In brief: Shooting by deputy declared justified

A sheriff’s deputy was justified when he shot and killed a man last October in Spokane Valley, according to prosecutors.

Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Jack Driscoll said he’s decided that Deputy Rustin Olson won’t face criminal charges in connection with the shooting of Quentin D. Dodd on Oct. 24.

Dodd reportedly was carrying an 8-inch “Indian arrowhead” rock when he refused commands to drop it and began running toward Olson, authorities said. Olson fired three shots at Dodd’s chest, killing him. Dodd had amphetamines in his system, according to investigators.

After reviewing the case, Driscoll concluded that Dodd was armed with what appeared to be a deadly weapon and that he disregarded numerous requests to drop the weapon from both Deputy Todd Miller and from Olson, who was retreating when he fired as Dodd closed in on him, according to a news release.

Meghann Cuniff

Girl, 1, still critical after near-drowning

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday on a 5-year-old boy who died after the car he was riding in slid backward into Fernan Lake on Sunday.

His 1-year-old sister remained in critical condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

River Deshazer was airlifted to Sacred Heart following the accident on Fernan Lake Road. Her brother, Evan Deshazer, was pronounced dead at Kootenai Medical Center following the 1:45 p.m. accident, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department said.

Authorities said the children’s mother, Sarah Deshazer, 25, of Coeur d’Alene, was turning around on the narrow, winding road when one wheel went off the roadway, causing her vehicle to slide down a steep embankment into the lake. She and her husband, Michael Deshazer, 28, were able to escape but could not reach the children before the vehicle dropped into 12 feet of murky water. Authorities estimate the children were underwater for 15 minutes.

Alison Boggs

Guard brigade team returning from Iraq

Members of the Idaho National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team are beginning to return from a nine-month deployment in Iraq.

About 300 soldiers arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday to begin the process of leaving active duty – a 10-day process that includes turning in weapons and equipment and getting medical checkups and counseling.

Staff report