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

Sirens & Gavels archive for Jan. 1, 2011

TUESDAY, NOV. 15, 2011

Mom accused of fracturing baby's skull

A woman accused of fracturing her baby's skull at a Spokane bus station last summer is wanted on a felony warrant. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to the arrest of Whitney A. Manges, 25, who a witness said was "swaying…

Continue reading this post »



From left, Karl Thompson, Carl Oreskovich and Spokane police Officer John Gately on Nov. 2. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)

Chief: 'Silent majority needs to stand up'

Spokane police Officer Karl Thompson outside the federal courthouse in Yakima on Nov. 2 with (from left) his lawyer, Carl Oreskvocih, and Spokane Police Guild Vice President John Gately. (SRPhoto/Chris Anderson) Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick suggested Monday that no cultural changes will occur within…

Continue reading this post »


Tips sought on alleged child molester

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for tips that lead to the arrest of a man charged with first-degree child molestation. Carlos P. Unup, 46, is accused of inappropriately touching a six-year-old girl while riding in a car with her parents near East Bigleow Gulch…

Continue reading this post »


Man, 21, shot to death by Colville police

A 21-year-old man shot to death by a Colville police officer late Saturday was raised by a computer analyst and an elementary school teacher in a small town near Bakersfield, Calif., before embracing what his father described as a “transient” lifestyle. Few details about the…

Continue reading this post »

MONDAY, NOV. 14, 2011

Hockey game pits SPD against SCSO

Local law enforcement will take to the ice on Saturday to raise money in honor of fallen and injured officers. Doors open at 4 p.m. at the Spokane Arena for the 5 p.m. match between the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.…

Continue reading this post »


Jury convicts Spokane man of rape

A Spokane County jury has convicted a man linked to a rape after his DNA was collected for a property crime conviction. Louis Victor Kuster, 23, is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of second-degree rape Thursday after a three-day trial in Superior Court. Kuster has…

Continue reading this post »


Steve Tucker mum on Otto Zehm case

Ten days after a jury convicted Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. in federal court, Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker has given no indication that he will move forward in state court with an investigation into Thompson or other officers involved in the 2006 confrontation with…

Continue reading this post »


FRIDAY, NOV. 11, 2011

Man shot by police sues Spokane Valley

A man acquitted of assaulting two police officers who shot him in October 2009 is suing the city of Spokane Valley. David J. Glidden, 29, was paralyzed by the shooting and is seeking compensation for millions of dollars in medical expenses he’s accrued and expects…

Continue reading this post »


Elderly theft suspect arrested again

A man accused of draining a 106-year-old woman's retirement savings was arrested in Spokane after missing a court appearance. John H. "Herb" Friedlund, 78, failed to appear for an arraignment on a witness tampering charge last month in Spokane County Superiro Court. He was arrested…

Continue reading this post »


2 theft investigations lead to 1 house

A Spokane County man caught with stolen vehicles at his South Hill-area home was visited by police again two days later after detectives heard of a stolen jewelry box matching a box spotted during their first search. Randall T. Smeltzer, 32, is in jail on…

Continue reading this post »


Man accused of leading organized crime

An alleged counterfeit check and identity theft ring has led to a leading organized crime charge against a 30-year-old Spokane man. Kyle R. Aiken is one of 14 people facing charges in the case, which involved Aiken creating counterfeit checks using stolen bank account and…

Continue reading this post »


Judge accepts MLK bomb plea deal

A federal judge has accepted the guilty plea of Kevin W. Harpham for leaving a bomb along the planned route of the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March last January in downtown Spokane. In accepting the plea, U.S. District Court Judge Justin Quackenbush will now…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 2011


Edgar Steele: I didn't defecate myself

Before he was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday, Edgar Steele told the court he wanted his lawyer at trial to show jurors the underwear he was wearing when he was arrested to dispute FBI claims that he may have defecated himself. Steele said…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 2011


Tire slashing halts police pursuit training

A vandal slashed tires on six sheriff's patrol cars used for pursuit training, officials said today. Sheriff's employees arrived at the Spokane County Raceway Park Tuesday to find all 24 tires slashed and flat. The vandal also stole six mounted tires meant to cover flats…

Continue reading this post »


Porn shop robbery suspect still jailed

A Spokane man accused of tying up an porn shop employee during a robbery early Tuesday remains jailed on $75,000 bond. James Allen Turnipseed, 32, appeared in Superior Court Tuesday afternoon on charges of unlawful imprisonment and first-degree robbery. Turnipseed was stopped on a bicycle…

Continue reading this post »


Phones probed in nail salon drug case

Spokane police are reviewing cell phone records to build a case against a couple suspected of selling crack cocaine out of a nail salon. Paul Lamar Rios, 29, and Krista L. Isaacs, 34, were arrested during a SWAT team raid at 8210 N. Lucia Court…

Continue reading this post »

TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 2011

Sandpoint attorney Edgar Steele talks with the media about the McGuckin children of Sagle and how he now represents the family at a news conference Thursday evening in Sandpoint, May 31, 2001.  (File / The Spokesman-Review)

Judge denies Steele's new-trial motion

A federal judge has denied Edgar Steele's motion for a new trial. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill denied the motion in an order filed today. Read his 18-page ruling here. Steele, 65, is to be sentenced Wednesday by Winmill in Coeur d'Alene. Prosceutors are…

Continue reading this post »


K-9, police nab 2 of 3 burglary suspects

Two juvenile burglary suspects were arrested after a break-in at a North Freya Street gas station early today. Spokane police Officer Deanna Storch arrived at the Exxon Gas Station, 502 N. Freya St., about 12:57 a.m. to see one suspect outside a broken window with…

Continue reading this post »


MONDAY, NOV. 7, 2011

What did Thompson jurors see on TV?

An investigator with the U.S. Attorney's Office contacted Northwest Cable News last week to find out what five jurors could have seen if they were exposed to coverage of the Karl Thompson-Otto Zehm trial during breakfast at their Yakima hotel. The news channel says the…

Continue reading this post »


Judge in Zehm warns against outbursts

On the heels of a Spokane police officer yelling "PRESENT ARMS" as law enforcement Karl Thompson left court with U.S. Marshals Friday, a federal judge warned that such outbursts won't be tolerated. "At best, such conduct will cause exclusion from the courtroom, not to return.…

Continue reading this post »

Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.




Blog Archives

Dec. 2011 Nov. 2011 Oct. 2011 Sept. 2011
Aug. 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011
April 2011 March 2011 Feb. 2011 Jan. 2011