Crime – The Daily Evergreen

Fraternity member died early Tuesday morning

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

November 12, 2019

The Pullman Police Department have launched an investigation into the death of an Alpha Tau Omega fraternity member. Police Chief Gary Jenkins identified the member as 19-year old freshman Samuel Martinez, according to the latest press release. According to the Pullman PD press release, officers...

Man arrested after three car chases

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

October 24, 2019

A man was arrested on three felony charges Wednesday night after leading police on three different car chases earlier in the week. Robert Brown, 49, was arrested on charges of eluding an officer, aggravated assault and possession of a stolen vehicle. Moscow Police Department Services Captain Will...

Prosecutor decides not to retry sexual misconduct case

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

October 21, 2019

By the victim’s request, the Whitman County Prosecutor will not be retrying former Pullman Police Sgt. Jerry Daniel Hargraves for first-degree custodial sexual misconduct. Hargraves’ trial ended Sept. 19, 2019 in a mistrial. Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy said the jury was unable to...

Pullman man jumps from moving vehicle

MADYSEN MCLAIN, Evergreen reporter

October 20, 2019

A Pullman man jumped out of a moving car and suffered a serious head injury on Wednesday around 6 p.m. on North Grand Avenue, said Pullman Police Cmdr. Jake Opgenorth. The car was traveling northbound at 35 mph when the man, 24, jumped from the vehicle, he said. The 26-year-old female driver and...

Kyle Gaumnitz sentenced to 28 months, three years supervision

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

October 10, 2019

Former WSU student Kyle Gaumnitz was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Oct. 4 that will be followed by three years of supervision after pleading guilty on Sept. 5 to extortion in the second degree with sexual motivation. Whitman County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau said Gaumnitz’s initial ...

Stubblefields alleged arson harmless, managers say

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

October 8, 2019

The arson that occurred early Friday morning at Stubblefields Bar and Grill was not significant enough to cause damage or evacuate the building, according to the managers. DJ Goldfinger, Stubblefields Bar and Grill general manager, said an employee who had just finished his shift noticed smoke coming...

Former WSU athlete appears in court

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

September 5, 2019

A former WSU football player appeared in court Aug. 30 after a warrant for his arrest was issued Aug. 6. Christian Haangana, 21, was arrested in April and formally charged with malicious mischief in the third degree, which is a gross misdemeanor. According to an order quashing bench warrant from the Whitman County District Court, Haangana w...

Pullman police use drones to monitor crime

KHADIJAH BUTLER, Evergreen reporter

September 4, 2019

The Pullman Police Department has adopted a new technology system to help fight crime. Police Chief Gary Jenkins said the initiative began three years ago and by the summer of 2017, the department had a budget of $10,000, which they used to purchase four new drones. Pullman police will use DJI ...

Police see dramatic rise in calls as students come back

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

August 28, 2019

The number of police calls has more than doubled since the summer with the start of the new semester. Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said the total number of calls during a weekend in the summer averaged between 60 to 70. The number of calls increased to 125 during Aug. 16 to 18. During the weekend...

Black residents nearly five times as likely to be arrested by WSU PD

MAGGIE QUINLAN, Evergreen reporter

August 25, 2019

In the last year, 12.5 percent of people the WSU Police Department arrested were black, while 2.7 percent of Pullman’s population is black. These calculations were based on arrest records from May 2018 to May 2019 and U.S. Census Bureau population estimates from July 2018. Roughly 2.5 percent of black residents were arrested by WSU PD, while 0.6 percent of white residents ...

Warrant issued for former WSU football player

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

August 25, 2019

The Pullman Police Department arrested former WSU football player Christian Haangana in April on vandalism charges along with two other WSU athletes: football player Fa’avae Fa’avae and soccer player Kapuamakamaemalamaonalani “Makamae” Gomera-Stevens. According to a police report filed by resp...

Local man arrested after 13-hour police stalemate

JAYCE CARRAL, Evergreen reporter

August 22, 2019

A Pullman resident was arrested for harassment after a 13-hour stalemate with the police. According to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Listing website, 36-year old Brian Edwards is currently being held without bail in Whitman County Jail for making threats of violence. Pullman Police...