In brief: September bringing late-season heat

Summer took a while to heat up this year, but now it’s baking.

A stretch of 90-plus-degree days and warm nights, with no rain in sight, begins today, the National Weather Service said.

Highs are forecast in the mid-90s Thursday through Saturday in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas and will ease back into the high 80s by next Tuesday, the agency said.

Overnight lows will remain in the mid- to high 50s through the weekend.

Staff reports

Drowning cause of 5-year-old’s death

Preliminary autopsy results are consistent with drowning in the case of a 5-year-old boy who was trapped underwater following an Aug. 28 car crash on Fernan Lake Road.

The autopsy on Evan Deshazer did not reveal any internal injuries, said Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff’s office still is waiting for toxicology results, he said.

Evan Deshazer’s sister, River, 1, and his parents, Sarah and Michael Deshazer, survived the accident in which the family’s Dodge Durango slid off Fernan Lake Road into the lake. The parents escaped, but both children were trapped underwater for about 15 minutes, authorities said.

River Deshazer was in critical condition following the accident and now is in satisfactory condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

“When they brought her up, she was not breathing,” Miller said. However, he added, “Kids are very resilient. The younger you are, the more apt you are to survive a drowning.”

An account at Idaho Independent Bank was opened for the family, which is homeless, according to Howard Martinson, director of a Coeur d’Alene homeless drop-in center. Donations can be made at any bank branch to the Deshazer Donation Account, No. 0100067891.

Alison Boggs

137 pot plants seized in Latah County

The Latah County Sheriff’s Office has seized 137 marijuana plants and paraphernalia over the past two weeks following a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration flyover.

Deputies seized 97 plants from a residence at 1110 Wilkins Road in Deary, Idaho, on Aug. 22. The plants were growing around the home and in a makeshift greenhouse, a news release from the Sheriff’s Office said.

On Monday, deputies seized another 40 plants in and around a home at 2000 Manderfield Road in Kendrick, Idaho.

No arrests have been made, but charges are pending, the release said.

Staff reports