Two charged with robbery in attack outside Rosauers

A Spokane Police lieutenant apprehended a man just after a witness saw a 73-year-old man attacked and robbed outside a downtown grocery store.

Lt. Scott Mullennix was driving past Rosauers at 1808 W. Third Ave., Wednesday afternoon when he saw a man on the ground and two people running, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a news release.

The man fleeing was holding a wallet as he ran into some bushes, Cottam said, and when he emerged Mullennix could no longer see the wallet.

Mullennix stopped his car and approached the man, who was identified as 28-year-old William S. Ross of Post Falls. The fleeing woman was identified as Talisha M. Ross, also 28.

Mullennix then learned that the 73-year-old man and his granddaughter had been standing next to a pay phone. The Rosses were standing nearby and the granddaughter said she heard the woman ask the man, “Should we do it?”

William Ross then allegedly knocked down the older man, and the woman took his wallet, Cottam said.

When Mullennix asked William Ross about the wallet, he said he had found a wallet on the sidewalk. The officer found the wallet in the bushes, Cottam said.

William and Talisha Ross each was booked into jail on a charge of first-degree robbery, Cottam said.

Okanogan fire threatens 20 homes

A fire between Pateros and Methow in Okanogan County burned hundreds of acres and was threatening 20 homes Thursday.

State crews joined local firefighters to battle the blaze. Some homes were evacuated in the path of the fire, said Greg Pressel of the Washington State Patrol.

Firefighters were reporting windy conditions and low humidity, he said. The cause of the blaze is unknown.

Sex offender living in Spokane

A level 3 sex offender has moved to Spokane after having served a lengthy prison sentence.

Richard Chadderdon, 73, moved to Spokane at the end of August and lists himself as a transient with no permanent address.

He recently spent 10 years in prison after he was convicted for first-degree child molestation, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a news release. Chadderdon’s victim was a 3-year-old girl.

He also has convictions for two counts of indecent liberties involving 6- and 8-year-old girls.

In the past, Chadderdon befriended families with young children. He would then offer to baby-sit and molest them when their parents were gone, Cottam said.

Chadderdon is 6-foot-5, 350 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

He is not wanted by law enforcement at this time, but he is considered at high risk to re-offend, Cottam said.

Raffle nets $4,000 for CdA officer

A raffle organized by the Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff’s Association helped raise $4,000 for Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Michael Kralicek.

St. Maries resident Beverly Martin won a mini-chopper motorcycle, donated by Tom Addis Motors. The winning ticket was drawn at the close of last month’s Kootenai County Fair.

Kralicek was shot in the face last December by a suspect in a theft and hit and run accident. The suspect was killed by other deputies.

Energy future topic of conference

Gas prices and the long-term energy outlook will be the focus of a Spokane conference in early October presented by Washington State University.The event is designed to bring together energy and business experts and will present the latest science on oil depletion and energy alternatives, WSU said in a news release. The conference will be Oct. 4-5 at the Davenport Hotel.

Among those who will make presentations are Gov. Christine Gregoire; Herman Franssen, former chief of the International Energy Agency; Roger Bezdek, co-author of “Peaking World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation and Risk Management”; and Matthew Simmons, author of “Twilight in the Desert,” which raises doubts about Saudi Arabia’s ability to meet growing demand for oil.

For more information and a schedule, go to http://capps.wsu.edu/globaloil/ or call (800) 942-4978.