Lance Hill resident arrested by SWAT team

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff reporter

Public concern stirred in Cheney Monday morning as a SWAT vehicle and several Spokane County Sheriff's vehicles rolled into town on First Street.

They drove out the other side of town and blocked access to Lance Hill Road, where they arrested 23-year-old Mitchell W. Blakely at his residence in the 14000 block of Lance Hill Road around 10 a.m. Monday.

According to Spokane County Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Reagan, Blakely was arrested after his father reported to Cheney Police that Blakely assaulted him with an ashtray and threatened him with a rifle the previous evening.

Blakely was considered a “caution suspect” because of previous contacts with law enforcement. Reagan said Blakely was a possible suicide risk. He also had no telephone, access to guns and had several dogs on his property, so the sheriff's SWAT team was called to make the arrest.

Reagan said Blakely was arrested without incident and evaluated by medics before being booked into jail on a second-degree assault charge. State Route 904 access to Lance Hill Road was blocked off for about an hour during the incident.

A search of the home after the arrest yielded two .22-calibur rifles, one outfitted with a homemade silencer.

Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].