107-year-old Kettle Falls crime victim dies

The 107-year-old woman, who was the victim of a Stevens County man who forced her to live in squalor as he raided nearly a $1 million from her retirement account, has died. Nephew Ed Swan said his aunt, Frances Swan, died Thursday at the Buena Vista nursing home in Colville, where she had been living since she was found begging for food in her own Kettle Falls home in June 2011. She had been under the care of John “Herb” Friedlund, 79, who was sentenced in October to 10 years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Swan’s retirement account. Friedlund, who admitted to sending chunks of cash to young men he met on gay websites, also faces federal charges. Swan said a civil suit filed against Friedlund also remains active.