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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Employee with Kelley ties fired

From Staff And Wire Reports

OLYMPIA – A state worker with long ties to indicted Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley was dismissed from the agency Monday.

Jason JeRue, a part-time employee who worked out of his home in California, has been on leave since soon after a federal grand jury subpoenaed his records in March as part of the investigation into Kelley, who pleaded not guilty last month to tax evasion and other charges.

JeRue was let go Monday as Kelley began a leave of absence, agency spokesman Thomas Shapley said.

Felon gets 8 years for firearm

A convicted felon with ties to a former Spokane County deputy prosecutor was sentenced Monday to nearly eight years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Matthew Baumrucker, 32, was arrested in March 2014 at a motel in Spokane Valley. An investigation was prompted by several suspicious jailhouse visits by Marriya Wright, a deputy prosecutor who has since pleaded guilty to aiding Baumrucker in eluding police capture.

A search of phone records showed Baumrucker texted Wright 1,280 times during the month when police sought his arrest. His record shows six prior felony convictions. A witness identified Wright as the person who gave Baumrucker a ride about a week before his arrest.

Baumrucker has asked to serve his 92-month criminal sentence at a federal prison in Florida, to be closer to his family, according to court records.

Occupy Spokane has taken up residence at the Robert Monaghan Memorial in anticipation of a week of activism.

Former Washington Legislature candidate Ziggy Siegfried and fellow activist Valerie Waley handed out water, food and advice to visitors Monday at their tent along Monroe Street, as they talked about goals for a week that will see the anniversary of the Kent State shootings and an attempt in Seattle to block the shipment of oil-drilling equipment by a flotilla of kayaks.

A march was planned Monday night to protest the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the pair also were handing out literature in opposition of Spokane’s law against blocking sidewalks, the sit-lie ordinance.

Siegfried said he had been occupying the tent since Friday, including a stay during Sunday’s Bloomsday run.