In brief: Prosecutor: Arrest of 9-year-old a mistake

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said he made a mistake when he requested an arrest warrant for a 9-year-old boy who was taken into custody and released the next day after being accused of stealing a pack of gum from a grocery store.

McHugh said Monday that his office should instead have sought a child protection investigation that would have led to a more informed decision.

“I have concluded that my office’s request to have an arrest warrant issued was a mistake under the circumstances,” McHugh said in a statement filed after a weekend in which the boy’s arrest gained widespread attention. “I regret this having taken place and will do everything in my power to avoid this type of mistake in the future.”

First District Court Judge Lansing Haynes authorized the warrant requested by McHugh’s office after the boy twice failed to show up in court.

Post Falls police Chief Scott Haug said the child missed court because relatives had no way of getting him to the courthouse. The child was taken into custody on Jan. 6.

Committee’s final pick prompts discussion

Pastor Shon Davis and Whitworth University history professor Lawrence Burnley were among the names considered for the final seat on the committee to search for a new Spokane police ombudsman.

But after a half-hour of sometimes pointed discussion Tuesday morning, the committee’s four members agreed to hold off on selecting a community representative until candidates could be interviewed.

The committee, which is composed of City Attorney Nancy Isserlis, ombudsman Commissioner Adrian Dominguez, Spokane police Capt. Brad Arleth and Sgt. John Griffin, identified Davis and Tommy Williams, president of the faith-based organization Operation Healthy Family, as top candidates for the seat at an informal meeting last week.

But Dominguez said Tuesday that conversations with several members of Spokane’s NAACP raised concerns that Davis and Williams did not have enough community support to serve on the search committee.

He suggested Burnley, who is a member of the NAACP, as an alternative, and said the committee risked creating animosity with the city’s African-American community if it ignored their feedback.

Arleth and Griffin said they were concerned about allowing one organization to sway the selection process.

Sandpoint forum will address coal, oil trains

The city of Sandpoint will host a community forum on coal and oil train issues at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Sandpoint City Hall, 1123 Lake St.

City officials said this will be an opportunity to hear current information about coal trains, oil trains and public safety measures.

The public is invited, along with elected officials and representatives from BNSF Railway, Montana Rail Link and Union Pacific.

New wandering wolf spotted in Oregon

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Another wandering wolf has found its way to the Cascades of southwestern Oregon, where OR-7 has established his pack after trekking thousands of miles in search of a mate.

An automatic trail camera snapped a photo of the new wolf in timberlands west of the Klamath County community of Keno, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist John Stephenson said Tuesday. The camera was set out by an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist after he spotted a track in the snow in December.

The arrival of another wandering wolf confirms that the animal continues to spread widely across the region after being reintroduced in the Northern Rockies in the 1990s.