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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman in beating still hospitalized

A woman beaten with a two-by-four and an air conditioner remained hospitalized Thursday, and her half-brother remained in the Spokane County Jail on $250,000 bond.

Police arrested Patrick A. Rupp, 48, Wednesday night after witnesses said they’d seen him beat Karen Brown, 51, with a piece of wood, then drop an air conditioner on her head.

Brown told police she’d gone to Rupp’s home at 1917 S. Chestnut St. to collect rent money when Rupp attacked her.

She suffered injuries so severe police considered them life-threatening, according to Rupp’s arrest papers.

He appeared in Spokane County Superior Court on Thursday on a felony first-degree assault charge.

Brown and Rupp’s uncle, Richard Harrison, lives on the same Chestnut Street property and told police he heard the two arguing; he looked outside to see Rupp beating Brown with the wood, according to the arrest papers.

Blood covered Brown’s face and hair, according to witness reports.

Brown was sent to Deaconess Medical Center, where her condition was unavailable.

Sex offender moves to city

A level 3 sex offender has moved to Spokane and is living as a transient, according to Spokane police.

Eva Strasburg, 26, was convicted of third-degree rape of a child in Walla Walla County in 2003.

Her victim was a 13-year-old boy.

Strasburg was also convicted of second- degree child molestation in Walla Walla County in 1998.

Her victim was a 12-year-old boy.

Strasburg is no longer supervised by the Washington Department Corrections but must register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

Cash offered for tips on witness

Police can’t find a witness in a gang-related homicide case that’s scheduled for trial this month, and Crime Stoppers is offering a $250 reward for information leading to his capture.

Rylan A. Doutre, 22, also is wanted for a drive-by shooting, negligent driving and possession of a controlled substance.

Doutre is to testify in the first-degree murder case involving the killing of Adama Walton, 28, in a drive-by shooting Sept. 14 after a party near Perry Street and North Foothills Drive, police said.

Walton fled in a gold Chevrolet Avalanche after the shooting, but the car flipped and he died in the street, according to police.

Two men – Titus T. Davis, 31, and Freddie J. Miller, 28 – face first-degree murder charges in connection with the killing. Davis was arrested in February; Miller was found in Missoula last month.

Anyone with information on Doutre, who last gave his address as 326 W. Shannon Ave., is asked to call (800) 222-TIPS or visit www.crimestoppersinland northwest.org.

Tipsters do not have to give a name but should provide a code name or number.

BOISE

Condom coupons pulled at campus

A coupon book publisher says it removed coupons for a condom shop after administrators at Boise State University threatened to dump the booklets being handed out on campus.

The flare-up centers on a coupon for The O!Zone Condom Shop in Boise.

Store owner Caryn Thompson said she was stunned the coupons were pulled, especially since they’ve been included in booklets handed out to students during the last seven semesters.

Boise State officials said they received complaints about the coupons this week, then simply shared those concerns to Kansas-based Brooks Publishing.

But CEO Jeff Brooks told KTVB-TV a different story, contending the university threatened to dump the booklets.

Instead, Brooks said he hired workers to rip out the coupons before giving them to students.

Boise State officials said they prefer to distribute the coupons through health services.

YAKIMA

Court upholds pipefitters’ award

The Washington state Supreme Court has upheld a $4.8 million verdict in favor of 11 pipefitters who claimed they were fired for raising safety concerns at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

The workers filed suit nine years ago against Fluor Federal Services, a contractor at the nuclear site.

They claimed they were laid off after objecting when they were told to install a valve they believed was inadequate.

A Benton County Superior Court jury awarded them damages in 2005, but Fluor Federal Services appealed.

The state Supreme Court rejected that appeal Thursday.

From staff and wire reports