Chase ends when stolen car hits barn; driver sought in nearby break-ins

Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a man they believe abandoned a stolen car near Marshall, Wash., then attempted to burglarize nearby homes before fleeing.

According to a sheriff’s report, a deputy spotted two men in a 1995 Pontiac Sunbird with no license plates about 4:15 a.m. Monday, near Cheney-Spokane and Gardner roads. The chase began when the deputy tried to stop the car, and ended when the Sunbird crashed into a barn, sheriff spokesperson Cpl. Dave Reagan said.

The driver, who deputies believe was Cephas W. Parham of Spokane, escaped. Officers later released the passenger, who was not named in the report, but criminal charges against him are still possible, Reagan said.

Reagan said the car – along with computer equipment and several guns – was reported stolen Saturday night from a home in Fairfield.

About 30 minutes after halting the search for the driver, deputies received a report of a burglary alarm sounding at a home in the 13100 block of Cheney-Spokane Road, almost exactly where a police dog had lost the driver’s track, Reagan said. They began checking other nearby homes and found a break-in at a home in the 13900 block of Cheney-Spokane Road, Reagan said.

Parham, whose last known address was 2324 W. Mallon, has an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest charging him with first-degree theft.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.