SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A Spokane Valley man has been arrested four times in the past two weeks, with his most recent arrest involving an excavator driven across a homeowner’s lawn.
According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Valley police responded to a call around 9 p.m. Saturday regarding a man, later identified as Michael McCoy, 39, reportedly driving an excavator over someone’s lawn. Deputies said McCoy was last seen driving the excavator on Interstate 90 near North Argonne Road, where officers detained him.
McCoy claimed the excavator belonged to his grandfather, but deputies determined it had been stolen from a home near North University Road. The owner had not yet discovered or reported the theft.
The excavator owner told deputies it had been parked inside a garage. McCoy allegedly caused about $700 in damage to the building during the theft. The owner confirmed McCoy did not have permission to take the Bobcat or enter the garage.
Deputies said that they arrested McCoy and booked him into the Spokane County Jail on charges of second-degree burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, and third-degree malicious mischief.
McCoy had previously been arrested on Dec. 30 for motor vehicle theft, on Jan. 1 for trespassing and obstructing law enforcement, and on Jan. 4 for allegedly siphoning gas, which damaged a vehicle. He was released on his own recognizance after each arrest.
