Contact for Minor Violation Delivers Felony Charges
An observant Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Deputy contacted the driver of a parked vehicle for minor license plate violations. During the contact and subsequent investigation which followed, the two occupants of the vehicle were arrested and methamphetamine, pills and cash were seized.
On June 11, 2018, just after 9:00 p.m., Deputy Brad Humphrey observed a green Buick parked in the parking lot of the Airway Heights Walmart. After learning the license plates were expired and the tabs were improperly displayed, he parked his patrol car and contacted the female driver, later identified as 35-year-old Sara A. McGee.
McGee voluntarily identified herself and said she was in the process of purchasing the vehicle. Deputy Humphrey spoke to her about the violations and ended the contact. Once back in his patrol vehicle, he checked McGee’s name and learned there was a misdemeanor warrant (Trespass) for her arrest.
Deputy Humphrey re-contacted McGee, who had already walked from the vehicle into Walmart, and advised her she was being detained and later arrested after the warrant was confirmed as valid. McGee asked to have her friend, 23-year-old Anthony L. Hains, take possession of the vehicle. Deputy Humphrey was unable to locate Haines inside the store and returned to the Buick where he found Hains sitting in the passenger’s seat.
He contacted Hains and began to advise him of McGee’s arrest. Deputy Humphrey noticed a black glasses case in Hains’ sweatshirt pocket. The case was partially open exposing numerous small plastic baggies. When asked, Hains voluntarily opened the case, which held numerous plastic baggies and a purple bag closed with a drawstring. When Hains opened the purple bag, numerous rectangular pills fell out.
Believing the pills were possibly Xanax, he asked Hains to exit the vehicle and detained him. After being advised of his rights, Hains explained McGee gave him the case and he didn’t know what was inside.
McGee, advised of her rights, denied giving the case to Hains, as well as having any knowledge of the pills inside. She also denied any knowledge of anything illegal in the vehicle and would not consent to a search of the vehicle.
During a consensual search of Hains, Deputy Humphrey located a baggie containing a white crystalized substance believed to be Methamphetamine. The substance was field tested and showed a presumptive positive result for Methamphetamine.
Hains (possession of a controlled substance) and McGee (misd. warrant) were transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail by assisting Deputy Chris Giacomini while Deputy Humphrey applied for, and was granted, a search warrant.
The pills were later determined to be counterfeit and showed a presumptive positive field test result for methamphetamine. Additional amounts of methamphetamine, $155, and paraphernalia were recovered from the vehicle.
Hains’ charge was amended to Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.
McGee had already been released on her own recognizance for the misdemeanor warrant but a charge for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver was requested.
Deputy Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Spokane Valley Police Department
Public Information Officer