In brief: Woman sentenced for theft, having pot

A 25-year-old Post Falls woman was sentenced to eight years in prison for grand theft and felony marijuana possession this week.

Kasie D. Gordon admitted to being addicted to methamphetamine and heroin as she was a part of a group that committed 19 residential burglaries in the greater Coeur d’Alene area in 2011, according to a news release from the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office. Gordon’s most recent conviction violates her probation for felony possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver, also committed in 2011.

Suspect who jumped into river arrested

A 31-year-old man wielding nunchakus attempted to flee police by jumping in the Little Spokane River Monday, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

The man, Joseph Blessing, allegedly approached a woman’s idling Nissan Maxima at the intersection of Dartford and Hazard roads and struck the car with nunchakus on the passenger side. The woman contacted the Sheriff’s Office around 6:30 p.m.

When deputies responded, Blessing allegedly refused to cooperate, and ran down an embankment and jumped into the Little Spokane River. According to a news release from the Sherriff’s Office, Blessing told Deputy David Westlake that he had escaped arrest via the river before and intended to do it again.

Cpl. Jeff Welton, who was further downriver, saw Blessing running toward him next to the water and took him into custody. Blessing is being charged with third-degree malicious mischief, three counts of intimidation with a weapon and obstructing.