Suspect Tosses Suspected Methamphetamine and Uses Several Excuses, Including Denying Ownership of the Pants She was Wearing

A Spokane Valley Deputy stopped to check on a suspicious vehicle parked on property known for trespassing.  The owner had previously requested that Deputies remove people observed on the property.  The suspect threw a baggie containing suspected methamphetamine onto the ground as she walked toward the Deputy’s patrol car.  

On November 10, 2024, at approximately 9:05 am, a Spokane Valley Deputy, responding to an unrelated call for service, observed a red Ford Focus parked on private property at E. Mansfield Avenue and N. Robie Street.  Knowing from past calls for service that the property owner had requested anyone observed on the property be contacted and removed, he planned to return.    

Almost at the initial call location, the Deputy was advised that he could cancel.  He turned around and returned to E. Mansfield Avenue and N. Robie Street to check on the Ford Focus.  

As he drove up, he observed a female, later identified as 48-year-old Martha A. White, digging around the passenger’s side of the car.  He contacted White and informed her she was prohibited from being on the property.  She said she was unaware, was from out of town, and had arrived with a male she identified as her fiancée.  She pointed to a male walking back toward the Ford and Deputy.  

While talking with White, the Deputy observed a glass pipe, commonly used to smoke illegal drugs/substances, in the pocket of the passenger door.  When he told White of his observation, she dropped her head and began to cry.  White was informed she was being detained for additional investigation and told to walk to the front of the Deputy’s patrol car.   As she did, with her back to the Deputy, he observed White toss a clear plastic baggie on the ground.

When the Deputy asked her about it, White said she didn’t know what he was talking about, even claiming that the pants she was wearing did not belong to her.  

The Deputy retrieved the baggie and noted it contained a white crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine.    

The male, who was also detained, explained that he and White had just arrived in Spokane, and he did not know they were on private property.  He had only known White for 3 or 4 days, stating she asked for a ride when he told her he was heading to Spokane to visit family.  

After being advised of her rights, White agreed to answer questions.  She explained she found the baggie containing suspected meth and didn’t want a child to touch it, so she picked it up to dispose of it.  She tossed it because she didn’t want to have it in her hand, and despite initially denying using meth in the last few months, she now admitted to using it a few days ago.   

White was transported to the Spokane County Jail for Possession of a Controlled Substance, a misdemeanor.  At the jail, White became uncooperative, pulled away from Detention Services staff, and had to be removed from the Deputy’s patrol car by them.  She remains in custody at the jail with her bond set at $1,000.  

The male contacted was released at the scene without charges.  

This Spokane County Sheriff Office news article "Suspect Tosses Suspected Methamphetamine and Uses Several Excuses, Including Denying Ownership of" was originally found on https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=7