A sex offender suspected in a violent gunpoint home-invasion robbery was arrested today.

 Joshua Clint Epperson, 32, was booked into jail on felony charges related to an early-morning attack last Tuesday in the 9600 block of North Alpine Court in the Indian Trail area.

The Spokane police Patrol Anti-Crime Team located Epperson in the 4200 block of North Atlantic Street, Officer Brian Eckersley said in a news release.

Epperson was arrested just three weeks ago for a burglary in the Country Homes area in north Spokane County and is to be arraigned Wednesday on residential burglary, first-degree trafficking in stolen property and resisting arrest charges.

He was out of jail awaiting that arraignment when police allege he partook in the robbery, which involved the victims being bound with zip ties and one being pistol whipped.

Suspects Nathan W. Day, 21, and Nathan T. McDaniels, 28, were arrested Wednesday and remain in jail.

Epperson faces charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping, possession of a stolen firearm, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of unlawful imprisonment and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, Eckersley said. Prosecutors filed charges on Friday.

Epperson is a level 3 sex offender, which is the classification considered most likely to reoffend. He was convicted of third-degree rape of a child in 2003. He also has conviction for indecent liberties.

A Spokane man has been sentenced to about 10 years in prison for a gunpoint robbery last year.

Jeremy L. Standon, 30, has an extensive criminal history that includes convictions for first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, money laundering, drug possession, second-degree identity theft, first-degree burglary, theft of a firearm.

He recorded his second first-degree robbery conviction - and second strike under the state's three-strikes-and-you're-out law - when he pleaded guilty in late April. Now he's headed to prison on a 129-month sentence that will include credit for 364 days already served in jail after being sentenced this week in Spokane County Superior Court.

Co-defendant John Gibson Dean, 30, is awaiting trial. He was arrested earlier this month after a couple months as a fugitive.

Police say Dean and Standon robbed three people of money, jewelry and electronics after being allowed inside the home at 1415 N. Post St. May 9, 2011. Police paid a confidential informant $100 for information that helped identify the men.

A man who stole metal as part of a licensed business has been ordered to pay about $250,000 in restitution.

 Tristan M. Goiri-Christensen, 26, a former Crime Stoppers fugitive, pleaded guilty last week to first-degree theft and eight counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property and was credited for a day already spent in jail.

He's to be on probation for a year. Goiri-Christensen is part of a band of suspected metal thieves who created a Spokane-based business, complete with licenses from the Washington Department of Revenue, to get around state laws designed to discourage theft by making it tougher for individuals to sell stolen metal to scrap yards.

The state exempts licensed businesses from the mandatory 10-day waiting period for payments of over $30 on scrap metal sold to recyclers. The thefts cost Avista Utilties thousands of dollars. Read more here.

Grab the party hats and get your game face on - Saturday is Sirens & Gavels' 3rd birthday.

Some of you may already be planning epic celebrations, but for those of you I caught off guard, I apologize.

The idea behind this blog was simple - a devil-worshipping sex offender called me upset that a commenter said he was not a true member of the Church of Satan. I'd already written an adequate article about the man, and his phone call certanly didn't warant a follow up. But it was too remarkable to ignore.

Since then, this blog has become a hub for crime and court news in the Inland Northwest and anything else that might pique my interest. Regular readers should expect to see original content each weekday, links to nearly all crime and courts stories on spokesman.com, and weird news from around the world on Friday mornings.

Your praise and criticism is needed and appreciated. I am best reached at meghannc@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5534.

Here's to a great future for Sirens.  Be sure to 'like' the blog on Facebook to show you're a true fan.

Also, follow me on Twitter. #hipster

Related coverage:

March 7: Woman stalked by aggressive turkey

A sex offender recently released from prison for the unlawful imprisonment and robbery of a 16-year-old is now living in Spokane Valley.

Joseph R. Wheeler, 34, is a level 3 sex offender, which is the classification considered most likely to reoffend.

He served about eight years in prison after being convicted of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment, harassment in April 2004, according to court records. He was credited for about 1 1/2 years spent in the county jail before he was convicted. Wheeler's victim was a stranger.

Wheeler is being supervised by the Washington Department of Corrections but is not wanted by authorities. However, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office wants people to be aware of his presence.

