In brief: Man drives off road, dies in Spirit Lake
A Hayden man died Friday night in Spirit Lake after his car left the road and hit a tree, according to the Idaho State Police.
Jack B. Thornton, 56, was driving his 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee east on the 5800 block of Clagstone Road and left the road on a sweeping right-hand curve around 6:35 p.m., the ISP said. The Grand Cherokee overturned and hit a tree.
Thornton was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is under investigation.
Home, trees burned near Chattaroy
A home was damaged and some trees burned Saturday afternoon in a fire north of Chattaroy.
The fire at 5109 E. Quail Lane was called in just before 5 p.m. One report said it was a wildland fire and another said a home was on fire, said Spokane County Fire District 4 Assistant Chief Lonnie Rash. “We didn’t know which one it was,” he said.
The fire is believed to have started outside and burned into the home, Rash said. About half an acre of heavy timber burned and the home was damaged. The Department of Natural Resources helped fight the flames.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Medicine Man pharmacy robbed
A man who robbed the Medicine Man pharmacy in Coeur d’Alene Saturday morning didn’t get what he demanded.
The man entered the pharmacy, 1114 Ironwood Drive, at 11 a.m. and put a black snubnosed .38 caliber handgun with a wooden handle on the counter and demanded the narcotic OxyContin, according to a Coeur d’Alene Police Department news release. However, the pharmacy does not stock OxyContin and the employee handed over diazepam, a medication used to treat anxiety and seizures.
He was last seen running south through parking lots toward Northwest Boulevard. He is described as a white man in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall and about 220 pounds. He had black, medium-length hair and was wearing a brown fedora style hat, large-frame women’s sunglasses, tan cargo shorts and a long-sleeve light blue shirt with white stripes on the front. He also had white earbuds in his ears.
Anyone with information about the incident or the identity of the robber is asked to call (208) 769-2320.
Downed line blocks traffic, cuts power
A downed power line that blocked traffic on Pines Road in Spokane Valley on Friday night also cut off power to Modern Electric customers within a square mile.
“Something caused the line to break and fall across the road,” said Modern Electric lineman Tyler Stockman. “It’s unknown if it’s heat-related or animal caused.”
Most people were able to get their power back before repairs were complete, Stockman said. “We did some switching before we made repairs to get a majority of the customers back on,” he said.
Pines Road was closed at Cataldo Avenue and traffic was diverted from about 8:40 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Nobody injured in seven-car crash
A Richland man caused a seven-car chain-reaction crash Saturday morning that shut down Interstate 90 in North Idaho for more than two hours, according to the Idaho State Police.
Traffic was coming to a stop on westbound I-90 near Huetter Road just after 10:30 a.m. Duane A. Sterling, 74, did not notice the slowing traffic and hit the vehicle in front of him, the ISP said. That caused a chain-reaction crash that involved seven cars. No one was injured.
Traffic was diverted while the freeway was shut down. The crash is still under investigation.
Climber rescued after 500-foot fall
WENATCHEE – A climber who fell about 500 feet on Seven Fingered Jack Mountain was in serious but stable condition Saturday night after his rescue.
David Kieninger, 39, fell at the southwest face of the mountain about 11:05 a.m., at a height of roughly 8,100 feet – about 1,000 feet below the summit. Seven Fingered Jack is in the northwestern Chelan County.
Chelan County sheriff’s Sgt. Kent Sisson said Kieninger suffered injuries to his head, hip and arm in the fall.