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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for June 2, 2011

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011

Voyeurism suspect works at Silverwood 

A man accused of masturbating while videotaping the reaction of a barista is a supervisor at Silverwood Theme Park. Matt Alan Lambert's public defender told a judge that today when asking for Lambert to be released from jail on his own recognizance or on a…

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DNA found on a sweatshirt has helped police identify a suspect in a two-year-old bank robbery.
A detective obtained a new DNA sample from Rodney K. Phillips, 48, on Monday, to verify a match noted by the Washington State Patrol crime lab last month.
Phillips is in prison in Walla Walla for robberies in Shohomish County.
He was arrested July 4, 2009. Banner Bank at 1521 N. Argonne Road in Spokane Valley was robbed June 18, 2009, but a man wearing a 2002 Lady Royals sweatshirt and Spokane Riverhawks hat. Both items were discarded near East Sinto Avenue and North Sargent Road the next day.
Phillips was later convicted of robberies in Snohomish and King counties around that time. Surveillance photos show his preferred outfit was a  hooded sweatshirt, hat and sunglasses, according to a search warrant used to obtain Phillips' DNA sample.
Police are awaiting the results of the new DNA test before sending the case to prosecutors.
 (Spokane Valley Police Department)

DNA identifies suspect in '09 robbery

DNA found on a sweatshirt has helped police identify a suspect in a two-year-old bank robbery. A Spokane County sheriff's detective obtained a new DNA sample from Rodney R. Phillips, 48, on Wednesday to verify a match noted by the Washington State Patrol crime lab…

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'Barefoot Bandit' injures ankle in jail

SEATTLE (AP) — The man accused of being the Barefoot Bandit injured an ankle while playing volleyball at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. Attorney Emma Scanlan told The Seattle Times today that Colton Harris-Moore is on crutches. The 20-year-old from Camano Island is accused…

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Child luring suspect leaves jail on bond 

A Coeur d'Alene man accused of offering a woman money in exchange for her granddaughters left jail just hours after he was arrested Wednesday. Shan A. Anderson, 32, posted $1,106 bond on four misdemeanor charges, including attempted child enticing, Wednesday night, according to the Kootenai…

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Suspected pervert arrested at coffee shop

A 50-year-old man is accused of fondling himself in front of a Spokane Valley coffee stand employee while videotaping her reaction. A police officer was inside Dagny's Coffee Co., 12900 E. Trent Ave., when Matt Alan Lambert, of Rathdrum, Idaho, began fondling himself in Wednesday,…

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Arrest in 'This Guy Has My MacBook'

By SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The images began arriving in Joshua Kaufman's inbox. The grainy photos are low-lit and intimate: a man curled up on a couch, sound asleep; the same man propped up against pillows on a bed, shirtless. Who…

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Mobster 'Gorgeous' avoids death penalty

By TOM HAYS, ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP) — A combative, fashion-conscious mobster already serving a life prison term dodged a death sentence on Wednesday for ordering a gangland hit while taking control of a once-fearsome crime family. An anonymous jury deliberated less than two…

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