A convicted felon is back behind bars after authorities responded to a report of shots fired and located a stolen handgun and methamphetamine in his possession.
On Tuesday, February 27th, around 12:40 am, Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 5100 block of N. Morrill Street, east of Hillyard, for a report of shots fired. The caller stated two males were yelling at each other and a red truck and a black sedan were involved in the incident.
The first deputy to arrive on scene observed a white male who appeared to be upset. He identified himself as 30-year-old Miroslav Veselinovic as he waved his hands in the air and paced back and forth next to a black sedan in the parking lot of a closed business in the 4000 block of E. Francis.
After ordering Veselinovic to stop, the deputy placed detained Veselinovic and with his permission, removed his wallet and ID from his pants pocket. A plastic baggie containing a white crystalline substance fell out of his pocket and onto the ground. A field test of the substance showed a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine.
A check of Veselinovic name revealed he was a convicted felon and legal owner of the vehicle. Waiving his rights, Veselinovic stated he found the meth in his girlfriend’s purse and planned to get rid of it. As the interview continued, he became evasive and changed his story about why he was in the area and what he had been doing.
After being advised of his additional rights, Veselinovic gave Deputy Woolard consent to search his vehicle. She found a single spent .39 caliber casing on the driver’s seat and a silver and black Smith and Wesson .38 caliber pistol under it. Veselinovic then revoked his consent and the search was terminated.
A check of the handgun’s serial number showed it was reported as stolen in 2016. The pistol contained two spent casings and three unfired rounds.
The residents of the home where the shots were reported to have been fired were not cooperative and provided little information. No victims of a shooting were located in the area.
Veselinovic was transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.
Veselinovic remains in custody with a $20,000 bond for these charges and a $20,000 bond for an unrelated 2017 charge of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.
(story: Nichole Mischke, KHQ Right Now Reporter; image: KHQ.com)