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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for Aug. 2011

FRIDAY, AUG. 26, 2011

$100k in jewelry found after safe heist

About $100,000 in stolen jewelry was recovered Thursday after police arrested a burglary suspect who claimed to be addicted to OxyContin. Cody Michael Sutton, 20, is accused of burglarizing a home in Veradale after the owner's 12-year-old son allowed him inside about 4 p.m. thinking…

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Citizen helps police find fleeing fugitive

A citizen helped officers find a fleeing fugitive early this morning in west Spokane, police said. Christopher A. Hill, 31, was wanted on suspicion of bank robbery in Pendleton, Ore., and on a $250,000 bail jumping charge related to a meth possession case in Benton…

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In a Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 photo, a squirrel makes off with a flag from the Toledo Police Memorial in Toledo, Ohio. As police officer watched Wednesday, a squirrel quickly snatched a flag off its wooden dowel and ran off with it. They also spotted a squirrel's nest made of leaves and branches, and at least two of the little flags.  ((AP Photo/Toledo Blade via Toledo Police Dept, Lt. James Brown))

Squirrel blamed for flag thefts in Ohio

In a Wednesday, photo, a squirrel makes off with a flag from the Toledo Police Memorial in Toledo, Ohio. (AP Photo/Toledo Blade via Toledo Police Dept, Lt. James Brown) TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio have discovered that small flags being swiped from a…

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Hundreds of students, staff and friends gathered in Friendship Square in downtown Moscow Idaho to honor slain U/I grad student Katy Benoit on Thursday August 25, 2011.   (Christopher Anderson)

Victim's friends ID'd professor to 911

Hundreds of students, staff and friends gathered in Friendship Square in downtown Moscow Idaho to honor slain U/I grad student Katy Benoit on Thursday. (SR photo/Christopher Anderson) By JESSIE L. BONNER,Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — In the immediate aftermath of a brutal killing on…

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THURSDAY, AUG. 25, 2011

Burning stolen cars spark brush fire

Two stolen cars were set on fire in the Indian Trial area Wednesday night, sparking a small brush fire. Spokane firefighters responded to reports of flames and explosions from a remote forested hilltop east of Indian Trial Road. Crews accessed the area through gates and…

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Middle-finger salute leads to gunfire

A father and son were arrested Wednesday after a neighborhood dispute that began with a middle finger led to a pistol being fired into the ground. Stephan R. Day, 53 is accused of firing the pistol while his son, Stephan D. Day, 18, is accused…

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CdA lawyer ordered back to prison

A Coeur d'Alene defense lawyer and former deputy prosecutor is going back to prison after a judge ruled he'd violated his probation on OxyContin charges. Shawn C. Nunley, 40, was ordered to prison late last week after his probation officer said he smelled faintly of…

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Tips still sought in horse hit-and-run

Detectives are asking for the public's help to find a driver who seriously injured a horse and rider in a hit-and-run crash in North Idaho last week. Lauren Johnson, 20, and Rebecca Lobato, 21, were riding horses along the side of Garwood Road between Rimrock…

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A Moscow police officer uses a video camera in a room rented by Ernesto Bustamante at the Best Western in Moscow, Idaho, on Tuesday.

Family: Murder victim filed UI complaint

A Moscow police officer uses a video camera in a room rented by Ernesto Bustamante at the University Inn-Best Western in Moscow, Idaho, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Geoff Crimmins) BOISE — A college professor who alternately referred to himself as a “psychopathic killer”…

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24, 2011

Federal medical marijuana suspect jailed 

A medical marijuana advocate recently indicted in federal court is in jail after authorities found pot plants at his home in Lincoln County. Jerry Wayne Laberdee, 57, (pictured at a pro-marijuana rally in downtown Spokane, courtesy of the Inlander) turned himself in Tuesday after U.S.…

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Child seized after police find pot plants 

A 30-year-old man was arrested and his child was taken into protective custody after police found six marijuana plants in a shed in the back of his home Tuesday. Spokane Valley police found Christopher Anthony Tonnessen's 2-year-old son sitting in the dirt among broken toys,…

