In brief: Arson ruled out in fatal Sunday fire
Spokane fire investigators have ruled out arson as the cause of an apartment fire Sunday in Browne’s Addition that left a man dead.
Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said investigators still have more interviews to conduct, but they believe the fire at 1914 W. First Ave. was accidental.
The fire started in an apartment on the second floor in or around a fabric-covered sofa-style chair. While Schaeffer indicated it was premature to cite an exact cause, he noted that a resident of the apartment was drinking that night and is a smoker who typically uses empty cans, not ashtrays, to dispose of cigarettes.
Perry Herriman, 45, was found dead when firefighters entered his third-floor apartment. His wife, one of two building tenants hospitalized, was rescued by neighbors using their own ladders, Schaeffer said.
“I can’t say enough about the amount of heroism shown by several people in the neighborhood,” Schaeffer said. “In the YouTube videos, you can see citizens throwing up their ladders on their own to bring people down. That in and of itself is refreshing.”
Shooting leaves 2 dead, 1 wounded
Two women were shot to death Thursday and a third was wounded in what Okanogan County authorities are calling a murder-suicide.
The shooting was reported just after 5 p.m. at a home in the 500 block of North Second Avenue in Okanogan, according to a news release by Sheriff Frank Rogers.
One woman was transported to Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak and was to be airlifted elsewhere; the other victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter was pronounced dead at Mid-Valley Hospital, Rogers said.
The name of those involved have not been released pending family notification, but Rogers said the three women knew one another.
KPBX’s spare antenna stolen
Thieves cut up and stole pieces of a radio antenna owned by KPBX Radio sometime between Sunday and Tuesday afternoon, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
The antenna was no longer in use and was lying on the ground in a fenced compound on Mica Peak, a news release said.
KPBX General Manager Dick Kunkel said the station hadn’t decided whether to sell the antenna or keep it as backup.
He said about 60 feet of coaxial cable was stolen, along with some connectors. Calling the theft “unfortunate,” Kunkel added that it won’t be a “major hit” financially. “It’s probably worth more to us as a backup,” he said.
Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
Dad, son arrested after dispute
A father and son were arrested Wednesday after a neighborhood dispute that began with a middle-finger gesture led to a pistol being fired into the ground.
Stephan R. Day, 53, is accused of firing the pistol. His son, Stephan D. Day, 18, is accused of trying to hide his father’s guns before police arrived. Police say the incident began about 9:15 p.m. when the elder Day “extended his middle finger” at a neighbor and his friends, according to a news release from Spokane Valley police Sgt. Dave Reagan.
The neighbor said he and his friends were leaving when Day again flipped them off, so they “decided to return and respond in kind,” Reagan said. Day retrieved a .44-caliber pistol from his home and fired it into the ground at the men’s feet, who retreated and called 911. No one was injured.
The younger Day was arrested for possession of a pistol by a minor and evidence tampering.
His father, who has felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing firearms, was arrested on five counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and single counts of harassment – threats to kill and reckless endangerment.
Winning ticket sold in Post Falls
Another big win in the Mega Millions lottery comes from a ticket sold in Kootenai County, the Idaho Lottery said.
It’s the sixth time in the past year that someone has won $250,000 or more on a ticket sold in the greater Coeur d’Alene area, the state lottery said. One included January’s jackpot winner, Holly Lahti, of Rathdrum, who won $190 million on a ticket she purchased in Post Falls.
Three of the six winning tickets in North Idaho have been sold in Post Falls.
The latest $250,000 winner bought the Mega Millions ticket in Post Falls as well. The prize is for matching the five numbers drawn (11, 21, 44, 48, 49) but not the Megaball, which was 23.
James Pond, 47, who operates a lawn mowing company in Post Falls, told KREM TV that he bought the winning ticket and is headed to lottery headquarters in Boise to collect his money.
Pond said he bought the ticket at a Conoco gas station on Seltice Way.
Man accused of indecent exposure
A 20-year-old Spokane man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly exposed himself to motorists on the South Hill, officials said Wednesday.
Tyler Rexal Raymond Hall was booked into jail on a charge of indecent exposure after motorists told Spokane County sheriff’s deputies he had pulled down his shorts and revealed his penis as he walked westbound on East 57th Avenue and South Pittsburg Street about 2:45 p.m.
Hall was handcuffed, and a deputy found a marijuana pipe and bag of marijuana during a search of his clothing.
“It was undetermined if the marijuana played a role in the exposure incident, but it certainly played a role in Hall’s additional arrest for possession of a controlled substance,” sheriff’s Sgt. Reagan said in a news release.
SCRAPS seeks cat food donations
The Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service needs help restocking its shelves.
The shelves in the food storage room are almost bare of cat and kitten food, according to a SCRAPS new release.
“We depend entirely on donations from the public of pet food and cat litter,” SCRAPS director Nancy Hill said in the release.
“Right now we only have a few bags of cat and kitten food left on our shelves, and we are being inundated with cats.”
So far this year, SCRAPS has received nearly 2,000 cats and kittens, according to the release. With an average of 60 cats at any one time, the cat food supplies dwindle rapidly.
To make a tax-deductible donation of either cat or kitten food or a monetary donation, visit the shelter at 2521 N. Flora Road in Spokane Valley, or visit www. spokanecounty.org/ SCRAPS/ and click on “Online Donations.”