Man in CdA standoff appears in court
The man who held police at bay for 10 hours Monday made a first appearance in court Tuesday on multiple charges and remains in jail on $250,000 bond.
Thomas Bernard Graham, 40, was arrested on a warrant Monday evening after the tense standoff with police that caused the evacuation of two blocks of Seventh Avenue in Coeur d’Alene and involved about 50 police officers from at least four agencies.
Graham was believed to be armed, and a woman was in the residence with him until 12:30 p.m.
A special team from the Idaho State Police in Boise was about to be flown up to Coeur d’Alene to spell local officers when Graham was arrested by officers who stormed the duplex in which he had barricaded himself, said Sgt. Christie Wood of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. No one was injured in the incident, which led to the lockdown of nearby Bryan Elementary.
“They had worked with him through the day,” said Wood. “At one point he was in the position where the entry team could go in and nab him. They had to wait until he had no weapons.”
When they saw him in a window without a gun, they rushed in, she said. But as of Tuesday afternoon, Wood said, police had yet to recover the gun.
Graham was wanted on two outstanding warrants, and the standoff began when officers located him and attempted to make the arrest. One arrest warrant was on charges of burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding a police officer, grand theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. The $250,000 bond set by the court for that arrest warrant remains in effect.
Deadline looms for Bloomsday participants
So you’ve filed your taxes, but don’t forget another important deadline just around the corner. Runners and walkers have less than a week to register for Bloomsday to avoid a late fee.
To pay $10 instead of $25, paper registrations must be postmarked by Tuesday. Bloomies also can sign up in person at Gart Sports’ two local stores until 9 p.m. that day.
Registering online buys you a few extra days. Those entries must be submitted by April 17 before the cost goes up.
Anyone who misses those two dates still can register on Bloomsday weekend for the higher price.
The 12-kilometer run/walk will be held May 1 this year. Registration forms can be found at Washington Trust Bank branches, Safeway stores, Snyder’s Bakery outlets, Premera Blue Cross, Holy Family Hospital and Sacred Heart Medical Center.
For more information, call (509) 838-1579 or visit www.bloomsdayrun.org.
Mount Spokane Ski Patrol seeks volunteers
The Mount Spokane Ski Patrol is recruiting volunteers for next year’s ski season and will hold an open house Saturday for anyone interested.
The event begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park’s patrol building.
Members of the patrol provide first aid assistance, mark trails and run hazards, encourage safe habits and search for lost skiers. The patrol is seeking candidates with adequate skiing or snowboarding skills; first aid training will be provided.
For more information or to reserve a place, contact Jackie Hughes at (509) 928-3261.
Spokane plans downtown cleanup event
For the second year in a row, the Spokane mayor’s office will hold what it calls a “Cleaning from the Core” work party in the downtown area on April 23.
Jobs include planting flowers in Riverfront Park, picking up trash around the Bloomsday finish line and sweeping up along downtown streets. Check-in is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in the breezeway at the Opera House, and the work party will run through 11:30 a.m. The first 300 participants will receive a T-shirt.
Participants are asked to sign up in advance.
Forms are available on the city’s Web site at www.spokanecity.org, at the mayor’s office on the fifth floor of City Hall and at KXLY at 500 W. Boone. Forms are due April 19.
Valley police arrest wrong pair in robbery
Spokane Valley police thought they had arrested two robbery suspects Tuesday morning, but it turned out to be a mistake.
The robbery occurred around 11 p.m. Monday night when a woman gave a ride to a female friend who was accompanied by a man she didn’t know, said Cpl. Greg Barkley. The two were riding in the back seat.
“He reached around with a straight-edge razor and held it to her throat,” Barkley said. “They took her purse.”
The woman was stopped in the parking lot of Tidyman’s at Sprague and McKinnon at the time of the robbery.
On Tuesday police believed they had spotted the two people and caught up with them in front of the Value Village at Sprague and McDonald.
“They were walking by the (police) precinct and the corporal saw them,” Barkley said.
“He matches the physical description to a T.”
But when the victim arrived to identify them, she said she didn’t recognize the two.
Police have the name of the victim’s female friend and are searching for her.
They are also looking for her companion, described as a black man, with short hair and a goatee, wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the police tip line at (509) 242-TIPS.