In brief: WSP cites alcohol in deadly crash

One Colville man is dead and another under arrest on a charge of vehicular homicide after a late-night wreck Saturday in Stevens County.

Matthew M. Clark, 21, a passenger in a 1988 Ford Bronco, was thrown out of the vehicle when the driver drove off Aladdin Road, then back onto the roadway, slid broadside and rolled shortly before midnight, the Washington State Patrol said.

Clark, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to Mount Carmel Hospital and declared dead at 12:28 a.m. Sunday.

The driver, Bryce A. Barnhart, 20, of Colville, was driving under the influence and taken into custody, the WSP said.

The wreck was on a rural road about 4 miles north of Colville.

No injuries reported in Valley house fire

Fire heavily damaged a Spokane Valley house Sunday.

Someone passing the home at 5523 N. Best Road called 911 at 11:49 a.m. to report black smoke billowing from the back side.

Units from Spokane County Fire District 9 and Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to find heavy smoke coming from the eaves and flames visible from the rear of the structure.

No one was home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported among firefighters.

Losses could exceed $200,000, Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford said. The home is insured.

Forker and Best roads were closed for about two hours.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Drone sought in hunt for missing woman

BOISE – Officials at Craters of the Moon National Monument in south-central Idaho are requesting an unmanned military drone to find a woman missing since Sept. 19.

Monument Superintendent Dan Buckley said the drone would snap high-resolution photos that could be examined for signs of Jo Elliott-Blakeslee, 63.

Elliott-Blakeslee’s hiking partner, Amy Linkert, 69, was found dead in the monument on Sept. 25. The women were last seen near Arco.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Defense must rule on the request.