Father, son accused of stealing car

COEUR d’ALENE — A father and son are both in jail after police said they stole a car in Spokane.

Idaho State Police responded around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 to a report that a stolen vehicle had been located on U.S. 95, near milepost 424.

Police stopped the car, a Chrysler Sebring that was reported stolen on Nov. 6, according to court documents. The owner said he was inside a Spokane gas station when he heard squealing tires and saw a man drive away in his car.

Two occupants were in the car when police made the stop. The driver was identified as Johnathan G. Lawson, 21. The passenger was identified as his father, 57-year-old Robert G. Lawson.

When questioned, Johnathan Lawson allegedly told police he came upon the running car at a Spokane gas station and got into the driver’s seat, while his father got into the passenger seat.

Robert Lawson reportedly denied any involvement in the car theft, according to court documents.

A search of the car allegedly yielded drug paraphernalia, including a syringe loaded with a substance police said was heroin in the pocket of a jacket that belonged to Robert Lawson.

Both father and son were arrested at the scene and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, a felony. Robert Lawson was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Judge Mayli Walsh ordered that Johnathan Lawson be held on $30,000 bail and that Robert Lawson be held on $20,000 bail.