In brief: Police dog, tear gas help end standoff

Four people were arrested after police pumped tear gas and released a police dog into a North Side apartment Friday during a six-hour SWAT team standoff.

The dog entered the apartment and fought with robbery suspect Bobby S. Decaney, 35, before Spokane police officers entered the residence and took Decaney into custody, police said. Also arrested were Maceo L. Williams, 27; Michael J. Hall, 25; and Nicole M. Coffey, 27.

Police were looking for Decaney and Williams on suspicion of robbery and assault for a Thursday evening mugging.

Officers had spoken with a 22-year-old woman at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center about 8:45 p.m. who said she’d been choked unconscious and robbed by three people in the 1300 block of Southeast Boulevard.

Descriptions of the attackers and their vehicle led police to Decaney’s apartment at 13110 N. Addison St., where Officer Cory Lyons located the vehicle.

Hall and Coffey were arrested after refusing to surrender or cooperate with police.

Police are investigating whether they were involved in the mugging, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, spokeswoman for the Spokane Police Department.

Meghann M. Cuniff

Cloninger widow sues doctor, Deaconess

The widow of well-known Spokane architect and real estate developer Glen Cloninger has sued an anesthesiologist and Deaconess Hospital, blaming them in death of her husband.

Cloninger died a year ago at age 66 of complications from what was supposed to be a minor surgery.

The suit brought by Pamela Cloninger claims that Dr. Kim Chen of Anesthesia Associates of Spokane failed to properly manage Cloninger’s airway after the operation, causing him to suffer hypoxia, which then led to heart problems and brain damage.

Cloninger died several days later at Deaconess.

Cloninger lawyer Stephen Haskell also alleged that Chen and Deaconess did not preserve the underlying medical data regarding post- operative procedures and care.

Deaconess and Anesthesia Associates declined to comment on the suit.

Haskell said extensive notes were added to Cloninger’s file two days after the surgery – a move that he alleged was done to deceive the family and avoid the appearance of negligence.

The case was filed Thursday in Spokane County Superior Court.

John Stucke