Briefly

Trial delayed in Ephrata murder case

Ephrata, Wash. A judge has delayed the trial for two boys accused of murdering an Ephrata boy to allow the state Supreme Court to decide whether to review the decision to try them as adults.

Jake Lee Eakin and Evan Drake Savoie, both 14, are accused in the 2003 slaying of Craig Sorger, a special education student who was beaten and stabbed repeatedly. Eakin, of Moses Lake, and Savoie, of Ephrata, have been charged as adults with first-degree murder.

Their trial was to begin Jan. 10, but was rescheduled Monday to April 12 by Grant Count Superior Court Judge Ken Jorgensen.

State Supreme Court Commissioner Geoff Crooks is expected to hear oral arguments Jan. 20 on whether the full court should review another judge’s decision to try the boys as adults.

The State Court of Appeals commissioner ruled in July that the judge, Superior Court Judge John Antosz, did not err when he declined to try Eakin and Savoie as juveniles.

In his ruling, Antosz said that the killing was too vicious to prosecute in juvenile court. He also found there were no adequate juvenile-treatment programs.

The boys were both 12 years old when they allegedly killed Sorger on Feb. 15, 2003, at an Ephrata park. They are believed to be the youngest children in modern state history to be tried as adults for murder. If convicted, they could face at least 20 years in prison.

Men accused trying to trade drugs for gun

Two men attempting to trade methamphetamine for a machine gun were arrested Tuesday afternoon in North Spokane, the Spokane Sheriff’s Office reported.

David S. McConnell, 23, and James R. Kalez, 61, were arrested after they allegedly gave an undercover officer what they claimed was meth in exchange for a fully automatic weapon, sheriff’s spokesman Dave Reagan said in a press release.

Investigators later determined that the two gave the officers rock salt – not meth. The exchange happened about 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Home Depot, 9116 N. Newport Highway.

McConnell, who lives at 3615 N. Kenney Road, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a federal charge of possession of an unregistered machine gun.

Kalez, who is McConnell’s stepfather, was booked into jail on a count of delivering or possessing a counterfeit narcotic substance.

The Spokane Firearms Task Force has investigated McConnell since August, Reagan said. The force includes members from the sheriff’s office and federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Driver accused of trying to elude police

A wanted man tried to lose police Monday by driving off-road.

Police followed the 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck after it left the road and arrested the driver shortly before noon Monday. The man had a felony arrest warrant from Idaho for violating parole, according to a press release from the Spokane Valley Police Department.

A Spokane Valley Police Department officer tried to stop the pickup truck Monday morning after realizing the registered owner had a warrant, according to police. Instead of stopping, the driver allegedly ran stop signs and stop lights near North Pines Road and East Trent Avenue. Officers finally caught up with the truck after it drove off-road near Kaiser Aluminum, police said.

Police arrested 46-year-old Raymond P. Woods, who was booked into the Spokane County Jail for being a fugitive from justice and on suspicion of trying to elude police.

Victim of Renton plane crash identified

Seattle The 40-year-old pilot who died when his plane crashed at the airport in suburban Renton has been identified as John Gehlen of Seattle, one of the earliest hires at Amazon.com.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Gehlen was doing a “touch-and-go” flight, landing his 1975 Cessna C-185 momentarily and taking off again, when the crash occurred Sunday at Renton Municipal Airport. He was alone in the aircraft.

Investigators aren’t sure why the plane banked to the left after taking off for the sixth time. Its left wing hit the ground, and the aircraft slid into a barrier, NTSB investigator Kurt Anderson said.

Gehlen told an air traffic controller something like, “I’ve got a problem here,” Anderson said.

Gehlen’s family said he had flown small planes for about five years.

Born in Evanston, Ill., Gehlen grew up in Seattle, graduating from Franklin High School in 1982 and receiving a bachelor’s degree in analytical chemistry from the University of Washington in 1986.

He received a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, in theoretical chemistry and a postdoctoral degree from the University of California, Davis, in theoretical chemical physics.

An Amazon.com spokeswoman said Gehlen was the 45th hire at the online retailer.

Former postmaster admits taking money

Seattle The former postmaster of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island pleaded guilty Tuesday to misappropriating $129,000 from the Postal Service.

Carmen L. Dixon, 47, admitted in U.S. District Court that she issued money orders worth $58,000 to herself and her family from bulk mailing fees. She also took $71,000 from the sale of stamps. The money was diverted between January 2002 and last May.

Dixon, a 27-year Postal Service veteran, agreed to pay restitution as part of her plea agreement.

The misappropriation came to light during an internal Postal Service review last spring.

She faces a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced April 1.