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Cops: Man exposed himself to motorists

A 20-year-old Spokane man was arrested Tuesday after he exposed himself to motorists on the South Hill, officials said today. Tyler Rexal Raymond Hall was booked into jail for indecent exposure after motorists told Spokane County sheriff's deputies he'd pulled his shorts down and revealed…

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3-strikes trial skipper gets life in prison

A Spokane man arrested for a shooting after skipping the last part of his robbery and assault trial was sentenced this week to life in prison under Washington's three-strikes law. A jury convicted Larry A. Powell, 54, of second-degree assault and first-degree robbery in July…

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Alcoholic in fatal crash pleads not guilty

A Whitworth University student and convicted felon pleaded not guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in connection with a crash in East Spokane on Aug. 9 that killed the passenger. Michael S. Lindsly, 46, appeared before Superior Court Judge Michael Price and was given a trial…

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2 plead not guilty to attempted murder 

A man charged with attempted murder and kidnapping pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was ordered to remain in jail on a $750,000 bond. Gary L. Houchins, 29, appeared Tuesday before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price in connection with a July 11 incident in…

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TUESDAY, AUG. 23, 2011

2 murder charges dropped in plea deals

Two Spokane residents arrested on murder charges in Benewah County face less than a year in custody under recent plea agreements. Kelly A. Miller, 40, (left) and Stephen Milton, 22, (right) pleaded guilty to felony criminal accessory charges for helping Miller's husband, Jody Miller, 40,…

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City council looks at police oversight

Spokane City Council members suggested they may need voters to save the stronger police oversight rules they approved last year, by working to place the concept on the ballot. Passions were high during the council’s Monday meeting as they discussed overturning police oversight rules. The…

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Man accused of threatening prostitute

A 48-year-old man who traveled to Spokane from California last week is accused of threatening a prostitute with a knife on East Sprague Avenue. James L. Brewer, of Sacramento, is charged with second-degree assault after a prostitute told police he'd chased her with a knife…

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Knife-wielding man crashes into Subway

A knife-wielding man was arrested Friday after a police chase ended with his car striking a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Spokane. Charles D. Fletcher, 43, is accused of waving a large hunting knife at passing motorists and scratching their cars while screaming near 9th…

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Felon accused of stabbing man in back

A suspect has been arrested for an assault in which a man was stabbed in the back. Stephen J. Heidt, 26, was arrested Friday, one week after a stabbing that left Daniel Kelly, 30, with a stab wound in his back. Spokane police responded to…

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Man sentenced for stealing aluminum 

COLVILLE – A trusted supervisor whose thefts nearly bankrupted a Colville boat manufacturer was sentenced Monday to six years in prison – two years more than a deputy prosecutor recommended. Stevens County Superior Court Judge Al Nielson said Chris Boring was “remorseless and relentless” in…

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MONDAY, AUG. 22, 2011

Man in chase Tasered several times 

A man who fled a police chase in the Four Lakes area was arrested after being shocked several times with a Taser late Sunday. Jesse Ray Waldvogel, 25, ran from his car at milepost 267 on Interstate 90 about 5 p.m. as state troopers pursued…

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More charges in Colville murder probe

A 26-year-old man has been charged with stealing the firearm that was then used to kill a Stevens County man and retired U.S. Navy SEAL in what investigators believe was a botched burglary. Christopher George Nichols (left) remains in the Stevens County Jail on $500,000…

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Tasered man, 56, died of heart attack

A man who died after being shocked with a Taser by a sheriff’s deputy in North Idaho in May suffered a heart attack, officials said Friday. Daniel L. Mittelstadt, 56, of Mount Shasta, Calif., had a pre-existing heart condition and a long history of mental…

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Ex-clerk faces probation for $139k theft 

A former Kootenai County deputy clerk accused of embezzling $139,000 over 10 years pleaded guilty Friday to a single count of grand theft. Sandra Martinson, 62, retired in November from her career with the county, which spanned more than three decades. The embezzlement is alleged…

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Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.




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