Wheeler is living in the 1300 block of South Robie Road, which is a few blocks from Opportunity Elementary School.

The Spokane County Sex Offender Registry is available here. Anyone with questions about the sex offender community awareness program is asked to call (509) 477-6609 or email RSOUnit@spokanesheriff.org.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to the arrest of an accused metal thief who was part of a licensed business.

Tristan M. Goiri-Christensen, 26, is wanted on a $20,000 warrant after skipping a pre-trial conference April 27. He was scheduled to begin trial Monday on theft and stolen property charges.

Goiri-Christensen is part of a band of suspected metal thieves who created a Spokane-based business, complete with licenses from the Washington Department of Revenue, to get around state laws designed to discourage theft by making it tougher for individuals to sell stolen metal to scrap yards. The state exempts licensed businesses from the mandatory 10-day waiting period for payments of over $30 on scrap metal sold to recyclers.

Goiri-Christensen and four others are accused of stealing thousands of pounds of power lines from Avista Utilities and selling the copper wire to fuel their drug habits. The stolen metal meant a massive payday in the thousands of dollars. A business license meant it came instantly. And it was easy to obtain. Read more here.

Goiri-Christensen, 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, last gave an address in the 300 block of East Rockwell Avenue in Spokane.

Anyone with information on his current location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online.

A new suspect has emerged in a meth-fueled robbery that led to a police SWAT team standoff at a north Spokane apartment last December.

Allison Elaine Hubbard, 30, (right) is wanted on first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping charges for the Dec. 1 assault of a 22-year-old woman who was choked unconscious with her own necklace.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to her arrest. 

Hubbard is accused of robbing Jennifer M. Taylor of methamphetamine on the South Hill with the help of Bobby S. “Angel” Decaney, 35, and Maceo L. Williams, 27, who were arrested later that day.

A police dog found Decaney (left) inside a couch in his apartment at 13110 N. Addison. A SWAT team had pumped tear gas into the apartment, but Decaney, a reputed Sureno gang member, refused to exit. He faces life in prison if convicted because he has two previous convictions for violent felonies.

Williams and Decaney have pleaded not guilty.

Decaney left jail early February after posting $50,000 bond. His trial is set for April 16. Williams remains in jail awaiting an April 23 trial.

Police used cell phone information to identify Hubbard as the woman who was with Decaney and Williams that night. Messages on Decaney's phone from Hubbard discussed robbing Taylor, police say. A witness also identifed Hubbard from a photo montage.

Prosecutors filed charges March 22.

Hubbard, 5-foot-7 and 220 pounds, has a criminal history that includes convictions for assault, burglary theft and drug possession. She was a Crime Stoppers fugitive in November 2010 when police identified her as a marijuana growing suspect with a “shopping list.”

Hubbard last gave a home address in the 10000 block of East Sixth Avenue in Spokane Valley.

Anyone with information on her current location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online. Tipsters do not have to leave their name to collect a reward but should leave a code name or number.

In this Oct. 27, 2005 photo, Parolee Victor Luna, left, listens to his mentors Tom Murphy and Suellen Pritchard during a weekly meeting to help Luna adjust to life outside of prison. Luna was arrested this morning on stolen property charges. (SRphotoarchives)

A 30-year-old felon who pledged to turn his life around several years ago is back in jail after a long-term investigation into stolen property trafficking.

Victor Alonzo Luna was arrested after a SWAT team secured his home in the 12700 block of East 31st Avenue in Spokane Valley this morning, according to the Spokane Valley Police Department.

Luna has 10 felony convictions that include assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, riot burglary and possession of stolen property, which prompted the use of the SWAT team.

Luna was arrested without incident on a charge of fist-degree trafficking in stolen property.

The Spokane Valley property crimes unit had been investigating Luna for dealing in stolen property. Detectives observed him purchase several items he believed to be stolen, police say.

Luna told investigators he purchases property from a lot of people and “that he did not want to know if the property was stolen or not,” police said. He's prohibited from dealing with pawn shops because of his criminal history, but Luna admitted to enlisting others to pawn property for him, police say.

Luna gave an extensive interview to The Spokesman-Review in 2005 while a member of  Going Home, the Washington State Re-entry Project, a pilot program to keep young felons with a history of serious violent crime from victimizing the neighborhoods in which they are released.

