In brief: Couple plead guilty in wolf pelt case
Tom D. White, 37, and his wife, Erin J. White, 37, of Twisp, Wash., have pleaded guilty to their role in an attempt to mail two illegally taken wolf pelts to Canada.
Michael C. Ormsby, United States attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the deal in Spokane on Tuesday.
On April 4, White’s father, William D. White, 62, pleaded guilty in the same case to conspiring to kill a protected wolf and send its pelt to a friend in Canada in return for the friend’s help in illegally killing a moose. On Tuesday, Tom D. White pleaded guilty to killing two endangered gray wolves in May and December 2008.
Erin J. White pleaded guilty on two counts involving exporting an endangered species. That charge stems from her role in mailing the wolf pelts. A FedEx employee noticed blood seeping from the package and alerted Omak police, which prompted the federal investigation.
Under the agreement, which must be approved by a judge, Tom D. White will pay fines and restitution totaling $30,000 and forfeit the firearm used to kill the wolves. Erin White has agreed to pay $5,000 in fines.
A sentencing hearing has been set for July 11.
Team finds canoe of missing airman
The canoe of a 26-year-old Fairchild airman who went missing March 31 has been found.
James Adam Ramse-Lassiter went into the Spokane River in the 11-foot canoe and hasn’t been seen since.
Spokane County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Craig Chamberlin said members of the Emergency Operations Team, who were doing scheduled training on Tuesday, found the canoe at the Seven Mile Bridge around 12:30 p.m. The canoe was about 4 feet underwater, pinned against a support pillar by the river current.
Attached to the canoe was a backpack with Ramse-Lassiter’s name sewn to it.
The Emergency Operations Team hadn’t been able to search that portion of the river recently due to high water, Chamberlin said.
Ramse-Lassiter’s truck was found in the Bowl and Pitcher area. He’s not believed to have been wearing a life vest or a helmet.
Stabbing suspect arrested downtown
A stabbing at a north Spokane apartment late Saturday led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man.
The woman who Kurt J. Clausen is accused of stabbing has no idea why he attacked her, Spokane police say. She said Clausen said nothing during the incident, which occurred as she exited her bathroom at 49 E. Pine Ridge Court, according to court documents.
The woman said Clausen was waiting for her with a knife and stabbed her in the upper chest, then dropped the weapon and ran from the apartment about 11:30 p.m., police say.
A Washington State Patrol trooper contacted Clausen just after midnight near West Main Avenue and North Lincoln Street in downtown Spokane. Officers say Clausen admitted to stabbing the woman.
Clausen remains jailed on $250,000 bond after appearing before Superior Court Judge Annette Plese on Monday.
13-year-old boy faces arson charge
A 13-year-old boy was arrested Monday for allegedly setting fire to a vacant home in north Spokane last month.
The boy was booked into Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center after being arrested at Glover Middle School. Investigators with the Spokane Fire Department say the boy confessed to setting fire to a home at 4218 N. Ash St. on March 30. Crews quickly extinguished the blaze, which was confined to one bedroom and the roof area above that room. The rest of the home suffered extensive heat and smoke damage.
The suspect faces a charge of first-degree arson.
S-R calling for short Bloomsday stories
Do you have a favorite Bloomsday memory?
Rain or shine, walking or running, in sickness or in health – please share your story and photo with The Spokesman-Review. We’ll collect them in a special online collage at spokesman.com and use selected entries in print leading up to the May 6 race.
You can upload your photo and story of 150 words or less at spokesman.com /bloomsdaypics. Or, mail them to Spokesman- Review/Bloomsday, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1098. But please, keep the memory under 150 words or we won’t be able to use it.
Oil spill coats Seattle marina
SEATTLE – Coast Guard and state officials are responding to an oil spill at the Bell Harbor Marina on Elliott Bay in Seattle.
Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said there’s enough oil to coat the marina area, but it’s difficult to tell how much has spilled. It appears to be tens of gallons.
The spill was reported Tuesday morning by employees of the Port of Seattle, which owns the boat harbor.
The port has hired a contractor to clean the oil.