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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for Sept. 2010

THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2010

Deputy nominated for life-saving award

A Spokane County sheriff's deputy has been nominated for a Red Cross award for saving a man who drove into a South Hill swimming pool last winter. Deputy Brandon Armstrong rescued a 76-year-old man from a sinking car after the motorist drove off Glenrose Road…

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Angela Gilbert struggles to hold back tears as she stands outside a Hillyard apartment building holding a photo of her sister, Rebecca McCollough and her children, Wednesday Sept. 29, 2010. Police say McCollough's 1-year-old son Santiago was beaten to death by her boyfriend Tuesday night. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)

Accused child killer mad over lack of pot

A 22-year-old Spokane man already under investigation for abusing a baby girl was arrested late Tuesday after his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son was found beaten to death in their Hillyard apartment. James R. “J.R.” Cooley, 22, (left) told detectives he squeezed and shook little Santiago McCreight…

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Harvey guilty of 2 murders over car trade

A Spokane man faces a minimum of 45 years in prison after a jury convicted him Wednesday of two counts of murder that followed a dispute over a car swap. The jury convicted 28-year-old Merle W. Harvey of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting…

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Tips sought on purse theft at Spokane spa

Spokane County sheriff's detectives are asking for help identification a woman who stole a spa employee's purse last month. The victim was working at Planet Beach Contempo Spa at 12908 N. Highway 395 Aug. 29th when a woman snatched her purse from behind the counter.…

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No charges in fatal Rathdrum stabbing

No charges will be filed against a Rathdrum man in the Sept. 24 stabbing death of his daughter’s boyfriend, Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh announced today. Based on the investigation by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, 47-year-old Scott A. Johnson was acting in self-defense…

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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 29, 2010

Check fraud costs Valley stores $25,000

More than 50 counterfeit checks wort>h at least $25,000 have been passed at three Spokane Valley businesses, and Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to arrests. The culprits used a business banking account number to create, forge and p ass more…

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Gang murder suspect jailed in Spokane

A gang member arrested near Compton for the January shooting death of a rival is back in Spokane. Edward L. "TD" Thomas, 25, will remain incarcerated on a probation hold and $600,000 bond after appearing in Superior Court today via video from the Spokane County…

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Police: CdA man broke young boy's leg 

A Coeur d'Alene man is accused of breaking the leg of his fiance's child over the weekend. Michael R. Edinger, 27, is jailed on two counts of cruelty to children after he and his fiance, Rebecca L. Mullin, took Mullin's 2-year-old son to Kootenai Medical…

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Deliberations begin in double-murder trial

A jury of six men and six women began deliberating this morning whether a Spokane man murdered two men last September or was defending himself when he gunned them down. Merle W. Harvey, 28, faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings…

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Attorney Wesley Hoyt with Cyndi Steele (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Cyndi Steele: Let me talk to Edgar 

The alleged victim in a murder for hire plot is trying to get rid of the no contact order between herself and the suspect, who is also her husband. Through her lawyer, Wesley Hoyt, Cyndi Steele filed a motion Monday to vacate the no contact…

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WSP chief denies accidental shooting rumors 

The chief of Washington State Patrol said Tuesday he has no reason to believe last week’s shooting of an unarmed pregnant woman in Spokane was accidental. “I don’t have anything to lead me to believe that,” Chief John Batiste said Tuesday during an interview with…

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 28, 2010

Spokane police investigating baby's death 

Spokane police are investigating the death of a baby boy and say his mother's boyfriend is the only suspect. The 1-year-old boy was not breathing when officers arrived at an East Everett Avenue home in Hillyard just before 5 p.m., according to a news release…

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Report: Rape suspect posed as cop

A man accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in a Spokane park early Saturday claimed to be a police officer, then told her he would take her to jail for illegally possessing alcohol if she didn’t have sex with him, police said Monday. According to…

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Man jailed for drunk chat w/ off-duty cop

A home-invasion robbery suspect set to go to trial next month is back in jail after the Spokane police detective who investigated the case said the man drunkenly approached him at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. Nathaniel Jay Dishneau, 30, was prohibited from leaving Spokane County…

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2 sex offenders register in Spokane Co.

Two sex offenders considered likely to reoffend have registered in Spokane County. Jesus Lopez, 35, (right) is living in the 12000 block of E. Marietta in Spokane Valley. He was released from prison in 2005 after being convicted of first-degree rape in Grant County in…

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Purse-snatching suspect turns self in

A man who robbed a 71-year-old woman of her purse in a South Hill grocery store parking lot last week turned himself into police today, according to Crime Stoppers. Justin R. Meyer, 21, (right, allegedly) was booked into jail on one count of second-degree robbery…

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Stories change in deputy shooting probe

Deputies who initially said an armed assault suspect fired on them before they shot back, wounding him last week, now say they’re unsure if the man shot at them at all. The newly disclosed doubts over who fired first in the Sept. 16 showdown are…

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Reagan: No update on shot pregnant lady

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office, which is leading the investigation into last week’s shooting of an unarmed pregnant woman by a Washington State Patrol sergeant, said Monday it had no idea whether the woman was still in the hospital, whether her condition was improving or…

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MONDAY, SEPT. 27, 2010

Cemetery owners' dispute leads to gunfire

A domestic dispute between two cemetery owners erupted in gunfire Sunday in Moses Lake, the Grant County Sheriff's Office announced today. Mark L. Benson, 55, is charged with attempted first-degree murder after his wife, Susan L. Benson, said he fired several rounds, striking her left…

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Under 3-strikes law, robbers' fates differ

A Spokane man whose accomplice is serving a life sentence for a home investigation robbery last year was sentenced recently to eight years in prison. Derick D. Taylor, 30, (pictured) pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted first-degree robbery and was ordered to serve nearly…

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Feds charge casino-going meth suspect

A Spokane man arrested with large amounts of cash and several ounces of methamphetamine on three occasions this year has been charged in federal court. David B. Hill, 42, was arrested Aug. 24 after a confidential informant told Spokane police he sold large quantities of…

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Slain man is deputy coroner's grandson

A 22-year-old Rathdrum man stabbed to death by his girlfriend's father Friday night in what investigators say was self defense is the grandson of Kootenai County Deputy Coroner and Democratic candidate for coroner Jody DeLuca Hissong. Brandon S. DeLuca initiated the fight with Scott A.…

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 24, 2010

Rape trial halted after suspect's suicide

A Spokane man on trial for rape killed himself at his home during a break in court proceedings Thursday. Harvey S. Marshall, 49, was charged with third-degree rape for an alleged incident in August 2008; the alleged victim was not a stranger to him, according…

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A medical examiners truck leaves the Greensville Correctional Center after the execution of Teresa Lewis in Jarratt, Va., Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010. Teresa Lewis was pronounced dead at 9:13 p.m.  (Steve Helber / (AP Photo/Steve Helber))

1st woman in 5 years executed in U.S.

JARRATT, Va. (AP) — The first woman executed in the United States in five years was put to death in Virginia on Thursday for arranging the killings of her husband and a stepson over a $250,000 insurance payment. Teresa Lewis, 41, died by injection at…

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