Police surround home for arrest

SPIRIT LAKE - Pat Simmet was in his garage early Wednesday afternoon when all hell broke loose.

Multiple police vehicles passed by his Spirit Lake home and law enforcement with rifles stormed a home down the street.

"A bunch of guys jumped out of the vehicles and surrounded the house," he said.

Idaho State Police's Detective Division and Spirit Lake Police raided the home at 5752 New Hampshire St. and arrested Barbara J. Raley, 53, and Michael R. Gourley, 59, both of Spirit Lake, for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.

An investigation continues and more charges may be filed against Gourley and Raley. They were arrested and booked into the Kootenai County jail without incident.

Spirit Lake Police Chief Gene Marquez, who formerly worked for Idaho State Police, said Spirit Lake provided information on the suspects to ISP detectives, who served a search warrant at the home. Marquez said he couldn't provide specifics on the information.

"This has been on our radar for some time," he said.

Marquez said the arrests "are a direct result of two agencies working together to address a larger problem of illegal drugs."

Marquez, who recently took over as chief, said reducing drugs is one of his biggest priorities.

"The Spirit Lake Police Department is actively pursuing leads and conducting investigations to not only eliminate illicit drug problems in our community, but to also keep those drugs out of reach of our kids," he said. "This is why we have a partnership with our community to continue providing a safe and crime-free city."