPD) responded to the 4000 block of South Bowdish Road for a suspicious vehicle report. When deputies arrived, they saw a 2010 Jaguar in the parking lot with two people inside.
19-year-old Hannah R. Morris and 39-year-old Chadd J. Benefield were arrested on outstanding warrants. Morris had a felony warrant for second-degree burglary and a misdemeanor charge of third-degree theft, and Benefield had a misdemeanor warrant for first-degree criminal trespass.
On March 9, around 2:50 a.m., SVPD deputies responded to the 4000 block of South Bowdish for another suspicious vehicle call.
Deputies approached a red Audi in front of a church on East 40th Avenue. Four people were inside the car and were asked to stop reaching around.
SCSO said a 17-year-old boy would not keep his hands in view of the deputy. The deputy noticed the end of a pistol under a bath towel where the boy was sitting.
In a search of the boy, deputies found a glass tube with burnt residue, a set of brass knuckles, a small bag containing a substance believed to be Methamphetamine, a small cardboard box containing capsules with crystalline residue, a melted straw with burnt residue, a small glass pipe with crystalline residue and aluminum foil with burnt residue.
The boy was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center for second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Angela R. Ayers, 43, had multiple extraditable felony Bonner County warrants and was arrested as a fugitive from justice.
Another passenger, 19-year-old Zane M. R. Schwartzenberger, was detained and was asked if he had any weapons on him. According to SCSO, Schwartzenberger told the deputy no, and during a search, a loaded gun was found in his front pants pocket. The firearm was seized and booked into evidence.
Schwartzenberger was arrested and booked into jail for unlawfully carrying a firearm. He was released on his own recognizance.
Probable cause to charge the driver was not established and she was released at the scene.
A search warrant for the car was granted, and deputies found
Deputies recovered 27 pills of a prescription-only controlled substance, an off-white crystalline substance wrapped in aluminum foil, a loaded gun, a shotgun, 16 pills of a prescription-only muscle relaxant and several other items.
This remains an active investigation; additional charges or arrests are possible.
