In brief: Police seeking OxyContin robber

North Idaho law enforcement is asking for help solving an OxyContin robbery and an attempted robbery from 2009.

The incidents occurred Sept. 30 at Walgreens, 706 E. Seltice Way, in Post Falls at 5:28 p.m., and Oct. 27 at the Walgreens at 260 W. Honeysuckle Ave. in Hayden at 5:59 p.m.

The would-be robber displayed a gun but left empty-handed in Hayden after store clerks said none of the powerful painkiller was in stock. 

Surveillance photos show him wearing black pants and a dark blue and black North Face winter coat with the hood over an orange billed hat. The hat appears to be the same hat worn during the September robbery.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that solve either robbery. Anyone with information is asked to call (208) 667-2111 or (800) 222-TIPS. Tipsters do not have to give their name to collect a reward but should use a code name or number.

View video and photos of the robberies at spokesman.com/blogs/sirens.

Tankovich brothers denied new trial

A Kootenai County judge has denied a new trial for two Coeur d’Alene brothers convicted of racially harassing a Puerto Rican man in 2009.

Sentencing has been set for 3 p.m. on March 28 for Frank Tankovich and William Tankovich Jr., who were convicted on Oct. 28 of malicious harassment and conspiracy to commit malicious harassment, both felonies.

The brothers requested a new trial claiming jury misconduct, saying the presiding juror improperly halted deliberations and sent a note to 1st District Judge John Luster expressing concern about the racist views of another juror. In denying defendants’ motion for a new trial, Luster said that while the presiding juror’s actions were “unusual,” they did not constitute “clear and convincing” evidence of misconduct.

Cheney man arrested in marijuana bust

A multiagency marijuana investigation led to the seizure of two cars and 3 1/2 pounds of marijuana in Spokane County recently.

Cheney resident Brandon M. Collins, 27, is believed to have led the operation, which detectives say distributed more than 5 pounds of pot each week, mostly in Cheney and at Eastern Washington University.

Collins was arrested last Thursday after several undercover drug sales, according to a news release. He was released on his own recognizance Friday. Investigators say Collins regularly picked up pot in Bellevue and often made deliveries while working for a cellular phone store in Cheney.

A second suspect, identified as a 25-year-old EWU student, has not been arrested or charged.

Investigators working with the Washington State Gambling Commission and Northern Quest Casino say Collins and his associates “appear to have laundered more than $380,000 through the casino during the last three years,” according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.