Police Chief provides update to Ritzville City Council

Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick provided a department update for the previous month during the Ritzville City Council meeting on June 6.

The department assisted the Lincoln County Police Department in serving search warrants at a local residence on May 25, 27 and June 6, stated McCormick. He said they arrested four subjects in result of their search warrants.

They also arrested an individual who had who had been involved in the burglary of a local service station. The subject then informed officers of the location of a large amount of methamphetamine.

McCormick stated they turned the case over to the Adams County Sheriff’s Department due to the location being located outside of city limits. The department obtained a large amount of methamphetamine from the property, he explained.

On May 27, officers arrested a subject on two burglaries charges out of Lincoln County, he added.

The department also arrested an individual on May 27 on a felony warrant for the harassment and intimidating a public servant, said McCormick.

On May 26, at 9:15 p.m., McCormick said the department received a request for assistance at the East Adams Rural Hospital for a subject in custody who had escaped from the facility. An officer located the individual hiding under a porch on west Main Avenue after two and a half hours.

The department participated in a “Click-It or Ticket” extension on May 31 through June 2 due to the recent deaths in Adams and Grant County related to not wearing seatbelts.

During the seven-hour extension, McCormick said the officers issued eight seatbelt tickets, five speeding tickets and two no insurance tickets.

The Council approved a request from the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce to extend the annual community yard sale into the business districts.

The requests suggested all business districts including the freeway, First Avenue and the downtown area to allow additional space for vendors and participants to set up for the event.

President Karen Cady said the Chamber hopes to increase business participation and traffic to these businesses at the annual function. They will also ensure the area is A.D.A. accessible and is also in compliance with the City’s sidewalk ordinance, she added.

The Council unanimously approved the request.

Jim Lisk from the Boots and Brushes Western Artists Association provided the Council with an update on the Art in the Park event, which took place over the Memorial Day weekend.

He said the event proved to be successful and it attracted local visitors as well as some from the freeway.

The Association requested the use of the Ritzville City Park for the 2018 Art in the Park. For next year’s event, they requested half of Columbia Street be closed to the public to provide space for food vendors.

They also requested to extend their allotted area by 50 feet to allow additional space for vendors along with access to the gazebo.

Lisk also requested access to the cook shack near the park to host the artist’s reception the Friday of the 2018 Memorial Day weekend.

The council approved the association’s request.

Mayor Gary Cook provided an update on the progress of Wells 8 and 9. He said the parts for Well 8 arrived on June 12 and they anticipate the well being operational by June 16.

Repairs for Well 9 will begin the on June 19 and they expect the well to be operating by June 23, he explained.

Cook then announced the first council meeting in July is scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, due to the holiday.