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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for Jan. 2010

SUNDAY, JAN. 31, 2010

Truckers and chili rarely a good combination 

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Police say a lumber truck crashed into a Massachusetts home after the driver was knocked unconscious when he choked on chili from Wendy's.Lowell police say Eric Gremm reported that he choked on the chili when the truck hit a bump, causing…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 29, 2010

This banner was hanging in the gym at Coeur d'Alene High School on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. Jerry Carlson, a prominent Coeur d'Alene insurance agent and school booster has been charged with possessing five grams of cocaine last week is part of a larger criminal conspiracy investigation involving at least a half a kilo of the drug. In addition to a state charge of possession of a controlled substance, Jerry S. Carlson faces three federal charges related to distribution of more than 500 grams of cocaine that took place over several months. KATHY PLONKA The Spokesman-Review (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Imprisoned contractor helped bust school booster

A former Bayview contractor now serving time in federal prison for selling marijuana helped federal drug agents bust a once-prominent Coeur d’Alene insurance agent and school booster weeks before he was sentenced last year. That insurance agent, Jerald S. “Jerry” Carlson, 47, pleaded guilty Thursday…

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Pierre West enters court in May 2009 to face charges of first-degree kidnapping, rape and assault for attacks on prostitutes that date to 2005.  (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

Verdict means life in prison for rapist 

A child rapist faces life in prison after a Spokane County jury convicted him Friday of three crimes involving sexual assaults against prostitutes. Pierre D. West, 49, clenched his jaw and shook his head as Superior Court Judge Michael Price said a jury had convicted…

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Mom cited for drunken driving

A Spokane Valley mother faces criminal charges after police say her toddler walked away from a drunken car crash as she tried to free her vehicle. Denice L. Goode, 42, was booked into Spokane Count Jail today on misdemeanor charges of drunken driving and reckless…

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'All the nudes that's fit to sprint'

A news release from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office calls it a clear case of “all the nudes that’s fit to sprint.” A 53-year-old Spokane Valley man was cited for indecent exposure Thursday after a police officer found him naked and fondling himself in front…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 28, 2010

 Claude  Irwin Jr., calling himself Koyote Karlos, labeled this photo of himself "Ayatolla" on his web site posted from the state of Chiapas in Mexico. (courtesy)

Disbarred lawyer captured in Mexico

He lived the high-life he’d become accustomed to in Spokane, escaping to southern Mexico and bragging about his exploits on a Web site that nearly led to his capture. But after evading authorities for more than a decade, disbarred Spokane lawyer and developer Claude Irwin,…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27, 2010


Police chief testifies in Olympia

From Jim Camden at Spin Control: OLYMPIA — Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick was among law enforcement brass who told said they should be allowed to fire an officer who lies without fear of being overruled by an arbitrator. Kirkpatrick joined sheriffs from King and…

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Woman accused of drive-by shooting 

A woman accused of driving two men from a shooting outside a McDonald's in August pleaded not guilty to two felonies this week. Nicole R. Dituri, 24, is charged with drive-by shooting and first-degree rendering criminal assistance after police say she drove Jason Giles and…

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Oxy addict who targeted elderly gets 7 years

A man who robbed elderly women in grocery store parking lots to support his OxyContin addiction will spend seven years in prison. Ryan Xavier Burgess, 22, was sentenced to 86 months in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree robbery, one count…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 26, 2010

Reorganization at SCSO

Scrambling to reorganize amid spending cuts, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office is moving Sgt. Dave Reagan into a supervisory role over the property crimes division, effective March 1.Reagan, the longtime public affairs officer and the wit behind many of the double entendres that find their…

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MONDAY, JAN. 25, 2010

Doctor on trial for overprescribing 

The second trial of a former Shoshone County doctor accused of overprescribing drugs is set to begin this week in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene. Christopher Arthur Christensen faces three counts of prescribing methadone, hydrocodone and/or alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, "outside the scope of…

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Raid had 'toothless' connection

A sheriff's raid last week that sought guns stolen from a firearms collector has a connection to the suspected toothless burglar. Kevin McMaster reportedly told sheriff's detectives that he'd stolen guns, tools, coin sets and stamps from Kerry Miller's Newport Highway home with Victor Hackett.…

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Police: Gun in homicide belonged to felon

A gang member involved in a fatal shooting five years ago is accused of possessing the gun that was used to kill a man outside a north Spokane party 10 days ago, newly filed documents alleged. ahdwEric Burton Jr.,Ö is charged with illegal weapons possession…

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Prisoner loses battle to play D&D

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man serving life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide lost his legal battle Monday to play Dungeons & Dragons behind bars.Kevin T. Singer filed a federal lawsuit against officials at Wisconsin’s Waupun prison, arguing that a policy banning all Dungeons…

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Accused robbers due in court today

A man and a woman arrested after homeowner reported fighting with one during a burglary early Sunday are due in Spokane County Superior Court today.Cody J. Wolk, 24, and Peta N. Schimanski, 24, are to appear in court via video feed from the Spokane County…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 22, 2010

Plea deals reveal drug ring details

Several Spokane businesses were fronts for a multimillion dollar marijuana distribution ring busted after a four-year investigation that involved a Massachusetts donut shop, tens of thousands of tapped phone calls and a car crash that revealed a $130,000 cash stash, new documents allege. The operation…

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2nd suspect named in hold up

A man police think was involved in a recent espresso stand robbery with a suspected toothless burglar has been identified as Jeremy L. Hubbard, 37. Hubbard is wanted for first-degree robbery. He was last seen driving a 1994 silver 4-door Ford Taurus with Washington license…

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Jury convicts 24-time felon in 24 minutes 

It took a Spokane jury as many minutes as the defendant has felonies to convict him this week of two more crimes. Sean M. Maney, 45, was taken to jail Thursday after Judge Tari Eitzen read guilty verdicts on residential burglary and attempted theft of…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 21, 2010

Accused killer backs out of deal

A man arrested in a fatal stabbing last year turned down a plea deal today that would have sent him to prison for two years on riot charges. Instead, Christopher Harper, 28, will go to trial on one count of second-degree murder for the March…

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Canadian pot smugglers: We're guilty

Two Canadian men who smuggled marijuana into Ferry County last fall pleaded guilty to three federal drug charges today. William Richard Paterson, 50, and Jahrum David Oakes, 32, both of Kelowna B.C, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 kilograms…

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Trial set for Elton on threat charges 

A man accused of threatening to kill City Council President Joe Shogan and the chairwoman of the company that owns The Spokesman-Review will go to trial in April, a judge ruled today. David H. Elton, who turns 44 on Friday, is charged with three counts…

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Toothless burglar's accomplice sought

Spokane police are looking for a second suspect in the recent robbery of a north Spokane espresso stand that's been tied to a suspected toothless burglar. Shawn Michael Westlie, 44, was arrested after a standoff Friday and charged with multiple counts of first-degree armed robbery…

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Big day in Boys' Ranch abuse trial

An unexpected witness may testify that former Morning Star Boys’ Ranch director Joseph Weitensteiner had him procure boys for sex and then gave him money to keep it quiet years later, according to a motion today in the first sex-abuse trial against the ranch. The…

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Uriah Brosnan is led from the courtroom following his sentence on Jan. 21, 2010. Brosnan will serve 18 years in prison for the murder of his estranged wife, Becky. (KHQ)

Wife killer in MySpace case gets 18 years

A Spokane man who killed his estranged wife, then impersonated her on MySpace to try duping family members into thinking she was still alive, will spend 18 years in prison, a judge ruled today. Uriah J. Brosnan, 34, (pictured above, courtesy KHQ) pleaded guilty to…

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