Spokane man jailed in rape of 14-year-old
A 26-year-old Spokane man is in jail after a 14-year-old girl told police he raped her.
Devin K. Porter is in jail on $50,000 bond after appearing in Superior Court on Thursday on one count of third-degree rape of a child.
He was arrested early Thursday, several hours after a friend of his alleged victim called 911 and reported a rape.
Porter is a neighbor of the alleged victim’s relative, police said.
Porter reportedly asked the girls to watch pornography with him before the attack, police said.
Porter called the girl several times after the alleged encounter, according to a search warrant filed in Spokane County District Court.
Police used the warrant to search Porter’s home at 2123 W. Grace.
DNA on fake beard may solve robbery
A 7-month-old robbery may be solved thanks to DNA from a fake beard worn by the culprit.
A suspect, 35-year-old Donald R. Wright, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the June 23 robbery at the Grocery Outlet at 7810 N. Division after the state crime lab matched his DNA to samples found on the beard.
Wright is accused of robbing the store while wearing a wig and beard. He fled and told a nearby homeowner he needed a ride because he was being chased, according to a search warrant filed today in Spokane County District Court.
When the homeowner returned, he learned of the robbery and told police he may have inadvertently driven the culprit from the scene, according to the search warrant.
Police found the wig and beard in the man’s backyard, and Wright’s DNA was on file with the state because of a previous felony conviction. The robber’s getaway driver picked out Wright’s mug shot in a lineup, according to the search warrant.
Clean Water Act fines imposed
Seven North Idaho contractors and developers were fined nearly $45,000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Clean Water Act violations at work sites.
Some operators failed to apply for a storm water permit, according to EPA inspectors. Others didn’t take actions to reduce erosion from construction sites and protect water quality from pollutants such as oil and grease.
Cedars at Sandcreek LLC and Earthworks Northwest were fined $14,750; Floyd McGhee and Normco, $13,000; Sandpoint Construction Co., $9,000; and Timber Ridge Investments and Idaho Granite Works, $8,200.
EPA officials said they’ve been working for seven years to improve compliance rates.
“We were surprised by the number of unpermitted operators and by the poor storm water management practices at these sites,” said Kim Ogle, manager of EPA’s permit compliance unit in Seattle.
Felon enters not guilty plea
A convicted felon and gang member pleaded not guilty Wednesday to several felony charges, including robbery and kidnapping, after he was charged with helping his girlfriend get money to pay for her drug-addicted mother’s rent.
Robert L. Hensley, 21, appeared Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark. He pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree robbery, kidnapping and burglary and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.
The charges stem from a confrontation Dec. 17 between Hensley and a man who had lent $200 to 18-year-old Breeanna Sims. Her mother, 34-year-old Alisson D. Taylor, told police that she was addicted to hydrocodone and needed money to pay rent.
Taylor said she devised a plan to lure the victim into a car where they locked the doors and had Hensley beat the male victim unconscious. They later drove the victim to his apartment, where they forced their way in and took $600.
Hensley’s trial is set for April 5. Charges against Sims and Taylor are pending.
Counties: Keep anti-meth program
Rural counties in northeastern Washington have mounted a public campaign to renew a methamphetamine-fighting program they say has cut crime.
Public officials in Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln and Ferry counties are urging their constituents to ask legislators to extend a four-year pilot program that has pumped nearly $1.6 million a year into 13 rural counties.
A coalition of sheriffs, prosecutors and Superior Court clerks credits the program, which expires this summer, with helping reduce participating counties’ crime rates substantially more than the state average.
Seal, sea lions shot near Seattle
SEATTLE – A harbor seal and at least four sea lions, including one listed as endangered, were shot to death near Seattle, authorities said Friday.
One was a Steller sea lion protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. The others were smaller, more common California sea lions listed under the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
National Marine Fisheries Service spokesman Brian Gorman said an investigation was under way. It’s illegal in most cases to shoot any kind of sea lion or seal.