In brief: Man trying to prove innocence arrested on sex abuse warrant

A man who wanted to prove to his ex-girlfriend that he wasn’t a child molester instead was arrested on a child sex abuse warrant after contacting a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday in Deer Park.

Jesse A. Smith, 20, apparently did not know of a felony warrant out of Jerome, Idaho, for three counts of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years old when he contacted sheriff’s Deputy Dan Dutton Tuesday about 7:45 p.m.

Dutton was responding to an unrelated domestic situation at a home when Smith knocked on the door and asked to speak to him.

Smith asked Dutton to check his criminal history because his ex-girlfriend sent him a text message accusing him of being a child molester, and he wanted to prove her wrong, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Dutton checked Smith’s criminal history and confirmed Smith in fact did have a $75,000-bond warrant that essentially accuses him of being a child molester.

He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on the warrant. He remained there Wednesday awaiting transport to Southern Idaho.

Meghann M. Cuniff

Man with suspended license freely admits to meth possession

Police in Spokane Valley remarked on the honesty of a man after he admitted he had a glass pipe and bag of methamphetamine in his pocket.

Christopher Joseph Nordby, 47, was standing next to a car holding a screwdriver near Valleyway Avenue and Mullan Road about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday when sheriff’s Deputy Juan Rodriguez stopped and told him he looked suspicious.

Nordby told him that it was his car and he was working on the carburetor, but he didn’t have anything to verify the car was his. Rodriguez asked him if he had a suspended license, and Nordby, who was described as very nervous, said he thought he did and also thought he had a warrant for drunken driving.

Rodriguez verified his license was suspended and handcuffed Nordby. Nordby then told him about the glass pipe and methamphetamine. He was booked into jail for felony meth possession.

Deputy Craig Chamberlin, spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, wrote a news release about the arrest and headlined it “Honest Valley Man Arrested For Meth.”

Meghann M. Cuniff