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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for April 2012

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012

Fiberglass cow statue stolen in CdA

Police in Coeur d'Alene are investigating the theft of a large fiberglass cow statue from outside an antique store. Jeffrey Gagnon, who owns Paris Flea Market at 1815 N. 4th St., has a broken piece of the cow's tail that can be used to positively…

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Burglary suspect's info leads to 3 raids

An ex-con and suspected serial burglar told detectives he spends about $800 to $1,000 each week on methamphetamine. New court documents say Dean Michael Blackford, 50, waived his right to remain silent after his arrest Tuesday and admitted to committing 20 to 25 burglaries over…

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Thompson sentencing delayed again 

U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle agreed to another delay Friday in the sentencing of former Spokane police Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. Van Sickle agreed to a request by attorney Dutch Wetzel who is representing video forensic expert Grant Fredericks, who caused the delay…

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SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

Deputies credited with saving man's life 

Two deputies saved the life of an 84-year-old man who suffered a heart attack Thursday, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said Friday. Deputy Ray Miller was patrolling near the area of Thorpe and Assembly roads in southwest Spokane County when he saw the man's car…

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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

Cops: Botched drug deal led to shooting

A shooting on Spokane's lower South Hill early Thursday occurred during a botched drug deal, police said today. Arthur Frank Cardenas, 33, (pictured) was shot in the stomach by an unidentified gunman near 1800 W. Sixth Ave., about 6:40 a.m., then driven from the scene…

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Prolific burglar helps bust serial burglar

Watch me discuss this story with KHQ's Dave Cotton. A prolific burglary suspect arrested for a fuel theft in last week helped detectives identify a suspect in a series of rural Spokane County burglaries, including one that occurred as three children hid in the home.…

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Con man stole $2.25M from investors

A Spokane con man had such a good sales pitch that he convinced a physician and a lawyer to take part in his get-rich quick schemes. In the end, some 10 investors lost more than $2.25 million they threw at his false promises. Robert B.…

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New charge refutes 'doing good' claim

A car prowling suspect who begged a sheriff's deputy for leniency earlier this month has been charged with burglary. Orlando Jaramillo, 21, (pictured) said he had been "doing good" when he was arrested for stealing a cellphone April 3, but new charges filed in Spokane…

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Gunman forces man to 'moonwalk'

SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho man has been charged with assault after authorities say he ordered another man to perform the "moonwalk" at gunpoint. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports 30-year-old John Ernest Cross was charged with the felony Tuesday in 1st District Court…

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Man hid phone in jail in prosthetic leg

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A county detective says a man serving six months in a southwestern Pennsylvania county jail illegally hid a cellphone and charger in his prosthetic leg. Twenty-seven-year-old Christopher Greer, of Uniontown, faces a preliminary hearing May 22 on a contraband charge filed…

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Cop bumps into cigarette-buying thief

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan detective can credit legwork, luck and one man's bad habit for his latest arrest. A Traverse City police detective went to a local gas station Thursday to show clerks a surveillance video image of someone accused of stealing…

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THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

$300k verdict in sheriff's negligence case

A jury awarded an Airway Heights man $300,000 in federal court after he sued a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputy over a traffic stop that ended with the man being tackled to the pavement. The jury found that Deputy Dale Moyer was negligent in calling…

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Man who shot burglar charged w/ assault

A homeowner in Medical Lake accused of shooting a fleeing 14-year-old burglary suspect in the back last December has been charged with assault. In new court documents, Spokane County sheriff’s detectives outline a shooting they believe went beyond homeowner Justin Jeffrey Brown defending his property…

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Man, 20, sentenced for 2nd strike

Dressed in long shorts, sneakers with no socks and a collarless shirt, Cole M. Kendall stood before a judge Wednesday and entered an Alford plea for stabbing two people last year at an underage drinking party. Still six months shy of legal drinking age, Kendall…

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'Middle-finger salute' preceded fire 

A man accused of trying to light his apartment complex on fire gave a surveillance camera the middle-finger salute before doing so, fire officials allege. Ian W. Godfrey, 29, said he was angry with a flier being distributed at the HiFumi En Apartments, 926 E.…

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

'Doomed' man admits to cop gun theft

A Spokane man who stole a handgun from Spokane County sheriff's detective's squad car has been sentenced to about three years in prison. A judge recommended James Warren Peterschick, 30, undergo drug treatment and be placed in a federal prison with a medical facility in…

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Prints on knife lead to hit-and-run arrest

Fingerprints on a knife left at the scene of a hit-and-run crash last September recently led police to identify a suspect. Michael L. Bridges, who was released from prison last year for another hit-and-run crash, is accused of crashing a Chevrolet Malibu into a vehicle…

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20-year conman headed to prison

A Spokane man convicted of stealing money from a homeless woman who gave him her savings to rent a home is headed to prison. But it wasn't the theft that earned Unters "Chuck" Love, 58, a 27-month sentence, it was a bail jumping charge he…

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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012

Booze bottles lead to burglary arrests

Empty liquor bottles in the yard of a home that's typically immaculate led to the arrest of two Spokane residents on burglary charges last week, officials said today. Ashley C. Spencer, 24, and her boyfriend, Zachary T. Harris, 23, had been staying in one of…

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Attack suspect to undergo mental exam

A man accused of a bizarre attack in downtown Spokane earlier this month is to undergo a mental health examination. Justin T. Betts, 29, is due back in Spokane County Superior Court next month to determine if he's competent to stand trial. An arraignment scheduled…

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Rogue lumber employee guilty in fraud

An unauthorized sales agreement between a rogue North Idaho lumber employee and a Spokane company has led to a felony conviction in federal court. Trevor Mokry, 32, received about $581,000 from The Pallet Place for lumber he sold them from Stimson Lumber Company in Plummer,…

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2 sentenced in CdA bar cocaine case

A Coeur d'Alene man involved in a large cocaine distribution ring that was based in part out of a Sherman Avenue bar has been sentenced to four years in prison. Christopher McFarland, 49, (left) also is to be on probation for five years and has…

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Cops: Assailant requested bigger knife

A woman accused of stabbing her longtime boyfriend said she wanted a bigger knife so she could cut him deeper, witnesses told police. Cathleen A. Parke, 50, was arrested Saturday at an apartment on North Washington Street in Medical Lake after deputies found her boyfriend,…

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Bearded woman asks for new trial

A woman who wears a beard as a symbol of her activism and lives as a man is asking for a new trial following her conviction earlier this month for grabbing a Spokane Police officer's genitals in 2009 during an arrest. Joseph Ali Bin Muhammad,…

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Fire station 'owner' accused of assault

A Medical Lake man was arrested for allegedly obstructing police and assaulting a firefighter Saturday after he walked into the fire station garage and claimed to own all the equipment. Edward John Ramsey, 49, pushed a firefighter who tried to escort him from the garage…

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Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.




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