New Sheriff’s Office dog helps Spokane police bust man with rifle

A new Spokane County Sheriff’s Office dog and his handler helped the Spokane Police Department catch a man who had just stolen a rifle from a home while the resident slept.

Police were called to a home in the 4700 block of North Normandie just after 4 a.m. Tuesday. The homeowner told police that he woke up and noticed several things misplaced in his bedroom and his rifle missing. He said he saw someone run out of his backyard, according to police.

Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Hilton and his new police dog, Bane, responded to help track down the suspect. They found him hiding under a barbecue cover in the backyard of a home about a block away from the home he reportedly broke into. He was lying on top of the rifle. The homeowner’s backpack, which was full of stolen items, was found nearby, police said.

Police arrested Zachary D. Smith, 37, and booked him into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, theft of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of second-degree theft.