Suspects sought in thefts at 4 Kennewick churches

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

KENNEWICK — Kennewick police are investigating a string of overnight break-ins at four churches.

The burglaries occurred at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1609 W. 10th Ave., Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1409 S. Garfield St., Kennewick Seventh-day Adventist Church, 7105 W. 10th Ave., and First Christian Church, 1921 S. Olympia St., police said.

No suspects have been identified, but investigators believe the same thieves were responsible for all four burglaries based on the items stolen and the way the thieves got inside the churches, said Sgt. Ken Lattin.

Laptop computers and cash were taken from all four churches.

The break-ins happened late Sunday or early Monday and were reported when employees arrived at the churches Monday.

Anyone with information about the burglaries can call Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers at 586-8477.

Crime Stoppers pays a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that results in a felony arrest. All calls are confidential.

Richland man jailed after alleged assaut

An 18-year-old Richland man who allegedly assaulted his 17-year-old girlfriend was jailed after he went after his girlfriend's brother with a metal pipe, police said.

Fredrick J. Anderson and a 17-year-old Richland boy were arrested late Sunday by Richland police, said Capt. Mike Cobb.

The incident apparently started earlier in the day when Anderson agreed to meet his girlfriend's brothers in a park, Cobb said.

The girl reportedly did not want to call police and report being assaulted by Anderson, so her two older brothers decided to try to exact some revenge, Cobb said.

When Anderson arrived at the park, his girlfriend's 29-year-old brother started fighting him. Once the fight broke up, everyone left the park, he said.

A short time later, Anderson and his friend showed up in the 1400 block of Potter, where they confronted the girlfriend's other brother, a 19-year-old, Cobb said.

The brother tried to run away, but Anderson and his friend caught him and started hitting him with a tree limb and a metal pipe, Cobb said.

The victim suffered injuries to his ribs, hands and lower back and was able to get away by jumping into a passing car.

Officers contacted the girlfriend, but she did not cooperate with investigators and officers have forwarded a report to the prosecutor's office for review of possible obstructing charges, Cobb said.

The older brother was not found, but there is not currently enough evidence to support criminal charges, he said.

Anderson was arrested at his home and booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of second-degree assault.

His teen accomplice was arrested on a felony assault warrant and now has new assault charges pending. He was taken to the juvenile detention center.

2 toddlers hurt in crash on Highway 397

Two Pasco 1-year-olds were injured Tuesday in a crash on Highway 397 in Pasco when a car turned in front of the SUV they were riding, the Washington State Patrol said.

One infant, Denali Madrid, was not buckled in a child-safety seat, troopers said. She was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, but her condition was not immediately available.

The other girl, Destiny Hernandez, was treated at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco, along with the SUV's driver, Vanessa Garcia, 28, of Pasco.

Garcia was northbound on Highway 397 in a 1993 Chevrolet Suburban when a southbound 1998 Mercedes Benz turned left in front of her, troopers said.

The two vehicles collided head-on, troopers said.

The driver of the Mercedes, Angel Almaguer, 25, of Portland, was not injured in the 11 a.m. crash. Troopers said Almaguer could be cited with negligent driving.

Man arrested in death of teen girl last year

A 22-year-old man was arrested in the Yakima Valley on Tuesday in connection with the death of 14-year-old Sunnyside girl more than a year ago, authorities said.

Francisca Hernandez-Ramirez was last seen alive on Oct. 20, 2008, leaving a party in Outlook and was initially reported as a runaway.

Her body was found in the Yakima River near Prosser on Feb. 6. She was stabbed in the neck and bled to death and officials suspected she had been dumped in the river around the time she went missing.

The Yakima County Sheriff's Office has been investigating the homicide and identified a suspect earlier this year but did not release his name.

Detectives believed the suspect was not in the state, but late last week detectives with the Violent Crime Task Forced developed information that indicated the suspect had returned to the Yakima Valley, authorities said.

The name of the man who was arrested was not disclosed by authorities.

-- Paula Horton: 582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com

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Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

Suspects sought in thefts at 4 Kennewick churches

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer