In brief: Walck sentenced in 2012 kidnapping
A man convicted of firing on a police officer and kidnapping a Rathdrum woman could serve the rest of his life in prison.
Mitchell Lee Walck, 58, pleaded guilty in February to three felony charges related to the kidnapping and shooting in 2012.
After fleeing from police in his car, followed by a foot chase, Walck shot at pursuing Idaho State Police troopers on Nov. 30, 2012. He showed up at the Rathdrum home of a 62-year-old woman and forced her at gunpoint to feed him and clean his clothes, according to Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh. He then took her and her car through four states before dropping her in Montana. He was arrested Dec. 5 in Bismarck, N.D. Walck was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for robbery, 20 to 25 years for kidnapping, and 10 years for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, according to a news release.
Homeless shelter gets $25,000 grant
Family Promise of Spokane was one of five nonprofits to receive a $25,000 grant from the Windermere Foundation. It’s the only Spokane nonprofit to share in the Seattle-based real estate company’s “25th Anniversary Charity Challenge,” according to a news release.
Family Promise board President Ron Hardin said the nonprofit’s budget was $8,000 in the red as of its last board meeting, so the $25,000 grant is timely.
Charities were selected via community votes on Windermere’s Facebook page. Family Promise is a homeless shelter operated through a network of local churches, formerly called Interfaith Hospitality.
Weigh in on plan for Riverfront Park
The Spokane Parks and Recreation Department is inviting public input on the 2014 master plan for Riverfront Park. A group has been working on a plan to renovate, restore and renew the park since last year. Public testimony will be accepted at special Park Board meetings Thursday and on April 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 808 Spokane Falls Blvd. The plan can be viewed at riverfrontparkmasterplan.org
Retired vice admiral to mark club’s 40th
Retired Vice Adm. Norbert Ryan Jr. will help the Spokane chapter of the Military Officers Association of America celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Ryan is president and CEO of the national organization, which has more than 380,000 members and supports programs serving military members.
He will be the guest of honor at an event on April 27, held in the Commons Building at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, 4000 W. Randolph Ave., from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The luncheon is open to all active-duty and retired military officers and warrant officers, Reserves and National Guard, and their spouses. The cost is $28, and reservations must be received by Friday.
Call Ralph, (208) 623-2671, or Rufus, (509) 443-6822, for information or reservations.
Jury to hear lawsuit against Wal-Mart
A Spokane jury will hear the civil case filed against Wal-Mart by a woman who claims she was profiled as a shoplifter and humiliated by a store employee in December 2011.
Beyonce Nieves sued the Arkansas-based retailer in Spokane County Superior Court, asking for damages resulting from assault, unlawful imprisonment and outrage for an incident that took place at the Shadle Park location on Dec. 9, 2011. Attorneys for Wal-Mart claim their employee, a store loss prevention officer, acted reasonably when he confronted Nieves outside the store, alleging she’d hid some stockings in a backpack and left without paying.
The employee said in court filings he witnessed Nieves place the stockings in the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt. Attorneys for Wal-Mart also want jurors to hear about a previous incident at a Fred Meyer store in which Nieves was captured on video “engaging in a crime of dishonesty” similar to the alleged Wal-Mart shoplifting, according to court documents.
Nieves claims that she was singled out for surveillance because of her physical appearance.