Firearm, Vehicle, and Wallet Stolen During a Burglary of an Occupied Home
Spokane Valley Deputies located and arrested two suspects who entered a victim’s home, and stole his wallet, car keys, and a loaded pistol from the bedroom where he was asleep. They also stole his vehicle and used his credit card to purchase snacks and cigarettes from a gas station, which ultimately led Deputies to their location.
On June 2, 2019, at approximately 5:40 a.m., Spokane Valley Deputy Jeff Conway responded to a citizen reporting his home and garage were burglarized during the night.
When Deputy Conway arrived at the residence located in the 10600 block of E. Baldwin, the victim said he made sure the front door was locked and went to bed around midnight. When he woke up in the morning, he found the front door and the door leading into the garage wide open. The victim also noticed his 2015 Jeep Cherokee, which was parked in the garage, was also missing. He walked into the living room and discovered a pair of shorts on the floor. He explained the shorts were in his bedroom when he went to sleep. He found his wallet and car keys, that he left in the shorts, were gone. He went to his bedroom and learned a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol and one magazine inside a fanny pack had been stolen from the nightstand next to his bed.
The victim notified his bank and canceled the bank cards he had in his wallet. A short while later, the bank advised him his Visa card had been used at a Maverick gas station located on Montgomery.
Deputy Conway responded to the Maverick and contacted the clerk who called the manager. A short time later, the store manager arrived at the store, and she provided Deputy Conway with the information regarding the credit card transaction and allowed him to review the store surveillance video. The video showed a male and female arrive in a red Honda Accord which was registered to 35-year-old Casey R. Gillette and the pair using the victim’s stolen credit card. After some additional investigation, he tentatively identified the female as Gillette’s girlfriend 33-year-old Melissa A. Buchheit.
Deputies began searching the area for the victim’s stolen Jeep or Gillette’s Honda. Deputy Conway located the Honda parked in the south parking lot of Motel 6. Additional Deputies took up position around the motel as they attempted to determine which room Gillette and Buchheit were in. Deputy Eaton soon noticed Gillette and Buchheit walking outside the motel with a group of four other individuals. While other Deputies converged on the group, Deputy Eaton gave commands for them to show their hands and to get on the ground, not knowing who, if any, was still in possession of the stolen firearm. All of them complied except for Gillette. He reached in his pockets several times and suddenly turned, pulling the backpack from his back and threw it toward the roof of the motel. The backpack crashed into a second story window, shattering the glass, before falling to the ground. With Gillette’s continued erratic behavior and his choice not to follow commands, Deputy Jones deployed his Taser, which was effective.
All five people were detained without further incident. Two of them were released at the scene without being charged.
One of the individuals, 25-year-old Cory J. Huska, was found to have an active warrant for his arrest. He was transported and booked into the Spoke County Jail.
Gillette and Buchheit were both transported to the Spokane County Jail and booked.
Gillette was charged with Burglary 1st Degree, Theft of a Firearm from a Building, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle.
Buchheit was charged with Burglary 1st Degree and Theft of a Motor Vehicle
The stolen Cherokee was recovered a short distance away from the motel.
Detectives were called to the scene to continue this investigation, obtain search warrants, and record/process evidence. This continues to be an active investigation, and additional charges are expected.
After their first court appearance:
Gillette remains in custody with his bond set at $15,000.00.
Buchheit was released on her own recognizance.
Huska remains in custody with a set bond of $4,500.00 for nine charges of Violation of a Domestic Violence Order.