In brief: Truck, clipped by train, spills 1,500 pounds of magnesium chloride
A chemical truck was clipped by an empty Union Pacific train this morning.
The truck rolled and spilled 1,500 pounds of magnesium chloride, which is a salt compound commonly used to control dust and as a road deicer. Magnesium chloride is not dangerous for humans, nor is it flammable, Spokane Fire Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said.
“It doesn’t pose any health hazards but does pose a danger to the environment,” Schaeffer said.
No one was injured in the crash. There is no guard rail at the railroad crossing on Havana Street just north of Sprague Avenue.
A “significant amount” of the magnesium chloride spilled into sewer grates, Schaeffer said. The Department of Ecology and the city were working to clean up the spill.
Increased boat patrols target intoxicated
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office will target intoxicated boaters this weekend through increased patrols.
The focus is part of Operation Dry Water, a national effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents and deaths on waterways. Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths.
In Idaho, boaters whose blood alcohol content level exceeds the state limit of .08 can be arrested for boating under the influence.
Man found with drugs, gun and cash arrested
An unconscious man found sprawled on a bed covered with drugs and cash was booked Friday into the Spokane County Jail on numerous charges.
Police were called to the Red Lion River Inn, 700 N. Division St., late Thursday by hotel employees after a woman checking out said there was an unconscious man in a room. Police found Donald E. Butler, 48, on one of the beds, which was covered with money and what appeared to be heroin and methamphetamine, according to court documents.
Officers said Butler was disoriented and lethargic and couldn’t sit up. He was taken to a hospital for treatment before being booked into jail.
Police seized the drugs along with more than $28,000 in cash, according to court documents. They also found a loaded Smith and Wesson .357 revolver shoved between the mattress and the box spring of the bed and digital scales.
Butler’s criminal history includes two felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
He is being held on $40,000 bond on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
Advisory issued for algae outbreak in lake
A health advisory has been issued for Fernan Lake following a blue-green algae outbreak.
Since the algae can produce dangerous toxins, people should avoid swallowing or inhaling water from the lake. Children and pets are particularly susceptible, officials said. If people eat fish from the lake, they should remove all fat, skin and organs before cooking to reduce risk of exposure.
The advisory was issued by the Panhandle Health District and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.
Harmful algae blooms are often associated with excess nutrients caused by pollution from human activities.
Man pleads guilty to child porn distribution
A Spokane Valley man faces a five-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty Friday to distributing child pornography.
Clifford W. Kelsey III was indicted in March, three years after authorities seized electronics from his Spokane Valley home containing hundreds of images of child pornography, according to court records.
Authorities used peer-to-peer software and IP addresses to find Kelsey, who admitted to Homeland Security agents he downloaded the material, but deleted it after beginning to feel guilty. A search of Kelsey’s laptop computer contained hundreds of images and videos deemed pornographic.
Prosecutors are recommending a 10-year period of probation after Kelsey is released, barring him from contacting children without a guardian and requiring him to register as a sex offender.