At the time, Luna said every day “on the outside” is a major victory.

“So many times I wanted to go back to (crime). Money’s tight, and it’s so much easier money,” Luna said.

Read the story here.

A sex offender jailed in California has been charged with trying to rape a Spokane prostitute at knifepoint.

Robert James Barbee, 38, also faces a federal charge of failing to register as a sex offender after investigators say he moved to the area from California without notifying authorities.

He was arrested in Oct. 17 after a woman recognized him as the man who tried to rape her Sept. 25 after she agreed to perform oral sex for $40, according to the Spokane Police Department.

The woman told police was working the corner of East Sprague Avenue and North Magnolia Street when she went with the man to an abandoned house and was attacked. The woman said she fought off the attack and was assisted by patrons at the Rainbow Room, a topless bar.

Police caught up with Barbee Oct. 17 after the woman called 911 and said her attacker approached her friend that day while they were working as prostitutes near Sprague and North Crestline Street. Officers found Barbee near East Second Avenue and South Perry Street, and he told them he'd been attacked by a man who accused him of raping a woman, according to court documents.

Barbee was arrested on a warrant out of California for failing to follow parole conditions for a theft/embezzlement against the elderly conviction. He told police he'd been in Spokane for about five weeks and was staying at the House of Charity.

A federal complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Spokane alleges he failed to register as a sex offender here. He's required to do so because of a 1994 conviction for lewd and lascivious conduct with a 13-year-old child. Barbee last registered as a transient in San Joaquin County, Calif.

Spokane police Detective Brian Hamond says Barbee denied any knowledge of the incident during a phone interview in prison in Elk Grove, Calif. on Dec. 19. Barbee also denied carrying a knife, according to documents prepared by Hamond.

Spokane County prosecutors charged Barbee Dec. 20 with attempted first-degree rape and second-degree assault. He has not yet arrived in Spokane to face charges.

A reputed Sureno gang member who Spokane police say stayed hidden in a couch after tear gas was pumped into his apartment faces life in prison if convicted under the state's three-strikes law. 

Bobby S. “Angel” Decaney, 35, (pictured) pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery. He already has two convictions for violent felonies.

Decaney and Maceo L. Williams, 27, are accused of holding 22-year-old Jennifer M. Taylor while another woman assaulted her and stole methamphetamine from her pocket on Dec. 1.

The female assailant choked Taylor unconscious with her own necklace and threatened to kill her, according to court documents. The incident led to a SWAT team standoff in north Spokane.

Police contacted Taylor at a hospital, where she told them she'd gotten a ride on the the South Hill from Decaney, whom she knew as “Angel” and described as having “Sureno” tattooed across his forehead. Williams, the unidentified female assailant and Michael J. Hall also were in the car, she told police.

She said Decaney stopped the car and the woman accused her of talking badly about her ex-boyfriend, who police say also is a Sureno gang member. Taylor told police lost consciousness while being strangled then awoke to the woman punching her and stealing five ounces of meth that was hidden in her bra.

Police tried to contact Decaney and Maceo at Decaney's apartment at 13110 N. Addison, but they refused to come out and the gang unit and SWAT team were called to assist. Police evacuated the area and, after a few hours, pumped tear gas into the apartment. Williams, Hall and Nicole Coffey emerged and said no one was left inside, documents say, but a Spokane police dog, Stryder, found Decaney hiding in a large zippered bag that was secreted inside a couch, according to court documents.

Williams also pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and robbery charges Tuesday in Spokane County Superior Court. Both suspects are in the Spokane County Jail. Hall and Coffey were arrested after the standoff but have not been charged.

The police investigation into the assault is ongoing.

A jury on Monday found a man guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the 2007 slaying of a man in Hillyard.

As a result, Michael D. Coombes (pictured) faces about seven more years in prison than he would have under an earlier plea agreement, which he was allowed to withdraw because of a technical error.

 Coombes, who tattoed an image of the gun that he used to kill 53-year-old William “Red” Nichols on his leg, hung his head just after Superior Court Judge Annette Plese read the jury’s decision.

