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Alert Citizen’s Tips Aid Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Detectives in Recovering Stolen Property
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On Wednesday August 6th, Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Investigative Unit detectives (SVIU) recovered several items of stolen property from several burglaries after serving multiple search warrants.
On July 26th at approximately 2015 hours, Spokane Valley Detective Roger Knight requested the assistance of patrol units to stop a Toyota Forerunner pulling a black utility trailer matching the description of a suspect vehicle used during the burglary of the Painted Hills Golf Course on July 11th. At the time of the burglary, an alert citizen took a picture of the suspect vehicle and reported the incident.
The driver and registered owner of the Forerunner was identified as 51-year-old Kenneth S. Runkle. At the time of the traffic stop, Runkle was arrested for driving with a suspended license. Believing the vehicle was used during the burglary and that it contained stolen property, investigators seized Runkle’s vehicle and applied for a search warrant. Runkle could not be directly linked to the burglary at the time of the stop and was issued a citation and released at the scene.
That same evening, at approximately 2300 hours, Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Streltzoff observed a Dodge Caravan that matched the description of a possible drunk driver reported by a citizen in the area of Trent and Fancher. When Deputy Streltzoff conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle for an equipment violation, the driver, later identified as 30-year-old Jason E. Brioso, jumped out of the vehicle and fled. Brioso had active felony warrants for his arrest and had been listed as a wanted suspect on Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest. Deputy Streltzoff contacted two passengers in the vehicle and observed knives, flashlights, and tools. Brioso was not located and one of the passengers was identified as Kenneth Runkle. Believing the vehicle possibly contained stolen property the vehicle was seized and a search warrant was requested.
Detective Knight, Deputy Streltzoff and Detective Pat Bloomer continued the investigation and obtained search warrants for the two vehicle as well as several storage units. Investigators recovered a large amount of stolen property, identified several victims and were able to return some of their stolen property.
This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected. Brioso still has two active felony warrants and is still listed as wanted on Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest. http://www.crimestoppersinlandnorthwest.org/wanteds.aspx?SID=37176
This is a great example of alert citizens reporting suspicious activity and how it can help investigators work toward identifying criminals and returning stolen property to the citizens who have been victimized.
Citizens are asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233 if you know the location of Brioso or if you have any information regarding this investigation.
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