Informant collects reward for tip on wanted man
Someone is $1,000 richer thanks to information they provided a group that collects anonymous tips about people wanted by police.
Secret Witness, a nonprofit organization, recently offered a reward for Jeffrey F. Matlock, 31. He was wanted for escape and possession of drugs, said Spokane police spokesman Dick Cottam in a press release.
A tip received by Secret Witness led officers to the West Wynn Motel, 2701 W. Sunset Blvd., on Tuesday, where they arrested Matlock.
An employee of the motel, who declined to give his name, said Matlock checked in on Sunday under the name of Kevin Bacon.
Last week, Matlock was a target of several agencies in raids of four Spokane County addresses. The Washington State Patrol said Matlock is suspected to be involved in the sale of narcotics and stolen auto parts.
Soup kitchen finds new home
Coeur d’Alene A soup kitchen for the homeless that has served food in parks for the past few months has found a temporary home in Lakes Middle School.
Cherished One Ministries will serve one last outdoor meal Saturday on St. Thomas Catholic Church’s playfield at 11th Street and Indiana Avenue. The meal will be served from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Starting in June, the soup kitchen will serve meals out of Lakes Middle School at Hastings Avenue and 15th Street. It will continue to serve Saturdays in the late afternoon.
Cherished One is not linked to a church and has had trouble establishing a permanent location it could afford for its meals.
Kevin Kram, soup kitchen founder, said Cherished One can use Lakes for as long as six months.
“We so appreciate what the Catholic church did for us,” he said Wednesday, referring to St. Thomas.
Cherished One is planning a golf tournament Saturday at the Coeur d’Alene Public Golf Course to raise money to keep the soup kitchen operating. Participation costs $50.
To register, call Kyle Rutley at (208) 665-9230.
Reservoirs serving Seattle are full
Seattle
Two Cascade Mountains reservoirs that serve the greater Seattle area with water are full after spring rains.
Typically, if the Tolt River and Chester Morse reservoirs are full by June 1, water managers say the supply will last through a dry summer.
At the end of March, the precipitation total at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport since Oct. 1 was 8 1/2 inches below normal. That total now, measured since Oct. 1, is 26.55 inches of rain – just about 5 inches below normal, the National Weather Service said.
The wet spring has eased some drought concerns.
“(The rain) has definitely made it easier to steer our way through the summer,” said Karen Reed, spokeswoman for Seattle Public Utilities.
A statewide drought emergency will remain in effect, despite the wet spring, state Department of Ecology officials said.
Suspect named in violent robbery
Post Falls Post Falls police have named a woman they believe was involved in last week’s violent robbery of a man in his home.
A man was bound with tape and zip ties while he was robbed by two men and a woman early May 18, police said. The robbers ransacked his home, and the victim told police he was forced at gunpoint to divulge his bank account information.
Deborah K. Dutcher, 28, was identified as a suspect with the assistance of Spokane police and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Post Falls police Lt. Scot Haug wrote in a press release.
Dutcher uses different spellings of her first name and sometimes goes by Patricia, the release stated.
Police believe Dutcher withdrew money from the victim’s bank account after the robbery.
Two Spokane men were arrested in connection with the robbery. They are Donald W. Brown, 26, and Steven L. Murphy, 25.
Police ask that anyone with information about Dutcher’s whereabouts contact the department at (208) 773-3517.
Renovation ideas for Capitol studied
Boise
State lawmakers know they want to renovate the 100-year-old Capitol, but the question has been whether the new plan should include new east and west wings, or a more straightforward upgrade of the existing building.
A legislative task force designated to weigh the alternatives gathered in Boise on Tuesday, but no clear direction came from the meeting.
Department of Administration Director Pam Ahrens, who is in charge of all state buildings, said her staff plans to study the various ideas, how they would be carried out and how much they would cost.
Officials started planning the renovation in 1998. A $64-million design was approved in 2001 but it stalled the next year, when lawmakers raided the renovation account to shore up the state’s operating budget.