SPOKANE, Wash. – A man is back in jail after he pled guilty to an armed robbery at a Spokane Valley motel in the summer of 2022.
On Aug. 2, 2022, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) were stationed at the motel investigating a suspected drug trafficking operation.
According to a press release from the Eastern District of Washington’s U.S. attorney’s office, one of the suspected drug traffickers arrived at the motel carrying multiple duffle bags just after midnight. Shortly after, a van pulled into the parking lot and three men, later identified as Dominic Shears, Christopher Gooch and Christopher Jones, were seen exiting the van and entering the motel through a side door. A few minutes later, agents saw the same three men carrying what appeared to be the same duffle bags the suspected trafficker was carrying. The three men got into the van and quickly fled, the release said.
Around the same time the van fled, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) received the report of a motel guest being robbed at gunpoint. The caller reported three suspects left in a van wearing masks.
Agents immediately followed the van as they believed it was involved in the robbery. Agents informed law enforcement, suspecting it was the alleged drug traffickers who were robbed.
After a pursuit, the van stopped, and Gooch and Jones exited the vehicle and attempted to run. Jones had a duffle bag in his hand as he tried to flee. Both men were arrested, and SPD recovered approximately 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 400 grams of fentanyl-laced pills and 150 grams of heroin from the duffle bag.
During the arrest, SPD tried to conduct a traffic stop on the van Shears was driving. Shears led police on a chase, ultimately firing shots at officers and crashing his van into a building in downtown Spokane. Shears then engaged in a multiple-hour standoff with law enforcement. The standoff ended when Shears left the fan and fired at police. Police returned shots, and Shears died of his injuries.
“This case is a chilling reminder of the violence that accompanies drug trafficking and resolve of the agencies to protect our communities from these violent offenders,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.
Investigators learned that Shears was a customer of the suspected drug trafficking at the motel. Investigators say Shears placed a large order intending to rob the supplier. Shears recruited Jones, who recruited Gooch, to help with the robbery.
When the three men arrived at the motel, they put on ski masks while Gooch remained in the hall. Jones and Shears entered the supplier’s motel room and demanded the drugs, with Shears holding a gun to the supplier’s head. Jones and Shears then grabbed two duffle bags from the room and left.
A woman in the room escaped and alerted the hotel staff.
Christopher B. Gooch, 46, of Spokane, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after he pled guilty to robbery affecting commerce.
Jones also pleaded guilty to one count of Robbery Affecting Commerce and was sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
“Drug trafficking is most often characterized as a non-violent offense. However, based on my approximately 15 years investigating and prosecuting drug trafficking offenses, I can tell you that is not accurate. This case represents a stark example of the violence associated with these illicit activities,” stated Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard. “The actions of the Defendants in this case unnecessarily put all the individuals at the motel at great risk of harm. The impact of drug trafficking is felt by the entire community – whether its vehicle break-ins, home invasion robberies or senseless acts of violence.”
