In brief: Catholic Diocese of Spokane refiles bankruptcy malpractice suit
The Catholic Diocese of Spokane has refiled its multimillion-dollar bankruptcy malpractice lawsuit against law firm Paine Hamblen.
The case was originally filed in U.S. District Court in 2012 and then dismissed last spring.
The diocese and Bishop Blase Cupich accuse the Spokane firm and two of its lawyers of mishandling its historic bankruptcy that took several years and $50 million to resolve.
Paine Hamblen managing partner Jane Brown said the firm provided excellent counsel and guided the diocese out of a crisis that included more than 180 claims of Catholic priests and other clergy sexually abusing children over the course of many decades.
The case is now filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Police body camera shows fatal standoff
A Coeur d’Alene police officer who shot and killed a man wielding knives last summer had ordered the man to drop the weapons eight times before firing, the officer’s body camera recording shows.
In the video released Wednesday, Officer Spencer Mortensen repeated his warnings as Eric Byron Johnston, a 35-year-old Dalton Gardens resident, walked toward the officer in a small apartment near downtown last August.
“Put the knives down,” Mortensen commands in the video. “I will shoot you.”
Mortensen fired five times from a few feet away, killing Johnston, who had retreated to a friend’s apartment at 1422 E. Young Ave. after causing a nearby traffic accident.
A prosecutor who reviewed an Idaho State Police investigation into the Aug. 25 shooting concluded that Johnston appeared determined to get the officer to shoot him.
The police department added body cameras in 2012 to record what officers witness.
Judge denies suspect’s release
A federal judge shot down a Spokane stalking suspect’s claim that letters sent to a tribal police officer alluding to his belief he was the “Archangel of Death” were protected by the First Amendment.
Brent Russ, 33, argued earlier this month the mailings he sent a former neighbor expressed his religious views, not an intimidating intent. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice denied the claim as well as a request from Russ that he be released from custody ahead of his upcoming trial after two mental health experts said he posed no threat to the community.
Concerns about Russ’ mental state were raised after a disturbing manifesto was found at his home by federal agents investigating the stalking claims. In the journal, Russ admits slaying nocturnal creatures by slicing through their brains with a sword and says he experienced a “download” in early 2013 that prompted him to file lawsuits against the nation’s biggest banks. Several modified weapons were also found in Russ’ southwest Spokane home. Russ has been in custody of U.S. marshals since his arrest in September.
Spokane leader McWilliams dies
Ed J. McWilliams, a longtime Spokane businessman and supporter of numerous community groups, died last weekend in Seattle. He was 94.
He earned a degree in business administration at Gonzaga University. During World War II, McWilliams joined the Navy and served as lieutenant.
In 1944, he married Betty Galbreath. The couple lived in Spokane from 1954 until 2010, when they moved to the Seattle area.
McWilliams was a prominent part of Spokane’s banking community and helped create Fidelity Mutual Savings Bank in 1968. He served as the bank’s president until 1982, when it was acquired by First Interstate Bank.
His involvement with community boards included being chairman of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce during Expo ’74, serving on the Washington State Council on Economic Development and becoming chair of the Spokane Housing Authority.
He also served on the Washington State University board of regents for 16 years and was its president in 1983 and 1984.
He’s survived by his wife, Betty, four children and five grandchildren.
Man identified in fatal fall on job
Coeur d’Alene police on Wednesday identified the Post Falls man who died Tuesday when he fell while measuring for rain gutters on the roof of an apartment building under construction.
Larry G. Jones, 67, was working in Coeur d’Alene as a subcontractor for Copper Basin Construction.
Coeur d’Alene police officers responded at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to the trauma call at North Grand Mill Lane and Seltice Way, a news release said.
Witnesses who saw Jones fall said he was not wearing a safety harness, the release said. Jones died at the scene.
“This appears to be a tragic accident,” Coeur d’Alene police Chief Ron Clark said. “We extended our deepest sympathy to the family of Larry Jones.”
