No Such Thing as a “Routine” Traffic Stop
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Stan Kravtsov encountered an extremely tense situation during a traffic stop when he stopped a vehicle with two occupants early Monday morning. During the stop, two people exited a residence and began yelling at him while he was arresting one person for warrants and the driver later displayed what appeared to be a handgun to show “it wasn’t real”.
On November 27, 2017, prior to 3:30 a.m., Deputy Kravtsov observed a vehicle with expired registration tabs and a no rear license plate light in the area of Graves and Hwy. 2.
He activated his emergency lights to stop the vehicle and contact the driver, later identified as 35-year-old David D. Wood, regarding the violations. Wood pulled into a driveway in the 9800 block of N. Colfax and stopped. While talking with Wood, he recognized the female passenger, 39-year-old Crystal E. Denny, from previous contacts.
While checking the names on his computer, Deputy Kravtsov learned Denny had a misdemeanor warrant for her arrest. He approached the vehicle on the passenger’s side to detain Denny while the warrant was being confirmed. As Denny exited the vehicle, an unidentified adult male exited the residence yelling his family was being harassed. Soon after, an adult female exited the residence and both walked toward Deputy Kravtsov who requested immediate backup assistance via his radio.
A Spokane Police Officer arrived quickly to assist and began observing the two people who had exited the residence. As Deputy Kravtsov placed Denny in handcuffs, he looked over at Wood and noticed Wood move his hand underneath the driver’s seat and begin fidgeting with something. No knowing if Wood was trying to grab a weapon, Deputy Kravtsov instantly shouted “What are you doing? What is that?” as he moved to draw his weapon. Wood said, “a gun” as his hand came into view holding a black handgun with the muzzle pointing toward the floor of the vehicle. Wood dropped the gun immediately when Deputy Kravtsov ordered him to and followed commands. Wood was removed from the vehicle and detained.
Wood explained the gun was an airsoft gun and wasn’t real and admitted there was a small amount of methamphetamine in the vehicle. Deputy Kravtsov retrieved the very realistic looking, black airsoft pistol, from the vehicle. The orange tip had been scratched off and painted black. Wood said he had the airsoft gun in his pocket and tried to place it under the seat while everything else was happening. When Deputy Kravtsov noticed him, he thought it would be a good idea to reveal the gun to show it wasn’t real.
Deputy Kravtsov also located a small container with a crystalline substance inside a baggie. The substance was field tested and showed a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine.
Both Wood and Denny were transport to the Spokane County Jail. Wood was booked of Possession of a Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine and Denney was booked on her misdemeanor warrant. Wood was also issued a ticket for the expired registration tabs.
Deputy Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Spokane Valley Police Department
Public Information Officer