In brief: Man shot, taken to bar in Loon Lake

A man was shot in Loon Lake on Friday night and taken to a bar for help before being taken by helicopter to a hospital.

The circumstances of the shooting were unclear late Friday night, and a Stevens County dispatcher said the Sheriff’s Office was not releasing information about what happened.

However, Laura Hood, a bartender at the Loon Lake Saloon and Grill, said a man who had been shot on Highway 292 – which runs through the small town – was brought into the bar by his girlfriend toward the end of the dinner rush, around 8 p.m.

Hood said she asked if anyone in the bar knew CPR, and said a man applied pressure to the wounds until an ambulance arrived. The ambulance took the man to a schoolyard, where a helicopter was able to land and take him to a hospital. It was not known which hospital he was taken to, what condition he was in, or whether any arrests had been made.

Man walking on highway hit, killed

A Spokane man died after being hit by a car on state Highway 53 in Idaho near the border with Washington late Thursday.

Jared M. Pope, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the Idaho State Police.

Cody F. Breeching, 46, of Greenacres, was westbound on Highway 53 in a 2005 Chevrolet pickup when he hit Pope around 9 p.m., the ISP said.

The ISP received multiple reports of a man “acting erratically and walking/standing” in the middle of the highway. Officers arrived on the scene within minutes and learned Pope had been hit by a vehicle.

Authorities believe Pope was under the influence of alcohol.

Pope was walking along the centerline in dark clothing when he was hit by the driver, who stopped. Next of kin were notified. No charges had been filed late Friday.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call the ISP at (208) 209-8620.

Idaho molestation fugitive arrested

A child molestation suspect who had been missing since escaping a manhunt in North Idaho in December was arrested in Los Angeles.

Nathaniel Robert Howell, 32, was booked into jail in Los Angeles County about 3:52 p.m. Thursday, according to online records.

Howell had been wanted on a felony warrant in Kootenai County charging him with four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and five counts of sexual exploitation.

Coeur d’Alene police notified the public about his fugitive status after he ran from police through the woods in the 1500 block of South Sagle Road in December.

Howell had seen police while visiting relatives nearby. He’s awaiting extradition to North Idaho from California.

Mayor forming business panel

Spokane Mayor David Condon announced Friday that he will form a group to advise him on business issues.

Condon promised to create such a group when he ran for mayor last year, city spokewoman Marlene Feist said in a news release.

Anyone interested in applying for a spot on the Business Advisory Council should send an email to bdsinfo@spokanecity.org.

Members must be an executive director or board chair of “an organization that regularly interacts with the local business community or represents business,” the release said.