Thomas Clouse

A young mother sobbed and promised the family of the man she stabbed to death during a chaotic road rage confrontation two years ago that she would take it all back if she could. Instead, a judge sentenced her today to nearly 15 years in prison.

A jury failed to agree Friday on manslaughter charges against two men implicated in the explosion of a homemade device that killed a Chattaroy man last fall. After a two-week trial, the jury voted 11-1 to acquit 36-year-old James J. Crouchman of second-degree manslaughter and 9-3 to acquit 20-year-old Christapher A. Harris of first-degree manslaughter. Both were in connection with the Nov. 6 explosion that killed Cody R. Hathaway outside a costume party.

A jury today failed to come to consensus on manslaughter charges against two men implicated in the explosion of a homemade device that killed a Chattaroy man last fall.

The search was suspended tonight for a 17-year-old boy who was jumped off a cliff into Davis Lake in Pend Oreille County and did not surface.

The University of Idaho had worked for more than two months to offer advice and help to Kathryn “Katy” Benoit after she first complained about her relationship with the professor who police say eventually killed her. That contact included a visit with Benoit the day she was shot 11 times.

University of Idaho officials met with Kathryn “Katy” Benoit on the day she was killed and cautioned her to remain vigilant and keep in contact with the Moscow Police Department.

A Colville man appeared in court this morning on charges that he assaulted a 6-week-old baby, who currently remains in intensive care in a Spokane hospital.

Alcoholic in fatal crash pleads not guilty

2 plead not guilty to attempted murder

A man charged with attempted murder pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was ordered to remain in jail on a $750,000 bond. Convicted felon Gary L. Houchins, 29, appeared Tuesday before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price in connection with a July 11 incident in which he is accused of using duct tape and zip ties to trap a boy in a basement, then attacking the boy’s father.

• March 18, 2006: Otto Zehm, 36, a mentally ill and unemployed janitor, is beaten, Tasered and hogtied inside a Zip Trip convenience store by seven Spokane police officers after being wrongly identified as a suspect in a possible theft. Acting police Chief Jim Nicks says Zehm was combative and “lunged” at the first officer on the scene, Karl Thompson, forcing the use of defensive tactics. Officers say Zehm has a prior arrest for assaulting a police officer. • March 20, 2006: Zehm dies at Deaconess Medical Center. Police acknowledge that the potential theft report that led to the confrontation was unfounded.

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner announced Tuesday that she is seeking “all courses of action” to resolve the civil case surrounding the city’s handling of the fatal 2006 confrontation between Spokane police and mentally ill janitor Otto Zehm. Verner said media attention over the past week has brought “raw emotions and ongoing frustration from our community, made worse by the complexity of legal processes surrounding the matter,” according to a news release.

A medical expert hired by the Spokane police officer facing criminal charges over the fatal Otto Zehm confrontation is blaming other officers at the scene for causing the unarmed janitor’s death. Court documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court indicate Dr. Daniel Davis is prepared to testify in Officer Karl Thompson’s excessive force trial that the asphyxiation that killed Zehm was caused by officers pressing down on him while he was hogtied on the floor of a Zip Trip convenience store.

A medical expert hired by the Spokane police officer facing criminal charges over the fatal Otto Zehm confrontation is blaming other officers at the scene for causing the unarmed janitor’s death.

The Spokane Police Department’s second-in-command believes an officer didn’t follow department policy in the fatal 2006 confrontation with Otto Zehm, contradicting his previous statements. That revelation prompted Spokane Mayor Mary Verner to say Tuesday that the city is re-evaluating its legal strategy.