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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Thomas Clouse

Thomas Clouse

Current Position: reporter

Thomas Clouse joined The Spokesman-Review in 1999. He is currently the business reporter. He previously worked as an investigative reporter for the City Desk and covering federal, state and local courts for many years.

Email
tomc@spokesman.com
Phone
(509) 459-5495

All Stories

News >  Spokane

Robber cites OxyContin addiction

A 24-year-old man told a judge Thursday that his life changed quickly and dramatically: He went from living with his girlfriend and their 7-year-old daughter to putting a knife to a man’s throat to get a pharmacist to hand over a bag of OxyContin pills. “How did you get to this point?” Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno asked Michael A. Miller.
News >  Spokane

Sentenced to 4 years, robber cites addiction

A 24-year-old convicted robber told a judge Thursday how he went from living with his girlfriend and their 7-year-old daughter to putting a knife to a man’s throat to get a pharmacist to hand over a bag of OxyContin pills.
News >  Spokane

Jury hears case for committing sex offender

A Spokane jury got its first glimpse Wednesday of the past sex crimes and current violent sexual fantasies that persuaded state officials to try to keep Shawn Dale Botner in custody for the rest of his life. The state wants to civilly commit Botner, 36, as a sexually violent predator, just as it did last year with rapist Kevin Coe. In a civil commitment trial, the jurors must find that Botner has a mental abnormality that makes him likely to commit sexually violent acts.
News >  Spokane

Sex offender’s civil commitment trial begins

A Spokane jury got its first glimpse Wednesday of the past sex crimes and current violent sexual fantasies that persuaded state officials to try to keep Shawn Dale Botner in custody for the rest of his life.
News >  Spokane

Man acquitted of murder based on plea of insanity

In a rare court proceeding, a Spokane man was acquitted Tuesday of stabbing his cousin to death last year. But that acquittal may require Adrian Wayne Ellenwood to remain in a mental hospital for life. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno approved 35-year-old Ellenwood’s not-guilty plea by reason of insanity. Ellenwood must remain at Eastern State Hospital until doctors determine he no longer poses a threat to himself or the public.
News >  Spokane

Man pleads not guilty in animal cruelty case

A Cheney man pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of animal cruelty after a witness reported seeing him throw a beagle into a kennel. According to a police report, a witness also saw 27-year-old Casey J. Price holding the female beagle, named Roxy, by her throat and holding the dog’s mouth to keep her from crying out.
News >  Spokane

Two more public pools open next week

Two more of Spokane’s six public swimming pools are scheduled to open Wednesday, giving kids 15 days to splash and dunk their friends before the school year starts. City officials gathered Friday to celebrate the opening of the Hillyard Pool, 5718 N. Haven St., and Comstock Pool, 800 W. 29th Ave. Construction is not yet complete on the Witter Pool, at 1400 E. Mission Ave., and the Liberty Pool, 1300 E. Fifth Ave., said Carl Strong, a recreation supervisor for the city.
News

Crash on Highway 395 now clear

The Washington State Patrol reports that crews have now cleared a two-car collision that had been blocking both directions of State Route 395 nine miles north of Spokane. The crash occurred at 9:16 a.m. and caused minor injuries.
News >  Spokane

Guilty plea in child rape case

The former security supervisor for The Spokesman-Review pleaded guilty Thursday to three sexual assault charges that could keep him in prison for life. Robert J. Robel, 61, pleaded guilty to first-degree rape of a child, second-degree rape of a child and first-degree child molestation. Robel agreed to the plea after a second victim came forward, which could have produced more charges, Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Edward Hay said in court.
News >  Spokane

River scare stalls traffic

Emergency personnel responded in force Wednesday morning onto and under the Monroe Street Bridge after someone riding the Riverfront Park Skyride reported seeing a bicycle next to the Spokane River. The woman also thought an object in the water resembled a child wearing a helmet, Spokane Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said.
News >  Spokane

Bicycle under bridge prompts river search

Emergency personnel responded in force this morning onto and under the Monroe Street Bridge after someone riding one of the gondolas reported seeing a bicycle next to one of the pools in the Spokane River. But emergency crews found nothing but floating trash.
News

Cool weather may bring thunderstorms

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for everywhere from Central Washington to North Idaho for today. The changing weather pattern, which will bring cooler temperatures, is also bringing the chance of thunderstorms that could include heavy rain, gusty winds and hail.
News >  Spokane

When a lift’s a letdown

The federal government’s “cash for clunkers” program could end up hurting some local small businesses by driving down the price of scrap and parts and making it harder for low-income people to find an affordable used car, several business owners said Tuesday. The idea of giving between $3,500 and $4,500 off the purchase price of a new vehicle has been a boon for Detroit’s automakers. But many of the so-called clunkers – which must have their engines destroyed as part of the transaction – are nicer vehicles than those driven by Steve Spaulding’s employees at Bill’s Auto Parts, Spaulding said. “This is a bad program,” he said. “It’s going to hurt so many people. It’s going to kill the scrap market … and the guy who wants to buy a $4,500 vehicle, because they are going to be gone.”
News >  Spokane

Some businesses say ‘clunker’ program will hurt

The federal government’s “cash for clunkers” program could end up hurting some local small businesses by driving down the price of scrap and parts and making it harder for low-income people to find an affordable used car, several business owners said Tuesday.
News

Ford man charged in fatal crash

A Ford man has been charged with DUI and vehicular homicide after he lost control of the pickup he was driving, left the roadway and rolled several times. The crash killed 22-year-old Zachary J. White of Medical Lake, who was a passenger in the 2007 GMC pickup, according to the Washington State Patrol.
News >  Spokane

Forecasters predict respite from the heat

After a run of hot temperatures, cool weather and thunderstorms are expected to reach Spokane and Coeur d’Alene by Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. While the weather outlook is improving, however, smoke from wildfires and high temperatures have combined to worsen air quality throughout Central and Eastern Washington.
News >  Weather

Temperatures to cool, air quality to improve later this week

After a run of hot temperatures, cool weather and thunderstorms are expected to reach Spokane and Coeur d’Alene by Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. While the weather outlook is improving, however, smoke from wildfires and high temperatures have combined to worsen air quality throughout Central and Eastern Washington.
News

Driver identified in fatal Hayden crash

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department has identified the man killed Sunday night in a crash near Hayden. Bernie “Jack” Barnes, 74, of Hayden, was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash reported at about 8:28 p.m. in the area of North Ramsey Road and West Boekel Road, sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Ben Wolfinger said in a news release.
News

Valley crews fighting house fire

The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded just before 6 a.m. this morning to a house fire at 13302 E. Broadway. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and no injuries have been reported. Firefighters were still at the scene just after 7 a.m.
News >  Spokane

Russell fights conviction, term

Despite apologizing for the drunken crash that killed three Washington State University students and seriously injured three others, Fred Russell has appealed his conviction and 14-year prison sentence. Russell’s appeal is pending before the state Court of Appeals, Division III. Russell’s attorney, Dennis Morgan, filed a 116-page brief July 15; a response from the state attorney general’s office is due by Sept. 17, clerk Renee Townsley said. After the response by the state, the case will be scheduled for a hearing.
News >  Spokane

Russell appeals vehicular homicide conviction

Despite apologizing for the drunken crash that killed three Washington State University students and seriously injured three others, Fred Russell has appealed his conviction and 14-year prison sentence.