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SUNNYSIDE -- A suspect in a series of armed robberies in Pasco appears to have moved on to Sunnyside over the weekend.
Investigators still are trying to identify the suspect, but Pasco police Capt. Jim Raymond said he looks similar to a robber being sought for holding up three convenience stores in Pasco two weeks ago.
Police agencies are talking to each other, comparing information and photos.
The suspect entered a convenience store on the 1500 block of the Yakima Valley Highway around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, made a purchase, then pulled out a gun and demanded money from the clerk, said Charlotte Hinderlider, department spokeswoman.
He left with an undisclosed amount of cash, she said.
All investigators know is that the suspect is a Hispanic man with dark eyes, brown hair and a light complexion, Hinderlider said.
Pasco had a string of similar robberies that started Nov. 30. In those, the suspect acted like a customer -- even waiting his turn in line once -- made a purchase, then robbed the clerks at gunpoint as they opened the register to make change.
A fourth convenience store in Basin City also was robbed by a suspect with a similar description.
Anyone with information about the case can call Sunnyside police at 509-836-6200.
Man jailed in killing arrested in Pasco fight
PASCO -- A 23-year-old Pasco man who was released from jail earlier this year shortly after serving time for his role in the death of a 19-year-old Pasco girl is back behind bars.
Ashone Hollinquest was arrested early Sunday by Pasco police after being involved in an altercation at the Red Lion Hotel, said Capt. Jim Raymond.
In July, Hollinquest pleaded guilty to second-degree man-slaughter for helping dispose of Tiairra Jo Garcia's body after she was accidentally shot on June 22, 2008, by her boyfriend Marnicus Lockhard.
Hollinquest received a reduced sentence of one year in jail for helping investigators and agreeing to testify against his friend. The day after he was sentenced, he was released from the Franklin County jail and transferred to the Benton County jail, officials said.
He apparently served some time in the Benton County jail on a state Department of Corrections violation and was released Aug. 11, a DOC spokeswoman said. He remains on DOC community supervision, she said.
At 3:13 a.m. Sunday, Pasco police were called to the Red Lion after receiving a report about an altercation between two groups at a bar inside the hotel, Raymond said. The groups were removed from the bar, but the altercation continued in the parking lot and officers were called, he said.
Responding officers stopped Hollinquest and Monya Demond Townsend, 26, of Pasco, and found a pistol on the seat of the car they were in, Raymond said.
Both Hollinquest and Townsend are convicted felons and are not allowed to have guns, he said.
Both were arrested and booked into the Franklin County jail on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Fingerprints to be used to ID accident victim
PASCO -- Fingerprints will be used to try to identify a driver killed in a roll-over crash this weekend in north Franklin County, said Coroner Dan Blasdel.
The unidentified Hispanic man was in his mid-20s, 5-foot-7 and about 140 pounds.
Officials said he has pretty identifiable tattoos -- praying hands on the middle of his chest, "Uriel" on his upper left chest and "Amelia" on his upper right chest. He also has three dots on his left hand in the webbing between his thumb and index finger, a common gang tattoo.
The man was in a Chevy Tahoe that had been reported stolen from Toppenish and sped away after a Franklin County sheriff's deputy tried to stop him for speeding, Blasdel said.
The crash occurred at 11:40 p.m. Saturday on Hendricks Road near Highway 17, north of Mesa.
Officials estimate the driver was going more than 100 mph when he lost control of the SUV, causing it to go off the road and roll. He was thrown from the Tahoe and killed instantly, Blasdel said.
Authorities say it appears the man had stopped at the McDonald's in Othello at 8 p.m. Saturday, but not much else is known about him. Alcohol is suspected of being involved, Blasdel said.
Anyone with information about a missing person meeting the description should call the Franklin County Coroner's Office at 546-5885 or 727-3766.
Pasco stabbing suspect still sought by police
PASCO -- An accomplice of a Kennewick man sought in connection with last week's stabbing in Pasco has been arrested but the primary suspect still is on the loose, authorities said.
Pasco police are looking for Eric D. Redmond, 21, and say he's suspected of repeatedly stabbing Henry Henning, 22, of Pasco, during a reported argument over a mutual friend, Capt. Jim Raymond said.
On Friday, Jonathan Desmond Hall, 24, of Pasco, was arrested and booked into the Franklin County jail.
Hall is suspected of driving Redmond away from the Stonegate Apartments on Wednesday night but not of being involved in the actual assault, Raymond said.
Redmond is 5-foot-10, 178 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of lips and a skull on his lower right neckline.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the nearest police agency or Pasco Police at 545-3484.
* Paula Horton: 509-582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com
