Deputies encourage calls to 911 in suspicious situations

RICHLAND, Wash.-- In the latest viral social media post circulating throughout the Tri-Cities, a Richland man claims that someone trespassed on his property while his wife was home alone with the couple's children.

In the post, the author narrates a lengthy story about a man and woman, both described in the post as being black, who drove onto their property in the Cottonwood Springs area near Badger Road.

"The woman walked up the deck steps and rang the doorbell. Hung around for a few minutes. She then leaves the porch after a few minutes of standing then comes back and repeats it again. Rang again. Again, waits for someone to respond for a few minutes," the post reads.

The homeowner calls her husband at work to let him know what's going on, and law enforcement say the woman's first call should have been to 911.

"Get the cops rolling in that direction as soon as possible is the best course of action," said Sgt. Jason Gerry with the Benton County Sheriff's Office. "Then call your loved one or significant other second, after we get started. You don't have to stay on the phone with dispatch. Give them the pertinent information, answer their questions, and then call your loved one."

Sgt. Gerry said deputies did respond to the eventual call that the homeowners made to the non-emergency dispatch number. However, he emphasized that anyone who encounters a suspicious circumstance or feels threatened, should call 911 or the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333 right away.

"In this particular report, there's no crime involved," Sgt. Gerry told Newsradio 610 KONA. "But it's important to establish that pattern in case something does come up where this vehicle or these people are seen in any other area or with any other police agency. The quicker we can get there, we can develop other information, actually get the full plate on the vehicle, or speak to the people."

We asked the original poster for permission to use the photo of the suspect vehicle in our story, and they refused, but you can view the original post here as long as the post remains public.