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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for May 2011

TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2011

Meth suspect nabbed after chase in Idaho

A convicted Spokane methamphetamine maker awaiting trial in federal court was arrested during a police chase in North Idaho today. William Troy Tomblin, 40, was on a motorcycle when the U.S. Marshals Service began pursuing him in the area Wilbur Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. The…

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Trooper on leave amid perjury allegation

A veteran state trooper accused of perjury in an Idaho Supreme Court decision that vacated a murder conviction has been placed on paid leave. Cpl. Fred Rice is accused of lying on the stand during the road rage trial of Jonathan Wade Ellington of Athol,…

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Traffic stop reveals meth, stolen property

A suspected methamphetamine dealer was arrested early today after deputies spotted him driving on a suspended license, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said. Anthony L. Haines, 23, had a checkbook and credit card stolen in a burglary when deputies stopped his 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass at…

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Woman falsley claims to be fugitive 

A passenger who lied about her identity during a traffic stop Monday provided the name of another woman who had a warrant for her arrest. Michael Lynn Polello, 37, provided her real name after a records check revealed the warrant for the other name, the…

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Charges sought in inmate's drug death

Detectives are seeking a manslaughter charge against a former Spokane County Jail inmate they believe provided prescription drugs used in another inmate's suicide. Ronald F. Edwards, 41, could be charged with delivery of a legend drug and second-degree manslaughter under a charging recommendation sent to…

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Murder conviction tossed in '06 road rage

BOISE – State Supreme Court justices have thrown out the second-degree murder conviction of a North Idaho man, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the likelihood that an Idaho State Police officer committed perjury during the 2006 trial. Jonathan Wade Ellington, of Hayden, was sentenced to 25…

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Scheme promised to harness lightning

A Spokane man who claimed to have invented a computer chip that could capture energy from lightning strikes is set to ask for his relese from jail today on federal charges that he defrauded investors of more than $2.5 million. Robert B. Hiatt, 65, presented…

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Skinhead's lawyer: Jail only worsens him

A self-described skinhead will spend nearly 10 years in prison for a federal gun charge. James Daniel Bacon, who deputies say damaged a jail house door during a recent tantrum, has spent more than a third of his life in jail. The 23-year-old's lawyer cited…

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SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Arsonist, career criminal gets 10 years

A serial arsonist’s criminal past earned the wrath Friday of a federal judge who sentenced the man to 10 years in prison. Anthony W. Sotin, 42, previously agreed to accept responsibility for setting his own car on fire on Jan. 12 and torching a commercial…

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FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2011

Whiskey bottle could hold clues in theft

A whiskey bottle could hold clues in a burglary at the Chapman Lake Resort near Cheney. Someone cut a padlock from a gate overnight Wednesday and stole about $3,000 worth of tools and tool cabinets from an equipment trailer, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said…

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Steele may sue over jail book policy 

SANDPOINT, Idaho — A North Idaho attorney convicted by a federal jury for his role in a plot to kill his wife has filed a tort claim against Bonner County, alleging the jail’s policy for providing books to inmates violates his religious freedoms. Edgar Steele,…

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Charge dropped in car seat death

A vehicular homicide charge was dismissed Thursday against a Post Falls mother whose daughter was fatally injured while riding in an improperly installed car seat five years ago. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen agreed with defense arguments that 26-year-old Eileen C. Jensen’s failure…

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Crashes lead to 2 hit-and-run charges

A 43-year-old Greenacres man is accused of crashing his pickup into a parked vehicle twice before witnesses followed him from the scene. Steven J. Bays was followed from the 14800 block of East Fourth Avenue by a witness who reported his red Ford truck's license…

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FBI: Racist felon had ammo, 5 firearms

A Whitman County man arrested on federal gun charges last month had several guns and a large collection of ammunition when investigators searched his properties, a new indictment alleges. Jeremiah Daniel “J.D.” Hop, 29, faces two counts of felon in possession of a firearm and…

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Ex-Senate candidate faces gun charge

A former state Senate candidate faces new weapons charges after police say he brought a knife and loaded gun into a veterans hospital in Walla Walla. Roy H. Murry, 26, reportedly told his doctor that he carries a firearm "24-7" during an examination April 8,…

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011

Shot bank robbery suspect remains free

LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — A 69-year-old Clarkston, Wash., man is out of jail but barred from casinos after being arraigned on charges related to a bank robbery. David Payton was shot by officers after robbing a U.S. Bank in Lewiston at gunpoint Feb. 3, Lewiston…

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18th birthday brings jail, four felonies

A Spokane resident celebrated his 18th birthday today by appearing in Superior Court on four felony charges. Quinn Mikal Ray was arrested Monday after a wild police chase that included Ray trying to run over a police officer and briefly pinning another officer inside a…

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Woman stabbed to death in Grant County

SOAP LAKE, Wash. (AP) — The Grant County coroner says the woman found dead at her home Sunday in Soap Lake was stabbed to death. The autopsy was conducted Wednesday on 44-year-old Kimberly Jo Bradford. Grant County sheriff's detectives are investigating the homicide.

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Cops: Brawl led to witness intimidation

An early-morning brawl left a Spokane man unconscious with a 6-inch gash on his head, police say. Joshua L. Schmidt, 28, and Christopher M. Martin, 26, beat Eric W. Ledoux after Ledoux called Schmidt a profane name while they were in a car May 10…

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Police: Thief busted with 'smart food'

Here's a news release from Spokane Valley police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan titled, "Stolen “Smart Food” No Help to Thief." A 24-year-old Spokane man was arrested Tuesday evening after he attempted to steal $329 worth of Blu Ray DVD’s and an egg roll, a burrito…

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Man gets 22 mos after refusing to testify

A man was sentenced to just under two years in prison Tuesday after reneging on his promise to testify in two shootings. Antonio E. Cook Jr., 29, previously pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and witness tampering in cases unrelated to the two shootings, and Deputy…

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FBI: Man masturbated on Spokane flight 

A Florida man masturbated during a flight from Spokane to Denver last week, a criminal charge alleges. Two 18-year-old passengers told an FBI agent that they saw Kyle Devin Pearce, 25, masturbating while on board United Airlines Flight 340 on May 19. One witness said…

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SWAT team called to hostage situation

A sheriff's SWAT team helped arrested a fugitive Tuesday after officers said he may be holding hostages at a home in north Spokane County. Jeremy Rian Albright, 30, left a home in the 6500 block of North Normandie Lane after two teenage boys left the…

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Boy says he witnessed Plummer murder

ST. MARIES, Idaho (AP) — A Plummer woman testified that her former boyfriend and two other men broke into her house and stabbed her live-in boyfriend to death last month in front of her 13-year-old grandson. Angelita Ashby testified that she and Swiney had run…

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Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.




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