Stolen car charge dropped

A charge of possession of stolen property filed against Jacob D. Merrick was ordered dismissed Dec. 11 in Whitman County Superior Court. Merrick was arrested by Pullman Police at the Theta Chi fraternity where he had been visiting. He was not a member of the fraternity.

The Pullman arrest came after police in Moses Lake advised Pullman officers Nov. 19 to be on the lookout for Merrick who was suspected of taking his grandparents’ 1995 Acura Integra and driving to Pullman.

The motion for dismissal from the prosecutor’s office noted Merrick’s grandfather, after getting him out of jail Dec. 2, took him to Sandy, Utah, and entered him in a substance abuse treatment program which is expected to last about 30 days. The grandfather did not want his grandson prosecuted for taking the vehicle, the motion for dismissal stated.