Man accused of threatening animal protection who tried to return his dog

A Spokane man has been jailed for threatening a Spokane County Animal Protection Services officer, allegedly telling her that “all [SCRAPS] does is steal dogs and people’s money.” Gabriel L. Bighouse was arrested Wednesday after a conversation with a SCRAPS officer who was trying to make arrangements to return his dog. When she asked if she could come discuss his dog’s return, she said Bighouse responded, “No, I’m at work today, I have a real [expletive] job.” He then allegedly said he would break into the SCRAPS office after they were closed to retrieve his dog, if needed, and used several expletives to refer to the officer. The SCRAPS officer reported that she has “been threatened by many people during the course of her job and thought nothing of it,” but said Bighouse’s threats made her afraid for her safety and the safety of other employees. Bighouse is being held in jail on investigation of intimidating a public servant. Bond was set Thursday at $10,000.