Ombudsman plan forthcoming
A proposed ordinance for a civilian ombudsman to oversee complaints of Spokane police misconduct should be unveiled by late August or early September, city officials estimated Monday.
Citizens have been requesting an independent ombudsman since a series of police controversies in 2006. In June, the Spokane Police Guild approved the ombudsman proposal. The city attorney’s office is determining what laws would govern the new position. The ombudsman will report to the mayor.
Joe Shogun, Spokane City Council president and Public Safety Committee member, said Monday he requested a draft of the ordinance be prepared before Aug. 18. After a review by the committee, the information will be forwarded to the full council before the end of August.
A date for public comment has not been set.
Boys on bike run stop sign, hit car
Two boys riding one bike ran a stop sign and crashed into a 2008 Subaru Outback on Monday afternoon, sending one boy to Sacred Heart Medical Center and smashing the car’s windshield.
The boys were southbound on Mayfair Street when they blew through a stop sign at Bridgeport Avenue and hit the front of the eastbound Subaru, Spokane Police Cpl. Jon Strickland said.
Both boys hit the car’s windshield, Strickland said. The boy pedaling was taken to Scared Heart to check for head injuries after he reported memory loss. His passenger suffered only a scrape. Neither boy was wearing a helmet.
Strickland estimated the car’s damage to be $3,000 to $4,000.
Flags at half-staff in honor of soldier
Flags at Washington state government buildings were flown at half-staff Monday in honor of a Washington soldier killed in combat last week.
U.S. Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar was killed July 13 in Wanat, Afghanistan.
Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered flags at all state government buildings be flown at half-staff in memory of Bogar, who started his Army career in the Washington National Guard.
Information on suspects sought
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the capture of a man wanted for theft and a woman with a 20-year history of criminal offenses.
Frederick William Altona, 36, has been convicted of crimes including theft, attempting to steal a motor vehicle and attempting to elude police. He has brown eyes and brown hair, is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. His last known address is 2222 E. Boone Ave.
Eija Ginnykay Herr, 35, is wanted on six warrants on charges including obstructing police and motor vehicle theft. She is 5 feet 8 inches tall, 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Her last known address is 2107 E. 16th Ave.
Anyone with information about Altona’s or Herr’s whereabouts is asked to call (509) 327-5111.
kootenai county
Reward offered in bomb threat case
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is offering a $5,000 reward for information about the person who last week called in a bomb threat to the Coeur d’Alene Casino.
The call came in just before midnight July 15, and the caller has been described as a woman in her late teens or early 20s. She used a pay phone outside the Benewah Market in Plummer.
The casino and hotel were evacuated until bomb experts confirmed there were no bombs inside.
The caller could face charges of threatening to destroy an occupied building, a federal offense.
Although Coeur d’Alene tribal police are closing in on a person of interest, they are seeking help from the public. Anyone with information is asked to call the tip line at (208) 686-2076.