Police say man beat half-sister
A 51-year-old woman was in critical condition at a Spokane hospital Wednesday after being beaten severely, allegedly by her half-brother, police said.
The woman, whose name has not been released, was transported to Deaconess Medical Center on Wednesday with a possible broken neck, possible swelling of the brain and other internal injuries, said Spokane police Cpl. Jon Strickland. Her injuries were considered life-threatening, he said.
Police arrested Patrick A. Rupp, 48, on charges of felony first-degree assault and domestic violence.
Officers arrived to the scene shortly after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday after a 911 caller said two people were fighting in front of 1917 S. Chestnut St. in west Spokane, Strickland said. Witnesses said the man held a two-by-four while the woman was on the ground, with injuries to her back, ribs and head. She also had difficulty breathing. While the fight remains under investigation, Strickland said that witness accounts indicate it was over an estate.
Boy hit by truck doing better
The boy struck by a city dump truck while riding his non-motorized scooter has been upgraded to serious condition, officials at Sacred Heart Medical Center said Wednesday.
Doctors told the family last week that Zachary Donovan, 9, will have to stay flat on his back for at least six weeks.
The boy suffered a crushed pelvis and several internal injuries. He is no longer using a ventilator and is reportedly coming out of his coma, according to the family’s attorney.
Spokane police think Donovan, a student at Hutton Elementary School, was playing with a classmate when a truck driven by city of Spokane employee Charlie Hanshaw, 22, hit him. Investigators interviewed the girl on Tuesday.
Anyone who may have seen the collision on Aug. 27 near D Street and North Loop Avenue should call (509) 835-4567.
COLFAX
Child-rape suspect turns himself in
A man suspected of raping a 5-year-old turned himself in hours after Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest offered a reward for information leading to his capture.
Roger L. Walters, 21, contacted Whitman County Sheriff’s deputies Wednesday afternoon and was arrested in Lamont, Wash. He was booked into the Whitman County Jail on one count of first-degree rape of a child.
Walters’ first court appearance is scheduled for today.
YAKIMA
Company to pay Clean Air Act fine
A central Washington fruit storage company has agreed to pay a $16,746 fine for violations of the Clean Air Act.
As part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday, Borton & Sons Inc. also agreed to spend at least $53,544 to reduce the risk of releasing anhydrous ammonia from the pipes at its 1991 building in Yakima.
Anhydrous ammonia is used in refrigeration. An EPA review found that the company’s facility lacked a prevention program to protect the public and the environment.
The violations occurred between June 21, 2004, and June 30, 2006.