In brief: Police arrest man after odd altercation
A man faces multiple charges following an unusual incident involving a Spokane couple Wednesday.
Donald T. Phillips, 40, asked a woman smoking outside her Grey Court apartment if he could use her phone. Once inside the apartment, Phillips became aggressive and masturbated through his pants, according to court documents.
The woman’s boyfriend was awakened by the noise and confronted Phillips. He was able to get Phillips out of the apartment. Witnesses said the man was shouting that he was a white supremacist just released from prison.
When the couple told Phillips police had been called, he allegedly threatened to kill them. As police arrived they found Phillips still masturbating while pretending to have a gun in his other hand, court documents say.
One of the officers pointed a taser at Phillips and fired, but the device malfunctioned. According to police, Phillips reacted as if he had been hit and fell down the stairs.
Phillips is facing charges of residential burglary, drug possession and harassment-threats to kill.
Northern Lights plans late-night outage
Northern Lights Inc. has announced a planned power outage in the Priest Lake area from 11 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Sunday. The outage was requested by the Bonneville Power Administration, whose crews will be replacing equipment during that time.
The power loss will impact all customers of Northern Lights north of Priest River, including those in the Blue Lake, Coolin, Eastside, Westside, Bear Paw, Lamb Creek and Nordman areas. Call Northern Lights at (208) 263-5141 for more information.
Man sentenced after illegal cougar hunt
A North Idaho man was sentenced Thursday to five years of probation for aiding and abetting the unlawful hunting and transportation of a mountain lion, a misdemeanor.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale also ordered Jacob R. Navarro, 22, of Naples, to pay a $750 fine and banned him from using firearms during his probation.
Navarro also is banned from hunting and fishing in the U.S. for at least three years. The ban will extend to five years if he does not earn his GED, attend hunter safety training and serve 50 hours of community service, the court decided.
Cold case victim from 1998 identified
OLYMPIA – Thurston County sheriff’s detectives have identified a cold case homicide victim from 1998 as a missing Pierce County, Washington, man.
Richard D. McCullom was 32 when he was killed, Lt. Greg Elwin said.
The man’s body was found in March 1998 on a road south of Tumwater, with no wallet or other ID, the Olympian reported. The death was classified as a homicide.
At that time, investigators had fingerprints for the unidentified body, but McCullom’s fingerprints had not been entered into a nationwide database.
By 2006, the military had entered McCullom’s fingerprints into the database. When Thurston County investigators reviewing old cases recently resubmitted the “John Doe” fingerprints, they showed a match to McCullom.
Road at mudslide opens to more vehicles
DARRINGTON, Wash. – The one-lane, partly paved access road that bypasses the Oso mudslide debris field has been opened to more vehicles, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.
Transportation officials said Thursday that people traveling to community events in Darrington can use it. Those events include Darrington Day on May 31 and the Darrington Bluegrass Festival on July 18-20.
The road provides the most direct access to Darrington.
The agency still regards the route as open only to people who live in – or have a business connection to – communities along the state Highway 530 corridor, WSDOT spokesman Travis Phelps said.
The bypass may now be used by vehicles pulling trailers up to 24 feet long. Commercial trucks with trailers up to 33 feet long are also allowed. Logging trucks may use the bypass at any hour.
Bank robbery defendant pleads not guilty
SEATTLE – A man accused in 16 bank robberies in March and April in the Seattle-Tacoma area pleaded not guilty Thursday in King County Superior Court in Kent.
Robert Cal Adams, 31, remains jailed with bail set at $750,000, KIRO reported.
He’s accused of eight robberies as the “Rabid Fan Bandit” who was named for wearing caps with sports logos.
Adams and two other men are also accused of coaching three juveniles in eight more “Buddy Bandit” robberies.
Many banks hit were inside groceries or other larger stores. One Rabid Fan Bandit robbery was in Spokane.
Adams was identified by fingerprints and arrested after an April 21 holdup in Des Moines.
Man cited for chasing moose with car
WENATCHEE – A state Fish and Wildlife officer issued a written warning to a man who drove while his wife shot video of a moose running through a Wenatchee neighborhood.
Enforcement Officer Graham Grant told the Wenatchee World the department wants to make a statement that it’s unlawful to do anything to harass a moose.
The moose was obviously in distress last weekend and ran toward a parking lot and traffic because the car was following it, Grant said. Moose should be left alone to find their own way, Grant said.