Sex offender home, ambush murder trial, pastor arrest. Top Tri-City crime news
April brought a wave of significant crime and court news across the Tri-Cities, from a mistrial in a high-profile ambush murder case to disturbing allegations of child exploitation.
Here’s a roundup of the month’s most-read stories.
Click the links to read each article.
• A former farm employee allegedly used his mother’s SUV to steal about 500 pounds of copper wire from a Franklin County farm. Story by Cameron Probert.
• A retired Kennewick couple spent nearly $600,000 to buy a house slated to become a transitional home for sexually violent predators, ending the controversial proposal. Story by Cameron Probert.
• A mistrial was declared in the ambush murder case of 18-year-old Jatzivy Sarabia after a single juror wasn’t convinced of the Spokane defendant’s guilt; prosecutors plan to retry the case. Story by Cameron Probert.
• A 24-year-old woman was sentenced to just 30 days in jail for grooming and raping a 13-year-old boy in Richland during the 2020 pandemic. Story by Cameron Probert.
• A 36-year-old Prosser man was charged with sexually assaulting a child about 100 times over seven years, and detectives believe there may be more victims. Story by Cameron Probert.
• The body of 27-year-old father Carlos Pimentel was found in the trunk of his car along a Pasco street after his family searched for him for more than a week. Story by Cameron Probert.
• A Tri-Cities construction company owner faces 10 additional federal charges in an alleged scheme to traffic boys from Honduras for sex and forced labor, bringing his total to 21 counts. Story by Annette Cary.
• A Kennewick paraeducator and pastor was arrested on suspicion of using AI to turn social media photos of a girl into sexually explicit content, with bail set at $250,000. Story by Cameron Probert.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by Cory Mccoy. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.