Special Olympics Washington honored Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich for his support of the program. Knezovich received the 2012 Special Olympics Washington Law Enforcement Torch Run Campaign, Sheriff of the Year Award. Special Olympics Washington gives the award to one Washington sheriff and police chief…
Appellate judges have upheld a civil judgment in favor of Spokane County after a jury ruled in 2011 that a deputy did not use excessive force during a traffic stop in 2006. Mary Schultz, the attorney for Daniel B. Strange, appealed several rulings by Superior…
A previously scheduled meeting to discuss Spokane police reform and an update of its progress was canceled on Monday afternoon due to an absent chief of Police. Due to a scheduling conflict, chief of Police Frank Straub was unable to attend the Public Safety Committee…
You'd never know it from watching TV these days but America's violent crime rate is continuing its plunge. The latest FBI stats, released today, show the number of murders, robberies, rapes and other felony assaults fell 3.8 percent nationwide in 2011, the fifth straight decline…
Spokane Police detectives say a man may have targeted the home of a burglary victim because of an online obituary, entering when he believed she would be gone. The burglar’s haul included multiple firearms, antiques, and the victim’s dead husband’s wedding ring. The crime occurred…
Spokane police arrested a panhandler Thursday afternoon after discovering he had a stolen car. A man left a vehicle parked near the Office Depot by Wellesley Avenue and Division Street and proceeded to the intersection with a cardboard sign to panhandle, according to a Spokane…
A man, charged in a gang-related shooting in which a 6-year-old girl was hit in the foot, pleaded guilty today in Spokane County Superior Court. Abubakar Samura, 21, had been charged with two counts of first-degree assault following the March 4 shooting in the 1800…
In addition to revelations that Spokane Police detectives were feeding information about the Zehm investigation to Officer Karl F. Thompson, Jr., the grand jury testimony of Detective Jeff Harvey had several other insights into how the Spokane Police handled the case. Harvey was a vice…
A reportedly intoxicated man assaulted a Spokane Valley Fire paramedic on Monday evening while crews treated a woman for a seizure. While the Station 1 paramedic in full uniform and his partner treated the patient, 51-year-old William J. Nachtwey became hostile toward the paramedic and…
King County Jail's decision to give an accused cop killer a personal TV to watch in his cell has got more than a few people steamed. "This is just terrible," said Seattle Police Officers' Guild President Rich O'Neill. The Seattle Police Department also sent notice…
Were detectives just doing their job or did they go too far? A Spokane attorney has accused detectives of misrepresenting facts surrounding a homicide investigation in order to obtain permission to search the belongings of the victim's daughter. Recently unsealed court documents show Spokane police…
While no charges have been filed, deputies continue to investigate the case of an estranged Spokane Valley husband who was shot in the knee today by a man who was living in his wife’s garage. Spokane Valley deputies responded at about 11 a.m. today to…
A man was hospitalized earlier this month after allegedly being the target of football rage at a downtown Spokane bar. On Oct. 2 at 3:06 a.m., police took a report from the victim at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He said he was assaulted by…
City leaders have apologized to a police detective fired last year for what officials described as a “troubled work history.” The Spokane City Council voted 5-1 on Monday to approve a $350,000 settlement with Detective Jeff Harvey, who was rehired earlier this year. The settlement…
A man who just had three counts of aggravated murder dismissed against this week also had Spokane County charges dismissed as part of the same deal. Kevin Harper, 30, had been convicted of three counts of aggravated murder in Yakima County. But before he was…
UPDATE: Potluck for Thompson canceled. Officer John Gately just called Friday afternoon to say that the Nov. 3 event "An Evening with Karl" F. Thompson Jr. has been canceled. "It was never intended to offend anyone," Gately said. "It's canceled." HERE'S THE ORIGINAL POST: Most…
Former Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick is back in the news. Kirkpatrick, who turned in her badge last year after voters ousted Mayor Mary Verner, has caught the attention of King County sheriff's candidate John Urqhart, who says he would hire her to serve as…
The defense attorneys of former Spokane Police Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. have blamed a faulty email program for missing the deadline last Friday to file any objections to the pre-sentence report that could become the last major legal battle prior to sentencing. Thompson was…
Recently filed court documents show how Spokane Police on Monday tracked down the man who has been charged with Oct. 1 shooting in which his girlfriend suffered a bullet wound to the face: They followed the family. Joshua D. Graham, 30 appeared Tuesday before Superior…
A con man whose schemes made victims out of dozens of people in three states was sentenced today to 29 months in prison. Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque sentenced 60-year-old Ronald G. Stratton to the high end of the range after a jury convicted him…
The man charged with attacking a 62-year-old woman during a burglary last month that left her with serious injuries told police he was just trying to get out of her house when he threw an elbow at her. David J. Bassford, 38, appeared Monday before…
A Spokane man, who said he was blinded by anger, remains in jail on a $20,000 bond after he admitted smashing out the windows of his ex-girlfriend’s car before he set it ablaze early Saturday morning. Matthew A. Radeck, 26, appeared Monday before Superior Court…
A sentence on Friday of 10 years likely ends any chance of John "Herb" Friedlund of ever seeing another sunrise as a free man. At 79, and in poor health, Friedlund also faces several felonies in federal court now that he has been convicted of…
The Inland Northwest's most unfortunately named police chief has resigned. Pat Lawless, who until Wednesday served as chief of the Spirit Lake Police Department, reportedly had engaged in an inappropriate conversation with other officers, two of whom have been disciplined. The city wouldn't say what…
Spokane's largest ambulance service is going pink for October. American Medical Response has emblazoned one of its Spokane-based ambulances with bright pink stripes for breast cancer awareness month. Most of its 150 employees in Spokane also are wearing special pink shirts they bought themselves to…
Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.
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