Bill Morlin

The Montana attorney general dismissed felony charges Wednesday against seven militia followers arrested for allegedly plotting to kidnap and hang a judge. "There is not sufficient evidence to prove the initial charges beyond a reasonable doubt," which is necessary for a jury conviction, said Assistant Attorney General John Connor. The seven defendants, including Militia of Montana co-founder John Trochmann, 51, of Noxon, Mont., had been arrested earlier this month in Roundup, Mont., north of Billings.

Four Hells Angels, riding lowprofile since their arrival in Spokane last summer, are suing two local restaurants that refuse to serve them. The bikers say they are being discriminated against because they wear their Angels insignias.

A federal judge who tossed out evidence in a Spokane drug case has taken the unusual step of clarifying his ruling. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle says he didn't mean to imply that Postal Inspector Mike Erdahl was lying when he applied for a search warrant to open a parcel. On Feb. 23, the judge issued a written ruling saying that prosecutors couldn't use evidence against Jerrell Logwood and his brother, Jamie Logwood, because of problems with the search warrant.

A Spokane attorney used cocaine twice after he admitted guilt and was placed on probation for his involvement in the Operation Doughboy drug conspiracy case. Ronald Kappelman's cocaine use in January was detected in random urine tests, including one administered on Jan. 23 when he began serving a work-release term.

A high school drug counselor who lived a lie and secretly sold wholesale quantities of cocaine will serve four years in a federal prison. John S. Drake, described by his own attorney as a "conduit of evil and destruction," avoided a mandatory 10 years in prison by becoming a government informer immediately after his arrest.

FOR THE RECORD: (March 14, 1995): The weapons pictured with a Sunday story on the Militia of Montana are legal. The cutline under the photograph may have suggested to some readers that the weapons were illegal. 1. Ready for a fight. Militia leader Cal Greenup carries a loaded .357 revolver for self-defense. "We're not gun-toting radicals who are out to damage or hurt anyone," he says. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. "We want our freedom and our country back," says Greenup, left, with Larry Blackburn, Shad Greenup and Al Hamilton. 3. "I think there is a very real risk of bloodshed before this is over," says District Judge Jeff Langston. 4. After a string of threats, Hamilton, Mont., officials have begun to feel like prisoners in their own homes, says city Judge Marty Bethel, right. At left is City Administrator Don Williamson. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 5. Weapons seized recently include illegal assault rifles and thousands of rounds of ammo.

The jailing of seven men tied to the Militia of Montana is the newest hot button for talk radio and is being discussed across the nation on computer bulletin boards. Bob Fletcher, a spokesman for the Militia of Montana, has appeared a couple of times on a Spokane radio talk show.

1. Sheriff G. Paul Smith believes men were plotting to kidnap a Montana judge. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. "I don't sleep well, because every noise I hear, I get up to check it out," say County Attorney John Bohlman. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Cocaine dealer James Larsen, who was a major target of the "Operation Doughboy" drug investigation, will serve eight years in prison. That is less than half the 17-year minimum sentence the 37-year-old businessman originally faced. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice said Larsen deserved the lighter sentence because he had provided substantial help to investigators immediately after his arrest last August.

A physician's assistant got four months' probation and a $1,000 fine for cocaine possession in the Operation Doughboy case. Robert J. Woodruff, called "Dr. Bob" by his cocaine suppliers, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle. After completing probation, Woodruff can ask the state of Washington to reinstate his license to work as a physician's assistant.

1. Sue Swingle 2. Fire Investigators probe the ashes of a house in the foothills area northeast of Spokane that was destroyed by fire Friday. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Paulsen

Ken Olds waters houseplants and tomato seedlings in his basement. Olds and his wife were suspected of growing marijuana. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

A 34-year-old Spokane man confessed to his third bank robbery after his attorney unsuccessfully attempted to get a charge tossed out. The attorney for John J. Ballou sought dismissal of the federal bank robbery charge because police accidentally erased a bank video tape of the Dec. 1 holdup.

A high school counselor teaching kids about the dangers of drugs also was selling cocaine, he told a federal jury Thursday. "I meant everything I said and did with those kids," fired counselor John S. Drake said of his former job with public schools in Lincoln County.

A suspended Spokane attorney testified Wednesday that cocaine addiction destroyed his marriage and law practice. At one point, he said, he believe he would be killed. "I've lost everything, including my self-respect," Howard Nichols told a jury in U.S. District Court.

1. Susan Smith gets a pat on the back from attorney Judy Clarke Wednesday. Photo by Tim Dominick/Associated Press 2. Susan Smith sits in court Wednesday with attorney Judy Clarke. Photo by Tim Dominick/Associated Press

Spokane drug kingpin James Larsen told a jury Tuesday that he bought vast quantities of cocaine from a high school drug counselor. Larsen and the counselor already have confessed to their roles in a cocaine trafficking network, and are testifying during the trial of two other suspects.

A parade of cocaine dealers who confessed their involvement in Operation Doughboy will testify in the trial of two remaining co-conspirators. Keith S. Young, 47, of Electric City, Wash., and Edelmire "Eddie" Tamiz, 38, of Pasco, are charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The pair are the only defendants in the case to not cut plea bargains for lighter sentences.

The biggest crack cocaine supplier ever caught in Spokane was convicted by a federal jury Friday and faces at least 15 years in prison. Darryl E. Jackson, 31, formerly of Compton, Calif., was found guilty of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

Police and federal agents allege the 31-year-old defendant is the biggest supplier of crack cocaine ever caught in Spokane. In a rare move, a federal judge issued an arrest warrant Thursday for a defense witness in a major cocaine trial. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle issued the warrant for Brent Nowacki on the fourth day of the trial of Darryl E. Jackson.

A retired Spokane contractor who failed to report more than $1 million in stock profits over five years was convicted Wednesday of filing false income tax returns. Richard E. Peters, 64, faces sentencing May 1 after a background report is prepared for U.S. District Judge Frem Nielsen.

The man police say is the biggest supplier of crack cocaine ever caught in Spokane kept his dope on ice, a federal jury was told Monday. Darryl Jackson, 31, was arrested Oct. 19 by police and federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents who found 2 pounds of crack worth $170,000 hidden in a refrigerator. "He kept it hidden in the freezer compartment" Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Skibbie told the jury in opening statements.

David Helsing spent all of Friday viewing the south side of the U.S. Court House looking for weather damage to concrete window sills. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review