Victims targeted at Antoine Peak trailheads
OTIS ORCHARDS – Yuriy V. Siriy, 34, was arrested on Sept. 24 in connection with several vehicle prowlings at Antoine Peak trailheads, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
The first incident occurred on Sept. 15, when Kathryn Whitt parked her vehicle at the Antoine Peak trailhead on East Wellesley Avenue around 9:15 am. She told Spokane County deputies that she had hidden her purse, which contained her wallet, credit cards, and identification, under the seat before beginning her hike.
While hiking, she received text alerts from her bank about suspected fraudulent charges. Upon returning to her vehicle, she found her window shattered and her purse stolen.
A similar incident occurred on Sept. 19 at the Antoine Peak trailhead on East Lincoln Road. The victim, Julie Gardner, parked her car at 9:45 a.m., and noticed a suspicious man loitering around the parking lot. She locked her wallet in the glove box and hid her purse under the seat before heading out for a walk with her dog. She also took a photo of the man.
During her walk, the woman noticed the man following her on the trail but he eventually turned away. About 40 minutes later, she received a text alert about an unauthorized credit card charge. When she returned to her car, her wallet had been stolen, and the suspicious man was gone.
Spokane County Sheriff’s Investigative Unit (SCIU) detectives took over the investigation and worked with Lowe’s loss prevention employees, where the stolen credit cards were used, to identify the suspect as Siriy, a repeat offender and convicted felon.
On Sept. 24, detectives arrested Siriy and booked him into Spokane County Jail on charges including second-degree identity theft, second-degree possession of stolen property, second-degree theft, and vehicle prowling. According to court documents, he made over $750 worth of purchases during four separate transactions.
The following day, Sept. 25, he appeared in the Spokane County Superior Court, where Commissioner E. Cruz set Siriy’s total case bond at $5,000. As of Oct. 2, he remains in custody.
According to Spokane County Jail records and court documents, additional charges have been made since his initial arrest. The new charges include another ten charges of second-degree identity theft and second-degree theft, for making ten illegal purchases totaling $1,5000, and another two charges of second degree possession of stolen property. His bond was raised by another $5,000, bringing his total bond to $10,000.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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