Driver killed after falling asleep
A Post Falls man died early Friday morning after falling asleep while driving and rolling his truck on Highway 395.
Michael Halterman, 39, rolled his Ford F250 several times about 20 miles south of Ritzville, Wash. Halterman, who was wearing his seat belt, died at the scene, according to the Washington State Patrol.
No other vehicles were involved.
Suspect in custody; car still missing
Police are still looking for a car stolen at gunpoint in north Spokane on May 27.
Brian E. Gorder, 32, is accused of carjacking the 2008 Buick Lucerne in the Kmart parking lot, 6606 N. Division St., then using it in a robbery at Washington Trust Bank, 3810 N. Maple St.
U.S. marshals found Gorder in a tree May 28, but the Lucerne hasn’t been located.
Its owner told police she and a friend were in the parking lot when a man later identified as Gorder ordered her to move to the passenger’s seat. When she said she couldn’t because of the car’s center console, he ordered her out of the car and drove off after grabbing her purse, police said. Gorder is charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted first-degree kidnapping.
Anyone with information on the Lucerne, Washington license plate 330YNF, is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
Killer’s boyfriend pleads guilty
The boyfriend of a Spokane prostitute who murdered her husband has pleaded guilty to two federal weapons charges in California.
Brian L. Moore, 43, is expected to be sentenced to about two years in prison – but he’ll be credited for time already served. He’s been in custody since April 2009; his sentencing is reportedly at least a couple months away.
In a plea agreement filed this week in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Moore admits to possessing an unregistered rifle and silencer found in his Orange County, Calif., warehouse by Spokane police on April 27, 2009.
Investigators say they still hope to refile murder charges against Moore for his alleged role in the Dec. 9, 2007, shooting death of Dale Robert Stark in Spokane. Shellye Stark is serving 50 years in prison after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder in March 2008.
Moore was arrested on murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges during the raid in California, but Spokane County prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges after a judge threw out key evidence.
Highway still closed after derailment
State Route 231 at Edwall remains closed in the wake of a train derailment there on Wednesday.
One of the derailed train cars landed on the road during the accident, damaging the roadbed, the Washington State Patrol reported. Washington Department of Transportation officials initially hoped to have the road repaired and reopened by Friday night. However, the work will not be completed until Tuesday at the earliest, according to a WSP news release.
A detour around the closed area is in effect.
State bar honors local commissioner
Superior Court Commissioner Jim Triplet has been named the Family Law Court Professional of the Year by the Washington State Bar Association.
The bar’s Family Law Executive Committee voted 18-0 to award Triplet the honor, Superior Court Administrator Ron Miles said in a news release.
“Our bench has long recognized that Jim continuously goes above and beyond the call of duty,” Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno said in the release.
Triplet, who co-wrote and produced a video for parents who cannot afford lawyers, has been a full-time court commissioner since 2004. Before that, he worked seven years as a pro-tem court commissioner.