The Cline Gang

The Cline family, who lived in Montana, Idaho and Spokane raised their children to steal and the family was responsible for dozens, if not hundreds of thefts from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Section:Gallery

Sun., Sept. 15, 2019

The Lee and Leone Cline family is seen in a snapshot circa 1935. From the time the children were young, the parents taught them to steal and shoplift. Eventually the "Cline gang" became the scourge of the region in the 1940s and 1950s.
Jay and Phyllis Cline are seen in a family photo courtesy of Lila Peterson, their niece. The photo is from 2017, the year Jay passed away. In his younger days, Jay was a notorious thief, stealing whatever he could find under cover of darkness and leading his brothers and friends as 'the Cline gang.'

Photo Peterson The Spokesman-Review
Phyllis Cline, 89, who lives in a Spokane Valley retirement center, is sharing her story of being married to Jay Cline, a mechanic and family man who also committed many small crimes throughout his life, mostly thefts, with various family members. The Clines became notorious local criminals and police searched their properties multiple times over the years. Jay, now passed away, came from a family which appeared normal from the outside, but where his parents were involved in many small crimes. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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This clipping from a 1955 newspaper shows Jay Cline, left, his mother Leone and father Lee R. Cline Sr. in custody for a string of thefts that was regional news for the sheer number crimes cleared by the arrest of multiple Cline family members.
Bob and Jessie Peterson, with baby Lila, are seen in a family snapshot circa 1960. Lila Peterson's research led her to believe that her parents were responsible for the death of Alvin "Bud" Matlock and that her mother likely shot her stepfather, Don Folkman.
Phyllis Cline, who lives at an assisted living center in Spokane Valley, is the widow of Jay Cline, a notorious thief for most of his life. Photographed Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. She professes to be innocent of the many crimes of her husband. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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Leone Cline is seen with granddaughter Lila Peterson in 1959.
Lee and Leone Peterson are seen in a family snapshot with granddaughter Lila in 1959.