SPOKANE – On July 14, 2025, Spokane County and Spokane Valley Deputies contacted the suspect, later identified as 46-year-old John R. Cravens, during a traffic stop. Cravens lied about his identity, and although the Deputies were cynical about the information he provided, they could not establish probable cause to charge him with several crimes he was suspected of committing. He was eventually released with a criminal citation for Possession of a Controlled Substance, issued under the false name he initially provided.
Deputies continued to dig into Cravens’ story. They later learned his correct identity and discovered that he was a several-time convicted felon with several felony and misdemeanor arrests for property crimes/theft charges in Washington and Idaho. They also developed probable cause to arrest him on new charges, including Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Identity Theft 2nd Degree, Operating a Motor Vehicle without an Interlock Device, and Driving while Suspended 3rd Degree.
On July 15, 2025, Deputies, armed with this new information, began searching for Cravens. At approximately 11:20 am, they observed Cravens riding a bicycle on N. Argonne Road near I-90. They stopped their fully marked patrol car, activated their emergency lights, and instructed Cravens to approach them. Unfortunately, he chose to recklessly flee on the bicycle, despite heavy traffic, in an apparent attempt to evade them. He eventually crashed and was taken into custody…