Three Arrested After Returning To Trespassed Homeless Camp In Moses Lake

Three people have been arrested after police say they returned to the site of a previous homeless encampment near Moses Lake after being trespassed from the property last month.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says officers responded to the site in the 1200 block of North Frontage Road East after receiving reports that several people were attempting to shelter there once again.

"While deputies were on another call it was brought to their attention by a citizen that there were some people back trespassing on the property," says Sheriff's Office spokesperson, Kyle Foreman. "We do have deputies patrolling the area as much as they can in between answering calls for service, so deputies continue patrolling the area to see if anyone's back there again but we hadn't had an opportunity to patrol it in the recent days and it was brought to our attention."

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Over 50 people living at the site, mostly in RVs and trailer homes, were served eviction notices on May 7 and informed they would face criminal charges if they returned to the location.

Foreman says the site, which was formerly known as the Hiawatha Homeless Camp, has still been occasionally occupied in the month since it was cleared by law enforcement and the property's owners - the Colville Confederated Tribes.

"We've received reports from other people living in the area that they have been seeing people still trespassing in the area, but these were the first we've been able to make contact with."

Deputies arrested 52-year-old Raymond Lazier, 54-year-old Joseph R. Jenkins, and 56-year-old Michelle L. Jenkins last Friday (June 6) and booked them into the Grant County Jail for investigation of second-degree criminal trespassing, which is a misdemeanor under Washington State law.

According to jail records, all three have since posted bail and been released.
Foreman says the trio will likely face fines and possibly additional jail time for their alleged crimes.