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

Huckleberries Online

Homeowner: ‘Don’t Mess w/Marines’

From KHQ report: Then, Thursday night, 38-year-old Wallace homeowner Brian Becker heard something that would change everything: his dog started barking. Becker lives in the Plaster Creek area, just south of Wallace. He's a marine and former member of law enforcement. Becker says when he heard his dog Jasmine barking, he grabbed a gun and flashlight, then went to check it out. Becker says when he went outside, he saw escaped convict Roy Bieluch standing in his yard. "You don't get to pick where violence happens," says Becker. "It happens all over the place. The only thing you can do is be ready if it does. Fortunately tonight, I was fortunate." He says he told Bieluch to stay put and put his arms up. "He finally says, I'm not going to do it and I says oh yes you are," Becker says. "He stepped toward me and that's when I shot. He went down immediately. I switched gun hands and called 911, then went back, watched him, and they came up. The first officer that showed up, I told him I hadn't searched him yet, so I covered {Bieluch} while he searched because {the deputy} came up single-handed." Full story here. (Courtesy photos: KHQ)

Question: Any Marines in your family?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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