Thomas Clouse

Bugbee earns another endorsement

Steven J. Snedden does most of his work in college libraries. Unfortunately, none of his efforts can be characterized as research. The 47-year-old registered sex offender, whose exploits have helped the Washington Supreme Court define criminal law, pleaded guilty Wednesday to yet another charge of indecent exposure stemming from a 2008 incident in which he twice masturbated in front of a student at the JFK Library on the Cheney campus of Eastern Washington University.

Steven J. Snedden does most of his work in college libraries. Unfortunately, none of his efforts can be characterized as research. The 47-year-old registered sex offender, whose exploits have helped the Washington Supreme Court define criminal law, pleaded guilty today to yet another charge of indecent exposure stemming from a 2008 incident in which he twice masturbated in front of a student at the JFK Library on the Cheney campus of Eastern Washington University.

The attorney representing accused double-killer Justin W. Crenshaw told a jury today that there is no question that his client killed two victims in February 2008: It’s just that Crenshaw’s state of mind was such that he couldn’t have planned the killing.

Accused crossbow killer Cole K. Strandberg appeared in court Friday, but his attorney asked for more time before holding a hearing to determine his competency to stand trial for aggravated first-degree murder. Strandberg’s attorney, Chris Bugbee, asked Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen to delay the Aug. 2 hearing because of a billing dispute with a Boise neuropsychologist who is expected to testify for the defense.

The attorney representing Justin W. Crenshaw will be allowed to present a defense that essentially says he couldn’t have planned to kill two people because of a rare psychological disorder that presents itself only after drinking alcohol. Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen on Friday denied a request by Deputy Prosecutor Jack Driscoll seeking to exclude testimony from a defense expert who said he believes Crenshaw may suffer from a rare condition called “alcohol idiosyncratic intoxication.”

Accused crossbow killer Cole K. Strandberg appeared in court today, but his attorney asked for more time before holding a hearing to determine his competency to stand trial for aggravated first-degree murder.

A man accused of stabbing a Spokane man to death for a share of $7.25 had his plea and sentencing postponed Thursday to 10 a.m. July 14.

The attorneys for the estate of Otto Zehm have asked a federal judge to set an earlier date for the criminal trial of Spokane police Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. Jeffry Finer, who represents Zehm’s estate, said federal criminal law allows the victim to be heard on a few matters.

All investigators had to do was watch Richard P. Hoffman’s house and wait until he hopped into a car and began to drive away. Each time he did, detectives got new felony charges against the prolific car thief. Hoffman, 34, had no driver’s license, which gave Spokane detectives the authority to pull him over on the spot, and they typically would find drugs or stolen property in his possession. But each time they booked him into jail, someone would bail him out.

Pro fighter accused of raping young girl

An admitted killer received what could be a life sentence Tuesday for a 2008 slaying that netted him a share of $7.25. Terry Conner, 53, expects that he will not survive to see the end of the 31-year prison sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque. He kept his back to his victim’s grieving family members gathered in the courtroom, avoiding eye contact with them even as guards led him away in shackles.

Jury selection began this morning in the double homicide trial of Justin W. Crenshaw. He’s charged with two counts of aggravated murder for killing a Mead High School senior and a young man on Feb. 28, 2008, in north Spokane.

Local attorney John Clark challenged Spokane’s system of issuing tickets from red-light cameras, arguing Thursday in Spokane Municipal Court that the city is not following well-established law. Officers have long been required to sign infractions indicating that they reviewed the tickets and attested to their accuracy, Clark said. But with the red-light cameras, the officer pushes a computer button that tells a private company in Arizona to affix a digital photo of the officer’s signature.

Local attorney John Clark challenged Spokane's system of issuing tickets from red light cameras, arguing Thursday in Spokane Municipal Court that the city is not following well-established law.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury in Spokane has indicted a Deer Park man on charge of filing fraudulent multi-billion dollar liens against four government officials.