“I’m very pleased, very happy with the outcome,” said Nichols’ sister, Joselle Kuntz of Reardan. “Finally, we can move on.”

Read the rest of Tom Clouse's story here.

Past coverage:

Dec. 14: Trial begins in man's shooting death

Oct. 4: Witness tampering alleged before murder trial

A 21-year-old man escaped a work release program recently after police interviewed him about a series of vehicle thefts in North Idaho.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to the arrest of William V. Woods, who left the Brownstone Work Release Program while serving a sentence for third-degree assault, according to a news release.

He faces charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two counts of first-degree possession of stolen property for the theft of two cargo trailers and a truck in North Idaho, in addition to a fresh count of escape from community custody.

Woods, 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, is a transient with a previous felony conviction for second-degree theft. Anyone with information on his current location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online.

Tipsters do not have to give their name to collect a reward but should leave a code name or number.

Fingerprints led police to identify two suspects in a May 9 purse snatching in Spokane Valley.

Mickey H. Marquette, alias Santos, 26, was arrested last weekend after being identified through a fingerprint database as matching the prints lifted from a 1991 Honda Accord, which police believe he was driving when Tianna Rose Hurd, 28, leaned out and grabbed a woman's purse in the parking lot at Fred Meyer, 15609 E. Sprague Ave., according to court documents.

Marquette accelerated, and the victim was dragged for 15 to 20 feet before she was able to free herself from the purse’s shoulder strap, detectives say.

Police found the Accord abandoned in the area of North Pines Road and Mirabeau Parkway and recovered fingerprints from the inside rear passenger window that belonged to Marquette.

A forensic specialist also found partial palm prints that matched Hurd's prints, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Hurd, who was arrested on meth charges just 10 days after the incident, has been in jail since June 16 on charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission and second-degree possession of stolen property. Marquette is in jail on the same charges.

UPDATE: Stafone Fuentes was booked into jail Saturday and is due in court today.

A Spokane man is wanted on a felony warrant after his unauthorized trip to a concert in Montana was publicized because his uncle was killed outside the show.

  Stafone Nicholas Fuentes, 26, (right) was awaiting trial on witness tampering charges when he was arrested on misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges at the hospital where his uncle, Angelo Lorenzo Fuentes, 41, (left) also of Spokane, was pronounced dead from a traumatic head injury.

Missoula police believe the elder Fuentes was mortally wounded during a fight outside the concert late June 17 at the Missoula Hell Gate Elks Lodge.

Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department said investigators are seeking witnesses in Fuentes’ death, some of whom may be from Spokane.

Read the rest of my story here.

Past coverage:

June 20: Spokane man dies of head trauma in Missoula

Two years ago today, this blog was born.  

It started with a post about a devil-worshiping sex offender upset that a commenter said he was not a true member of the Church of Satan.

Since then, this blog has become a hub for crime and court news in the Inland Northwest. I also like to throw in interesting Associated Press stories on Friday mornings or if national events of local interest occur.

I enjoy hunting for fun - and not-so-fun - items to put on here and am proud to say readership keeps growing. Your praise and criticism is needed and appreciated. I am best reached at meghannc@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5534.

Here's to a great future for Sirens. (Let's hope the 'terrible twos' thing is just a phase humans go through.)  Be sure to 'like' the blog on Facebook to show you're a true fan.

By the way, I recently received an email from a woman who identifies herself as the devil-worshiping sex offender's ex-wife. Let's just say she agrees with law enforcement's decision to classify him as a sex offender likely to reoffend.

Spokane police paid a confidential informant $100 for information that helped arrest two robbery suspects last week.

The informant, who had been arrested on a Washington Department of Corrections warrant, told police that he saw a TV and laptop computer in Jeremy L. Standon's apartment that was believed to have been stolen from a home at 1415 N. Post St. May 9.

The informant said Standon, 29, received the items from John G. Dean, who stole them in a robbery, but police say both Standon and Dean, 29, were involved. (Standon is pictured right; Dean is below.)

Police say the two were allowed inside the home May 9 about 11 p.m. and that once inside, Dean displayed a black semi-automatic pistol and ordered three people to “pull out your pockets.”

Dean continued to hold the gun as Standon retrieved $150, a 16-inch imitation gold chain, two lap top computers and a 40-inch Toshiba flat screen TV, according to a search warrant.

