Valley man faces fraud, drug charges
Spokane Valley officers charged a 45-year-old man Monday after they discovered that he had stolen a pair of checks from his 85-year-old adoptive mother, a nursing home resident. Gary Archie Schreck now faces felony counts of fraud and possession of methamphetamine, a department spokesman said.
Officers responded Monday to the Park Place Retirement home after another family member called to report suspicious check activity with the account held by the mother, police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan said in a news release.
Officer Mike McNees contacted the mother and the suspect and obtained permission to search Schreck’s backpack. Inside he found methamphetamine and took Schreck into custody.
McNees then searched another bag belonging to Schreck, who lives at 8601 E. Bridgeport Ave., and found two checks reported stolen from the mother’s checkbook. McNees then booked Schreck into the Spokane County Jail.
Spokane County
Woman sentenced for Medicaid fraud
A former Spokane County adult family home operator was sentenced Monday for six felony counts of Medicaid fraud.
Bonnie L. Olsen, operator of Precious Times Adult Family Home, pleaded guilty to one count of theft and five counts of making false statements regarding Medicaid, according to a news release from the attorney general.
Olsen was sentenced to 30 days of electronic home monitoring, $5,890 in restitution and 12 months of community supervision. She was also prohibited from providing services to vulnerable adults, especially Medicaid clients, the release said.
Olsen falsely claimed she was providing in-home care services for a developmentally delayed Medicaid recipient from July through November 2006. The attorney general’s investigation showed the recipient lived elsewhere.
Sewage plant operator chosen
County leaders have selected Denver-based CH2M Hill to design, build and operate its new sewage treatment plant that will serve Spokane Valley.
Spokane County commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to enter into negotiations with CH2M Hill for the new plant, which is expected to open in 2012 at the former stockyard property near Freya Street and Boone Avenue.
In 2006, the county estimated that it would cost $106 million to design and build the new plant, but county utilities director Bruce Rawls said Tuesday costs likely will increase because of the price of materials.
CH2M Hill’s Spokane office is managed by Roger Flint, the city of Spokane’s former public works director.
Spokane County handles sewage north and east of the city of Spokane and currently sends its sewage to the city of Spokane’s plant. County officials say the new plant is necessary because it is running out of capacity at the city of Spokane’s treatment plant.
The plant will be paid for through a series of sewage rate increases.
Missoula
Couple killed in crash identified
Two motorcyclists who were killed in a crash on U.S. Highway 12 east of Lolo Pass have been identified.
Vernon Stanley, 46, and his wife, Linda, 54, of Ogden, Utah, were headed to Spokane to visit family when Monday’s accident occurred, Missoula County sheriff’s Capt. Greg Hintz said.
The couple was pulling a camper trailer when Vernon Stanley apparently lost control of the bike while rounding a curve, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
The bike struck an eastbound pickup, and the Stanleys were pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was unhurt.