In brief: U-Hi evacuated after bomb threat received
University High School students were bused to a nearby church and school was canceled Wednesday as a result of a bomb threat.
Parents were told to pick up students at Valleypoint Church at Eighth Avenue and Pines Road.
A threat was emailed to a school administrator just before 9 a.m., said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory. Investigators will attempt to determine who sent the email.
The school went into lockdown and school buses were quickly brought in to evacuate students, Gregory said. Deputies spent several hours searching the school with an explosives detecting dog, but nothing was found.
Gregory said investigators are searching for links to threats received at Jefferson Elementary on the South Hill and Betz Elementary in Cheney on Tuesday.
Man faces new charges in mausoleum theft
A man accused last year of stealing valuables from cemeteries in the Spokane area now faces new charges for allegedly taking a ring and lighter from a mausoleum.
Richard D. Hall, 31, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to burglary. According to court documents, he’s accused of breaking into the Sunset Mausoleum at Fairmount Memorial Park and stealing the items from a box holding mementos of the deceased.
Family members noticed the items were missing in December and alerted police, who tracked Hall down based on fingerprints and video surveillance footage.
Police arrested him last January after video surveillance linked him to multiple thefts of rings and other items from Riverside Memorial Park and Pines Cemetery. That case is awaiting trial.
Boyfriend sought for questioning in death
Police still are searching for Cameron D. Keith, 28, the boyfriend of the woman shot in a Hillyard apartment last week.
Keith is wanted for questioning about the death of Christen DeMars, 22, who died on March 24 after being shot in the abdomen. Police believe Keith’s associates may be hiding him.
DeMars’ mother told police that Keith was abusive, according to court documents.
“We need to speak to him to determine what may have happened,” police spokeswoman Monique Cotton said.
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest is offering a cash reward for anyone providing information leading to Keith’s location. Tips may be made anonymously by calling (800) 222-TIPS, or online at crimestoppersinlandnorthwest.org.