Police checking whether others were extortion victims

Spokane Police Department detectives believe the man who had sex with former Washington Rep. Richard Curtis in October might have used extortion techniques in the past.

Other possible victims of 26-year-old Cody Castagna might have been reluctant to contact police, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, Spokane Police spokeswoman.

Castagna, a Spokane waiter and part-time porn model with a lengthy juvenile criminal record, is accused of attempting to extort $1,000 from Curtis after the two engaged in sex at a downtown Spokane hotel.

Curtis has since resigned his seat in the House of Representatives.

Detectives are urging anyone who may have been a victim of Castagna to call (509) 242-8477.

Three in custody after armed robberies downtown

Armed robbers struck at least twice Monday night in downtown Spokane, leaving one victim with minor injuries from a blow to the head.

Three suspects were in custody in connection with the holdups. All three are juveniles, said Officer Teresa Fuller. The suspects’ identities were unavailable, and it was unclear if any weapons were recovered.

Both robberies happened in the area of First and Stevens about 9:18 p.m., Fuller said.

A wallet and a purse belonging to the victims were found nearby.

Open house to focus on shoreline rule changes

The city of Spokane will hold an open house from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight in the Newton Room of the West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt St., to update residents on potential changes in shoreline regulations.

The 1976 shoreline program in Spokane was last updated in 1982, and the city is under a 2003 state requirement to include new standards based on environmental science.

Rewards offered for tips on car theft suspects

Secret Witness is offering rewards for information that leads to the arrest of two fugitives suspected in separate car thefts.

Dustin R. Ramsey, 22, is wanted on suspicion of stealing a church van, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. The van was stolen about 5:30 a.m. Nov. 10. It was recovered in Medical Lake about 6:15 p.m. Nov. 12.

Ramsey is also suspected of hit-and-run and obstructing a public servant, Reagan said.

Jacob S. Beck, 30, is wanted for allegedly stealing the Jeep of a 78-year-old man to whom he was providing home care, Reagan said. Despite being told not to drive the Jeep, Beck allegedly took it and was arrested for allegedly driving with a suspended license.

Authorities have a felony warrant charging Beck with the theft, Reagan said. Beck’s criminal history includes burglary, possession of a firearm, possession of stolen property and forgery.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Ramsey or Beck to call (509) 327-5111. Tipsters do not have to give their names to collect rewards, but should leave code names or numbers.

COEUR D’ALENE

Power to be interrupted from 11 to 3 for line work

About 1,650 customers of Kootenai Electric Cooperative and Avista Utilities will be without power for four hours today while a new transmission line is connected.

The outage will take place from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will affect homes and businesses south of Coeur d’Alene, including Conklin Park, Sun Up Bay, Windy Bay and Worley.

KEC is connecting a new transmission line serving the new Setters substation. The work requires an outage to Avista’s Rockford substation, which provides service to Worley.

PULLMAN

Baseboard heater blamed in apartment building fire

On a day of below-freezing temperatures and 8 inches of snow, an electric baseboard heater was the culprit of a fire that ripped through an unoccupied apartment building in Pullman, officials said.

Fifteen firefighters were dispatched to the Earthtone Apartments, 921 S.E. Klemgard Ave., about 2:30 p.m. Monday after a passer-by saw smoke. Crews knocked down the flames in 10 minutes, Capt. Eric Reiber said.

But that gave the blaze enough time to spread through a second-floor apartment and burn a hole down into the lower level. The top apartment had just been remodeled, Reiber said.

“They’ll probably have to do that over again,” he said.

The fire caused an estimated $60,000 in damage, said fire spokesman and Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson. Nobody was injured.