Police arrest suspect in Spaulding Street tire slashing spree

Pullman Police have arrested the Spaulding Street tire slashing suspect after weeks-long investigation.

Benjamin Rinehart, 45, was arrested by officers Tuesday morning when a witness allegedly caught him on video during another round of tire slashings in the area.

He was charged with second-degree malicious mischief during an initial appearance Wednesday in Whitman County Superior Court afternoon. Superior Court Judge Gary Libey said the felony crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

Multiple reports of tires being slashed have been made on Spaulding since December. Court documents show several rashes of tire slashings have affected at least a dozen vehicles and amounted to nearly $1,000 in damages.

A Spaulding resident had her tires punctured Monday night, and she set up a video surveillance system to monitor her vehicle. Court documents indicate the woman supposedly saw Rinehart puncture her car’s tires a second time early Tuesday morning.

The video was provided to officers, which shows a man bending down to make a “stabbing motion” at the rear tire of the vehicle, according to court documents. Police identified Rinehart, also a Spaulding Street resident, who matched the man’s clothes and physique portrayed in the video.

While being arrested, court documents said Rinehart agreed with police that he was the individual in the image. He denied slashing any tires, and said he was outside around that time to take out the garbage.

Libey noted in court Rinehart has no previous criminal history. He is being held on a $100,000 cash bail or $10,000 surety at the Whitman County Jail. He will appear in court to be arraigned Jan. 17.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.