In brief: Driver arrested after chase on highway

A man driving a stolen vehicle led authorities on a high-speed pursuit through Spokane County that involved multiple police agencies.

Vincent Salazar, 31, was arrested on U.S. Route 195 south of Spokane and booked into Spokane County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, attempting to elude police and possession of another’s identification.

Authorities laid spike strips in the area of Government Way and Fremont Road, but police say Salazar kept driving for several miles on the stolen Toyota Camry’s rims.

With more than a dozen officers from the Spokane Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol in pursuit, Salazar crashed into a guardrail on the southbound lanes of the highway north of Washington Road and fled on foot down an embankment before being apprehended.

The car chase reached speeds of about 90 miles per hour. No injuries were reported.

Crime spree suspect pleads not guilty

PORTLAND – A 32-year-old Salem man already serving time for murder has pleaded not guilty to federal charges in a Northwest crime spree that claimed four lives last fall.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Papak entered the plea Friday on behalf of David “Joey” Pedersen, appointed two public defenders and an outside lawyer to defend the man, and repeatedly silenced Pedersen’s attempts to speak at his arraignment.

A grand jury indictment accuses Pedersen and Holly Ann Grigsby of promoting and funding a movement to “purify” and “preserve” the white race through murder. Grigsby pleaded not guilty last month.

They are charged in the killing, kidnapping and robbery of Pedersen’s father and stepmother in Everett, the death of a 19-year-old Oregon man and the death of a man in Eureka, Calif.

Pedersen pleaded guilty to Washington state charges in the slayings of his father and stepmother.

44 head of cattle dead on highway

MADRAS, Ore. – Oregon State Police said 44 head of cattle that broke through a central Oregon fence and wandered onto U.S. Highway 97 in the dark are dead after five commercial trucks struck the animals.

The Oregonian reported that most of the wandering cattle died at the scene after being hit late Thursday night. Any remaining injured animals were euthanized by their R2 Ranch owners.

The newspaper said that stretch of highway is an area where livestock are permitted to roam.

No drivers were injured. Two trucks had to be towed away, while the other three had minor damage.

State police are investigating.

Groups ask court to delay Navy’s plan

BREMERTON – A peace group and a tribe who oppose the Navy’s plan to build a new explosives wharf at the Bangor submarine base are asking a court to prevent construction until their lawsuits are resolved.

Construction on the $715 million project could begin within a few weeks in the Hood Canal near Silverdale, Wash., unless a federal judge in Tacoma issues a preliminary injunction.

The Kitsap Sun reported lawsuits against the Navy have been filed by the anti-nuclear war group Ground Zero for Nonviolent Action and by the Suquamish Tribe. Ground Zero said the Navy has ignored environmental laws. The tribe claims treaty rights in Hood Canal. Both cases are under the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton in Tacoma.

Navy officials said they don’t comment on ongoing litigation.