In brief: Man sentenced for theft conspiracy

A North Idaho man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for conspiracy to commit theft from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

Billy E. Moffitt, 27, of Lewiston and Plummer, was sentenced to time served – 159 days – for conspiracy to commit theft from a tribal organization, U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson said.

Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Moffitt to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $4,175 in restitution, with co-defendant Angeline George, to the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Housing Authority.

George worked for the housing authority and was issued a credit card related to her duties. Between Feb. 2 and 23, Moffitt and George drove from the Coeur d’Alene reservation to Spokane, where George purchased $4,175 in money orders from local Money Tree stores. They then cashed the money orders and spent the cash. 

Moffitt pleaded guilty Aug. 20, and George pleaded guilty to the same charge Aug. 30. George is to be sentenced Dec. 3.

Dealer sentenced to 25 years in prison

A Spokane Valley man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison Wednesday after he was convicted of running a methamphetamine ring in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Ian M. Harris, 41, was arrested in April after authorities executed a search warrant at his warehouse at 316 S. Dishman Mica Road, according to a news release.

Harris traveled to the Tri-Cities area every 10 days to buy meth, then distributed it in the Spokane area to individuals who sold the drugs in Washington and Idaho, according to the release.

Investigators found more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, firearms and a small amount of meth in a secret room inside the warehouse. They also found guns, explosives and ammunition in Harris’ Chevrolet Camaro.

Investigators also discovered three pounds of methamphetamine and several loaded handguns in motorcycle saddle bags in the master bedroom of Harris’ home, according to the release.

Harris pleaded guilty on Aug. 5 in United States District Court to charges of conspiracy to distribute meth and possession with intent to distribute meth.

He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and 10 years under court supervision after his release.

Harris has two previous felony convictions of possession of meth in addition to other felonies, court records show.

Man accused of robbing Kmart

A man robbed a Kmart at knifepoint then threatened to kill employees and their families, court documents say.

Williams D. Isaacs, 42, is accused of robbing the Spokane Valley Kmart at 4110 E. Sprague Ave. at knifepoint at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday, according to an affidavit. A security guard saw the robber had a knife as well as a pair of pliers in his left sleeve.

When the guard confronted Isaacs, he brandished the knife and threatened to kill witnesses, employees and their families, according to the affidavit. Bystanders tried to subdue him, but there was a violent struggle before Isaacs was arrested and handcuffed.

Isaacs admitted robbing the store as well as fighting and threatening witnesses, court documents say. He is at Spokane County Jail facing charges of first-degree robbery.

Two accused of selling prescription

Two Moses Lake residents are accused of selling a prescription for the sick father of one of the suspects.

Susan K. Franks, 44, and Danny W. Stotts, 44, were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of conspiracy to deliver morphine and possession with intent to sell morphine in a school zone, according to a Grant County Sheriff’s Office news release. Franks was the caregiver for her 83-year-old father, to whom the morphine was prescribed.

Grant County’s Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team and Moses Lake police officers served a search warrant at the 700 block of South Michael Street and arrested Franks and Stotts there Tuesday.

The home is within 500 feet of Peninsula Elementary School, and investigators had been probing the distribution of morphine in the area for a month. If convicted, Franks and Stotts may see an added two-year prison sentence because the school is nearby.

DOE: Only one tank leaking at Hanford

RICHLAND – Just one of the older single-walled storage tanks appears to be actively leaking at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday.

The agency recently examined 20 of the underground tanks that showed decreased liquid levels and found only one active leaker. The reduced liquid levels in the other tanks were attributed to evaporation.

Hanford is the nation’s most polluted nuclear weapons production site. The giant underground tanks contain radioactive wastes left over from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The Energy Department said the one tank that is leaking, known as T-111, appears to be stabilizing.

Tank T-111 was constructed during World War II and was first suspected of leaking in 1974. Most liquids were pumped out of the 500,000 gallon tank then, but the tank has continued to leak. The Energy Department estimates that some 2,000 gallons of radioactive wastes have leaked over the years from the tank.

There are a total of 149 single-walled tanks at Hanford. Over the decades, as many as 67 are suspected of having leaked. But leaking was believed to end when most liquids were pumped from the older tanks into newer double-walled tanks.