Drug suspect says pants weren’t his
A drug suspect allegedly found with methamphetamine in his pants pocket Tuesday night told Spokane County sheriff’s deputies he did not know how the drugs got into the pocket and that he had borrowed the pants.
Jaime P. Medina, 36, was booked into jail on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.
Around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Deputy Mark Brownell saw a man, later identified as Medina, in the area of 8700 E. Harrington Ave. in Spokane Valley. Brownell thought the man was suspicious because he exited a car with a flashlight and there had been multiple vehicle prowlings in the area.
Brownell recognized Medina and said he kept reaching down at his pants pocket. When Brownell told him to stop, Medina refused to cooperate, a news release said. Dispatch informed Brownell that Medina had a warrant out for his arrest. A search revealed a clear plastic baggie containing a substance that later tested positive for meth, the release said.
When asked about the meth, Medina said he didn’t know where it came from and that he’d borrowed the pants from a guy named Mike.
Jelly bean trail leads to suspect
A man arrested after he led police on a chase near Liberty Lake early Tuesday left a trail of jelly beans behind when he fled his car and tried to hide from a police dog, court documents say.
A pair of Liberty Lake police officers spotted a car speeding and running stop signs while they were on their way to a call on Barker Road at 1:30 a.m. According to court documents, there was a short chase before the car crashed on a dead end residential street and two men ran from the car.
Jelly beans were found by the car’s driver side, and an open bag of the candy was found alongside the railroad tracks while police were tracking the driver.
Police arrested Christopher K. Humphrey, 21, after he was found hiding behind a tree. He refused to come out and was bitten by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Deacon. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on charges of eluding police and possession of methamphetamine. A jelly bean was found in his possession when he was being booked, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The car’s passenger has not been located.
Deputies link suspects to crash
Two suspects, both with lengthy criminal histories, have been tied to a stolen car that crashed into an Otis Orchards convenience store in October, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Scott Fraser, 36, and Susanna Ozbat, 31, are being held at Spokane County Jail on suspicions they drove a stolen Dodge Neon into the KH Grocery Market at 21121 E. Wellesley Ave. around 4 a.m. on Oct. 17, according to a news release. Surveillance footage captured a man and a woman police identified as Fraser and Ozbat running from the scene shortly after the Neon smashed through the store’s front doors, severely damaging the building and car.
Fraser, a 10-time convicted felon, according to police, has been in jail since a few weeks after the incident facing unrelated criminal charges.
Ozbat, an eight-time convicted felon, was booked into jail late Tuesday. She faces charges of burglary, malicious mischief, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of methamphetamine. Prosecutors plan to charge Fraser on similar counts.
Cash bail set for chase suspects
Two men arrested after Tuesday’s police chase and car crash in downtown Spokane had their cash-only bail set at $75,000 each after brief court appearances Wednesday.
Both are convicted felons from Stockton, Calif., and Spokane County Superior Court Judge Greg Sypolt said he was worried about further violent offenses.
Police spotted the two men driving down the road after a gunshot was heard in the 1800 block of West Gardner Avenue and a witness described the small SUV they were in. Police say the two led them on a chase through downtown Spokane, throwing four guns out the window, until they crashed into two other cars at Browne Street and Main Avenue.
One suspect, Lloyd C. Brice, 25, has convictions for possession/purchase of cocaine base for sale and felony evading with use of a gun. The other, Jesus Valencia, 29, has a conviction for possession of a controlled substance for sale.
Both are in the Spokane County Jail on charges of drive-by shooting and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Brice also faces an additional charge of hit and run.
Large piano part found by highway
It should be hard to accidentally misplace a 300-pound section of piano, but someone apparently managed it.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office found a piece of a piano at Palouse Highway and Stevens Creek Road on Wednesday. The piece, which is about 4 feet wide, is stamped with the words “Specially constructed for The Bennett Company, Omaha-New York.”
Anyone who can prove ownership of the piece is asked to call Detective Dean Meyer at (509) 477-3159.