Felons already in jail accused in home-invasion robbery in Spokane Valley
Two men already in jail are now accused of breaking into a Spokane Valley home last year, waking an resident at gunpoint and demanding money.
Jessie R. Adams Jr., 51, a seven-time convicted felon, and Jason J. Knight, 41, an 18-time convicted felon, were in custody at the Spokane County Jail for unrelated charges when they were charged Thursday with the home invasion robbery.
Spokane County deputies were called to the 700 block of South Arties at 3:30 a.m. Feb. 23, 2017. Investigators believe Adams and Knight, armed with guns, broke into the home and demanded money, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office release.
The resident told deputies he was asleep when the suspects, wearing black jackets and bandanas covering their faces, woke him up demanding money and guns.
The victim told detectives he struggled with one suspect and gained control of a shotgun, which he then pointed at one suspect and as he pulled the trigger, the suspect hit the barrel upward causing the shot to hit the ceiling, according to the release.
The victim was struck in the head with the end of the shotgun and ran from the residence to call 911, while his roommate barricaded himself in the bedroom.
Deputies arrived and while clearing the residence, they observed drug paraphernalia and found a Ziploc bag with methamphetamine wrapped in a shirt and hidden under a piece of equipment the backyard, but were unable to locate the suspects. The residents denied ownership of the drugs.
Spokane Valley Major Crimes detectives responded to the scene, continued the investigation and found the partially deaf roommate was the intended target of the robbery for drugs and money. They located a dry erase board left by the suspects in the victim’s room with a written message demanding money, along with a roll of duct tape.
The items were submitted to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for fingerprint and DNA processing led to the charges against Knight and Adams, the sheriff’s office said.