Police spotted Standon and Dean in the drive through at Jack in the Box in downtown Spokane May 13 about 8 a.m.

Both men were booked into jail; police say Dean had a Glock 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol that was stolen in Wilbur, Wash., on March 30. Dean remains jailed on gun charges; Standon is jailed on a probation hold and a felony drug charge.

A 2010 Crime Stoppers graduate, Standon's criminal history includes convictions for driving on a suspended license, money laundering, drug possession, second-degree identity theft, first-degree burglary, theft of a firearm, first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree theft, malicious mischief and vehicle prowling.

A 2009 Crime Stoppers graduate, Dean's criminal history includes convictions for riot, making false statements, refusing to cooperate, forgery, theft, harassment, obstructing an investigation, a dozen probation violations and the obligatory driving while license suspended.

UPDATE 5/20: Guzman is in jail.

A Spokane man accused of helping two brothers steal firearms in a burglary is wanted by authorities.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that help arrest Lucky Joe Guzman, 27.

Investigators believe Guzman drove Steven Charles Corkery, Jr., 27, and Thomas J. Corkery, 29, from a home in the 4400 block of East 16th Ave. on Dec. 6.

Steven Corkery, who has felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing firearms, then pawned a stolen shotgun and bow, according to a probable cause affidavit. Corkery also is accused of pawning a .357 Magnum revolver that had been stolen from a home n the 13500 block of North Muzzy Road on Nov. 23.

Guzman is charged with second-degree theft, residential burglary and two counts of a theft of a firearm. He has previous convictions for vagrancy, attempted second-degree arson and vehicle prowling.

A $15,000 arrest warrant was issued May 2 after he didn't show up for his arraignment.

Guzman, 5-foot-10 and 125 pounds, last gave a home address in the 6600 block of North Addison Road in Spokane County.

Anyone with information on his location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online.

A federal convict who escaped from a halfway house is a suspect in a drive-by shooting in north Spokane.

Kenneth Joseph “Joker” Maravilla, 23, is accused of shooting at a car with three people in the area of North Nevada Street and East Bridgeport Avenue in retaliation for one of the victims assaulting a friend.

Maravilla was driving a black 1998 Mitsubishi when he pulled alongside a vehicle with Rickie Hall inside and fired at least one shot on April 16, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police found the abandoned Mitsubishi crashed into a pole in a parking lot at 3704 N. Nevada.

The car had been reported stolen from 817 E. North Foothills by Desarae M. Dawson, but police believe Dawson allowed Maravilla to drive the Mitsubishi after her uncle, Chad Maxwell, was assaulted by Hall. Dawson falsely reported it stolen after learning of the shooting and crash, documents allege.

Police found two 9 mm bullets in the Mitsubishi.

Maravilla was arrested May 5 during a traffic stop at East Lacrosse Avenue and North Perry Street. Officers forced him from the vehicle and placed him in a neck restraint after he was uncooperative, police said.

Maravilla faces second-degree assault charges; Dawson, 23, faces a charge of accomplice to second-degree assault.

Maravilla was ordered to serve 40 months in federal prison in April 2009 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was transferred to Spokane Residential Re-entry Center from federal prison March 3 and was to be released next August, but lhe eft the center that day and never returned.

He's now in the Spokane County Jail.

A Spokane man has been sentenced to at least four years in an Idaho prison for beating and threatening to kill a man during a skinhead gathering.

Daniel Gean Wilson, 34, (left) and Keegan Van Tuyl (right) beat a man for answering questions about the white supremacist movement wrong after a day of heavy drinking at a home near Spirit Lake  in July 2009, according to the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office.

The beating escalated after they accused the victim of being a drug user. Wilson then urinated on him, held an 8-inch knife to his throat and threatened to kill him if he told police. Wilson has “an extensive criminal record” in several states and has previous convictions for numerous property and violent crimes, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Wilson was sentenced to 12 years in prison with eligibility for parole after four years and credit for time served. He had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in March.

Van Tuyl, co-founder of two Odinist-skinhead groups, Vangard Kindred and Valhalla-Bound Skinheads, is to be released from federal prison this fall on a weapons charge.