SPOKANE -- Sheriff’s detectives and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided a pair of homes early Thursday and recovered property stolen from a North Spokane County home over the Christmas holidays.
A search warrant was executed first at 1311 W. Dalton in Spokane. There investigators found stolen antique marbles and coins. The second warrant was served at 4905 E. Deer Park-Milan Road where detectives found a stolen .22-caliber pistol and a firearm telescopic sight.
Because the search warrants specifically targeted stolen firearms, both warrants were executed using the sheriff’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT.) Both homes were occupied at the time of the raids, but there were no injuries to any of the participants.
The warrants were sought after investigators learned that property taken from a home in the 16000 block of North Newport Highway might be located inside the target residences.
The burglary victim had been out of town from shortly before Christmas until after the new year. When he returned January 4th, he discovered the break-in and that numerous firearms and other collectables had been stolen. His Chevrolet Astro van was missing as well.
Investigators said Thursday they believe the burglars made several repeat trips to the victim’s home to remove property. Their search warrants and interviews Thursday morning led them to a pair of storage units atop the Sunset Hill where they recovered more stolen property, to include a grandfather clock.
A spokesman for the investigative team said that no arrests were anticipated Thursday, but that detectives would continue to build their case and identify additional suspects. At some point in the future, the suspects would be charged by warrant.
