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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Meghann M. Cuniff

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All Stories

News >  Spokane

Two home-invasion robberies reported

A man was shot in the leg late Tuesday in what Spokane police are investigating as a possible home-invasion robbery. The 11 p.m. shooting in the 900 block of East Providence Avenue occurred about an hour before another possible home robbery in south Spokane County.
News >  Spokane

Human trafficking suspects released

Four people arrested in what investigators believe is Spokane County’s first human trafficking case were released this weekend because no charges had been filed. Spokane County sheriff’s investigators are working on the case against Lawrence Dean Johnson, 43; his wife, Dina K. Tellez, 43; Christopher G. Foster, 33; and Foster’s girlfriend, Shanell L. Haddon, 28.
News >  Spokane

Ex-cop admits ‘bad mistake’

A Spokane police officer fired for lying to a co-worker to obtain the address of a woman he met at a bar told investigators he was going through personal problems and was concerned for the woman’s safety because he’d seen her interacting with a known felon. Alan Edwards, who was fired in March, said he thought the woman showed interest in him as he left the Sullivan Scoreboard on Dec. 15 to give a friend a ride home. He returned to the bar about midnight and saw the woman talking to another man, whom he described “as a felon kind of bad guy.”
News >  Spokane

Home invasion arrests made

Two men have been arrested for the investigation of a north Spokane home-invasion robbery in which the victims were bound with zip ties and one was pistol-whipped. Nathan W. Day, 21, and Nathan T. McDaniels, 28, are accused of entering a home in the 9600 block of North Alpine Court in the Indian Trail area about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, waking a resident and asking him about a safe before stealing other items.
News >  Spokane

Human trafficking case opens

A frightened young woman’s descriptions of being held captive and sold for sex at drug houses and motels over the past year has led to several arrests in what’s believed to be Spokane County’s first human trafficking case. Lawrence Dean Johnson, 43; Johnson’s wife, Dina K. Tellez, 43; Christopher G. Foster, 33; and Shanell L. Haddon, 28, who is Foster’s girlfriend, are in the Spokane County Jail as prosecutors consider formal charges against them.
News >  Spokane

Sex slave claims lead to 4 trafficking arrests

A frightened young woman’s descriptions of being held captive and sold for sex at drug houses and motels over the past year has led to several arrests in what’s believed to be Spokane County’s first human trafficking case.
News >  Spokane

Chronic eluder arrested for second time in three weeks

A Spokane man arrested at gunpoint after a police chase three weeks ago was picked up again Tuesday morning after another chase with law enforcement.  A profusely sweaty Michael S. Wheeler, 38, was taken to a hospital after he told a sheriff's deputy he had eaten an unknown amount of cocaine when he was arrested near Argonne and Bruce roads, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.
News >  Spokane

Killing suspect called ‘crazy’

Acquaintances of a man arrested in the shooting death of a transient in Spokane Valley told detectives he was dangerously unstable and often accused people at gunpoint of things they did not do. A witness in the investigation of the killing of Warren Scott Flinn said suspect Shane Caleb Smith, 38, is known as “Psycho Shane” and sometimes speaks of imaginary people and vivid hallucinations, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
News >  Spokane

Homicide suspect arrested

A suspect was arrested Tuesday in Spokane Valley for the May 12 shooting death of a 44-year-old man. Shane Caleb Smith, 38, is accused of killing Warren Scott Flinn, who was found badly injured May 13. Flinn died May 16 at a local hospital from what the medical examiner’s office ruled were gunshot wounds to his head.
News >  Spokane

Woman found dead feared for safety

A 20-year-old woman found dead of what police say was significant trauma told a confidant days before she disappeared that she was worried and concerned for her safety. Kala Williams got to know Erin Newberry through the Catalyst Project, an organization that helps homeless youth.
News >  Spokane

Officials hope swift punishment will deter probation violators

The young woman insisted she hadn’t smoked marijuana recently. A urine test given by her probation officer came back positive for the substance, but she was sure it must have been traces left over from before she completed her rehabilitation program. Stacy Garcia, who conducts probation violation hearings for the Washington Department of Corrections, didn’t buy it.
News >  Spokane

Fugitive found with marijuana, cash

Spokane police are investigating why an Oklahoma fugitive ended up here with a large amount of marijuana and cash. Police on Friday obtained a search warrant for Mitchell R. Green Jr.’s cellphone in hopes it will lead to what they suspect is a marijuana trafficking ring.
News >  Marijuana

78-year-old pleads guilty in pot case

A 78-year-old man who allowed drug traffickers to use his property just south of the Canadian border in Ferry County has pleaded guilty. Alvin Oliver Shields had 700 pounds of marijuana on his property when federal agents searched it in 2009. Now he faces 30 to 42 months in prison under a plea agreement approved this week in U.S. District Court in Spokane. He’s to be sentenced on Aug. 9.
News >  Spokane

Assault victim dies of injuries

A man found assaulted in Spokane Valley on Sunday has died, and investigators are asking for help finding his killer. Warren Scott Flinn, 44, died Wednesday at a local hospital after deputies found him injured in the 300 block of North Lake Road while responding to a report of a possible trespassing, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The area is just east of Fancher Road and north of Sprague Avenue.
News >  Spokane

No holds barred

Kim Imel held back tears as Spencer, a 1-year-old dachshund mix, sniffed around his new home and played with his new companions. The dachshund was in prison – literally.
News

Man due in court for child porn dies in car crash

A man scheduled to be sentenced to federal prison today for child pornography died in a one-car crash in Pend Oreille County this morning. Bruce R. Thompson was killed when his 2003 GMC pickup went off state Roue 211 about 10 miles west of Newport and struck a boulder, according to Washington State Patrol.