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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for Jan. 1, 2012

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29, 2012

Sex offender admits child porn charge

A registered sex offender admitted today to possessing child pornography at his home in Hayden Lake, Idaho. John Patrick McClaren, 46, faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced June 19 in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene, according to the U.S. Attorney's…

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Bank manager sentenced for $400k theft

A woman who embezzled $400,000 from the bank she managed in North Idaho for 12 years is to spend 2 1/2 years in prison. Mary Ann Head, 59, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene after pleading guilty in December to making…

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5 cited for porn shop indecent exposure

Five people were cited for indecent exposure during an undercover police investigation at a Spokane Valley porn store Tuesday. Undercover detectives walked through the Hollywood Erotic Boutique in the 9600 block of East Sprague Avenue and observed five acts of indecent exposure, according to the…

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N. Idaho man sentenced for child porn

A Hayden Lake man is to spend more than six years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. Charley Brigham Leighton II, 41, also is to be on probation for 15 years, forfeit the computer and media used in the crime and register as a…

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Couple charged in armed robbery spree

A couple accused of robbing a video game store with a pellet gun in January has been charged with five other gunpoint robberies. Merle A. Andrew Jr., 36, and his girlfriend, suspected getaway driver Nicole N. Stearns, 29, (pictured) are accused of robbing an elderly…

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Big meth dealer gets 10 years in prison

A Spokane man who transported large amounts of methamphetamine to the Inland Northwest from Southern California is to spend 10 years in federal prison. James Stewart, 50, also is to forfeit drug proceeds of $180,000, perform 120 hours of community service and be on probation…

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Man pleads not guilty in fatal stabbing

A man accused of stabbing another man to death in downtown Spokane pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a second-degree murder charge. David J. Fagundes, Jr., 34, is accused of killing Casey W. Anderson, 23, during a fight that included Anderson peppery spraying Fagundes, according to…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 28, 2012


Serial robbery suspect pleads not guilty

Pepper spray apparently didn't deter a drug-seeking pharmacy robber in Deer Park: Police believe he tried robbing the store two more times. Aaron David Kenny Miller, 24, pleaded not guilty today to first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery and attempted second-degree robbery for holdups at the Medicine…

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Deputy avoids spit; suspect faces felony

A Spokane man arrested on a disorderly conduct charge Friday upped the judicial ante by spitting at a deputy's face, authorities said today. Christopher Joseph Davison, 23, faces a felony third-degree assault charge after the incident at the jail with Deputy Liljenberg. Liljenberg arrested Davison…

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Spokane police arrest Albert V. Bergen, 46, on charges of burglary, resisting arrest and assaulting police. (Spokane Police Department)

Police: Burglary suspect assaulted cop

Spokane police arrest Albert V. Bergen, 46, on charges of burglary, resisting arrest and assaulting police. (SPD photo) A man is accused of assaulting a police officer after he was caught in the backyard of a home in northwest Spokane Friday. According to Spokane police,…

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Judge rejects mom-based lawyer plea

A 50-year-old Spokane man recently sentenced to prison for drugs won't be allowed to retain his publicly funded lawyer while he awaits legal advice from his mother, a judge ruled Monday. Vernon V. Jackson had objected to public defender Mark Hannibal's routine request to withdraw…

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No charges in fatal Colville cop shooting

A Colville police officer was justified when he shot and killed a 21-year-old car prowling suspect who investigators say was armed with a stolen gun last November, prosecutors recently concluded. Officer Dan Spring Spring feared for his life when Sean Bergstrasser (pictured) grabbed a stolen…

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No witness tampering in Mehring case

The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office has declined to charge former Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick and City Attorney Rocky Treppiedi with witness tampering in a wrongful termination case the city eventually lost and is currently on the hook for about $1.5 million in damages and…

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MONDAY, FEB. 27, 2012

Kirkpatrick out for Phoenix top cop spot

Former Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick is out of the running for top cop in Arizona's largest city. The City of Phoenix announced today that four candidates have been selected as finalists for police chief: San Jose Police Chief Robert Davis, Dallas Assistant Police Chief…

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THURSDAY, FEB. 23, 2012

Spokane police honored for heroism

The courage and heroism of more than a dozen Spokane police officers who went above and beyond the call of duty will be honored tonight. Check back with The Spokesman-Review for full coverage of the recipients. The awards presentation which is scheduled for 6 p.m.…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 21, 2012

Spokane makes Tonight Show w/ Leno

I will be out of the office for at least this week. My colleagues may update this blog occasionally. Meanwhile, enjoy Spokane's time in the sun. Past coverage: Feb. 9: Report: Traveling prostitutes cited ugly Spokane competition

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MONDAY, FEB. 20, 2012

Geiger fight leads to stitches, charges

An inmate assaulted another inmate at Geiger Corrections Center Friday evening, officials said today. Anthony Neil Carson, 33, was moved to the Spokane County Jail to face a second-degree assault charge after entering the victim's room and punching him in the face and body repeatedly,…

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Suspended driver arrested after chase

A driver with a suspended license who fled a traffic stop in his 2006 Ford Mustang was arrested on a bevy of charges late Sunday, officials said today. David B. Middleton, 44, stopped his black Mustang near East Sprague Avenue and North Farr Road about…

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Speeding stop yields 2.5 lbs. of cocaine

A traffic stop on Interstate 90 near Ritzville yielded nearly 2 1/2 pounds of packaged cocaine and led to the arrest of two men recently. Marshall Jay Devore, 31, and Rudolph Salvador Pyne, 32, are facing federal drugs charges in U.S. District Court in Spokane…

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Body found downtown; suspect arrested

A man was found dead from a stab wound in a downtown Spokane street early Sunday. The man has not been publicly identified, but suspect David Joseph Fagundes, Jr., 34, has been jailed on a second-degree murder charge. The victim was found near the intersection…

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Veronica Evans had her front door kicked in recently in the Chief Garry Park area. After she replaced the door, someone has tried to enter her home twice more. (Dan Pelle)

Residents react to property crimes cut

Veronica Evans had her front door kicked in recently in the Chief Garry Park area. After she replaced the door, someone has tried to enter her home twice more. (SRphoto/Dan Pelle) The thieves are brazen in Veronica Evans’ neighborhood. They kicked in her door three…

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FRIDAY, FEB. 17, 2012

Melted and lit candles mix on the curb at the Ader family memorial at Heroy Avenue and Whitehouse Street Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

Public invited to Aders' memorial

Melted and lit candles mix on the curb at the Ader family memorial at Heroy Avenue and Whitehouse Street Sunday. (SRphoto/Colin Mulvany) A mother and her two sons killed in a triple homicide last week will be remembered Sunday. The public is invited to attend…

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Cops: 'Bobcat bandit' stole laughing gas

A medication and laughing gas thief who fled on a snow removal vehicle was arrested early Thursday in north Spokane County, officials say. Joseph Franklin Knapp, 30, told Deputy Dan Dutton he was working for the state when he was stopped about 1 a.m. while…

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Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.




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