Owners of older-model Honda Accords may want to keep a closer eye on their wheels.
Kennewick police Sgt. Ken Lattin says car thieves appear to be targeting early-1990s Accords.
Five were stolen just this past week, and similar thefts have been reported by other Tri-City law enforcement agencies, he said.
The first theft was reported Dec. 17 at 505 S. Olympia St. Miriam Garcia told police she left home about 10:30 p.m. with her boyfriend, Jose Correa, and when they got back at 2:20 a.m., Correa's car was gone.
There was no broken glass found where the white 1991 Honda Accord had been parked, Lattin said.
The car was found just after midnight four days later by Benton County sheriff's deputies.
Then on Dec. 20, at 7:30 a.m., police took a report about a white 1992 Accord that was stolen from the parking lot at 3204 W. Fourth Ave., Lattin said.
There were no signs of forced entry. Sheriff's deputies found the car at 10:45 a.m. that day, he said.
The next day, a Columbia Center mall employee reported her maroon 1991 Honda Accord was stolen from the parking lot near Sears. Lauren Silver told officers she got to work at 11:15 a.m. and discovered her car gone at 5 p.m.
There's dent on the driver's side front fender and the clear coating is peeling from the hood, Lattin said. The Accord has a Washington license plate 947ZKL. It has not been found.
On Thursday, Kennewick police got reports about two stolen Hondas.
The first was stolen overnight at 801 N. Tweedt St. and is believed to have been taken sometime after 1 a.m., Lattin said.
The 1992 Honda Accord, with Washington license plate 845VVW, has a dent in the driver's door, duct tape around the driver's window and a cracked headlight.
The other car, a maroon 1991 Honda Accord was swiped sometime between 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m. from 1326 W. Seventh Place, Lattin said.
The burned car was found Thursday night by sheriff's deputies.
Vehicle thefts are on the rise in Kennewick this year, but are still lower than the five-year average, Lattin said. Officers investigated 132 auto thefts through November -- an 11 percent increase over the same period last year.
Anyone with information about the Honda thefts can call Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers at 586-8477. Calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential.
Franklin inmate found dead in cell Thursday
An inmate at the Franklin County jail was found dead in his cell during Thursday night.
Henry Montelongo Jr., 55, was found at 10:10 p.m. lying on the floor of his cell, said jail Capt. Rick Long.
Montelongo was in a cell by himself and there were no apparent signs of foul play, Long said.
Long told the Herald that Montelongo was seen every hour by corrections officers conducting their routine checks. The jail medical staff were in the facility at the time, but he could not be revived.
Franklin County sheriff's deputies are investigating the death.
An autopsy is scheduled for today to try to determine the cause of death, said Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel.
Montelongo had been in the jail since about 4 p.m. Wednesday after being arrested by Pasco police on suspicion of a domestic violence-related second-degree assault.
Montelongo made a preliminary appearance in Franklin County Superior Court on Thursday, where a judge found cause to hold him for up to 72 hours. His bail was set at $50,000.
According to court documents, Montelongo was arrested about 1 p.m. Wednesday after allegedly cutting his mother on the neck with a knife.
Pasco police responded to the Chapel Hill Boulevard apartment, where he lived with his mother and brother.
Officers found Consuelo Montelongo sitting in the living room and Henry Montelongo Jr. was on the couch bleeding from his forehead, documents said.
Montelongo Jr.'s brother said after Henry cut his mother, he pushed him away, causing Henry to hit the wall and cut his head, documents said.
Consuelo Montelongo said she was in the kitchen opening the refrigerator to get milk when her son just came behind her and cut her, documents said.
She said there was no argument before and everything was fine.
Doctors at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco said the cut was about a quarter-inch deep but she was lucky that it wasn't at a different angle, documents said.
Neighbors alert police to burglary in progress
Alert neighbors helped Pasco police catch a 44-year-old man who allegedly broke into an apartment in the same complex where he lives.
Stephen Robinson was found holding a sword after officers responded to the apartments in the 1500 block of North 16th Street at 10 p.m. Thursday, said Pasco police Capt. Jim Raymond.
Robinson was arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary after neighbors reportedly saw him kick in the apartment door. He's being held in the Franklin County jail on $75,000 bail.
A witness said he heard someone knocking on the door of an apartment above him and when he looked up he saw the man kick in the front door and go inside.
According to court documents, when officers got there they saw Robinson standing on the second floor in the doorway holding a sword.
Robinson was halfway down the stairs before he followed orders from officers to stop and drop the sword, documents said.
The residents, who were not home at the time, told officers they did not know Robinson and he did not have permission to be there, documents said. The sword did not belong to them, they said.
Man who escaped from custody being sought
Kennewick police and Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers are looking for a fugitive wanted for escape from community custody.
Martin Garza Jr., 44, is 6-foot-1, 230 pounds with black hair, brown eyes and numerous tattoos on his body.
Garza was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and released to a Kennewick residence, but hasn't been seen recently.
Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers pays a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that results in a felony arrest.
Anyone with information about Garza's whereabouts can call 586-8477 or visit www.tricitiescrimestoppers.org. Tips can also be sent by text message by writing "Text TIP 411" plus the message to CRIMES (274637).
All calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential.
