In brief: Pedestrian struck in roadway dies
A pedestrian apparently under the influence of alcohol was killed Tuesday night after being struck by a vehicle in Mead, the Washington State Patrol said.
The vehicle struck a woman in the roadway at the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and Lane Park Road near the Big R store. The pedestrian was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center but died from her injuries, according to the WSP.
Neither the driver nor the pedestrian was identified.
Drug suspect injured while trying to flee
A 41-year-old suspect sustained a minor injury, possibly from shrapnel, on Tuesday after he fled Drug Enforcement agents and the narcotics division of Idaho State Police.
The two agencies were conducting a controlled narcotics purchase from the man in the parking lot of the Conoco gas station near the Coeur d’Alene Casino in Worley about 3:15 p.m. The suspect tried to flee from officers in his vehicle and a brief pursuit ensued, according to Sgt. Christie Wood, spokeswoman for the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, which is leading the investigation into the incident. One of the officers fired a shot into the vehicle and the suspect was injured, Wood said.
The suspect was taken to Kootenai Medical Center for a complete evaluation. When released, Wood said, he will be booked into jail on suspicion of trafficking methamphetamine and additional charges.
Detectives expect to complete follow-up interviews of additional witnesses today. The suspect’s name has not been released.
Masked gunman robs fast-food restaurant
Airway Heights police are looking for an armed robber that held up Jack in the Box employees Monday night.
About 10:30 p.m., the robber entered the restaurant through the employee door, which was left ajar as an employee took out the garbage.
He displayed a black semi-automatic handgun and confronted the manager and the employee, police said.
The robber, who was wearing a red bandanna on his face and a large hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, forced the employee to empty a cash register before going to a back office and getting more cash, police said.
A Spokane County sheriff’s K-9 unit tracked him north through the parking lot, but the K-9 lost the track where police believe the robber fled in a getaway car.
It is unknown how much cash the man took.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Airway Heights Police Department at (509) 244-3707.
Eight hospitalized for influenza
Eight people in Spokane County were hospitalized last week for influenza, according to the Spokane Regional Health District, bringing the number to 18 for this season.
Four people were hospitalized up to the same point during last flu season.
The health district said in a news release that the predominant strain this season is Influenza A, or H3, and there are no unexpected strains circulating right now.
In addition, four new cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, were reported last week in Spokane County, the release said.
The health district recommends whooping cough vaccinations for adults and children, along with annual flu vaccinations.
Browne’s Addition plowing starts Thursday
The city of Spokane hopes to finish a citywide plowing, with the exception of Browne’s Addition, by this evening, officials said Tuesday.
Browne’s Addition will be plowed Thursday and Friday starting at 8:30 a.m. Vehicles must be removed from north-south streets on Thursday and from east-west streets on Friday in order to make room for the plows.
Crews have been working 24 hours a day to clear streets after Monday’s snowstorm. Cars should be parked on the side of the street with even numbers while plowing continues.
To see a residential-route plow map, visit spokanestreetdepartment.org/snowplow.htm or call the snow removal hotline at (509) 456-2666.
Crews finished plowing and sanding all priority 1 and 2 roads in the unincorporated Spokane County areas. Late Tuesday they were working on priority 3 roads, which include residential and gravel roads.
To check the progress of county road plowing, visit www.spokanecounty.org/engineer and click on “Snow Plow Priority Routes.”
Porn charge nets five-year prison term
A Spokane man was sentenced to five years in prison and a lifetime of court supervision Tuesday after pleading guilty to transportation of child pornography.
William Roberts, 64, also paid the U.S. Marshals Service $75,000 in lieu of forfeiting his home.
In February 2011, an undercover FBI investigation found that Roberts was sharing images of child pornography with other people, using a peer-to-peer file sharing program, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Agents issued a search warrant for Roberts’ home and discovered he had been downloading the images since as early as September 2003.
FBI special agents said Roberts had installed file-wiping software on his computer, but the agency was able to find more than 600 images on the computer.
The pictures showed minors younger than 12.