Thomas Clouse

The likelihood of finding an attorney willing to work for free got a boost this week. Appellate judges overturned a $70,000 sanction imposed against a Spokane attorney who had volunteered his time to try to stop an Oklahoma collection agency from harassing a Stevens County couple over an $843 debt.

One person is dead in Spokane and police are looking for the killer.

A woman charged with kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old girl during a drug deal that went bad was ordered held in jail Wednesday on a $200,000 bond. Mindee S. Deligt, 33, appeared before Superior Judge John Cooney on charges of first-degree kidnapping and rape stemming from an incident that reportedly occurred late Sunday and early Monday.

A high school senior accused of shooting a woman’s car with a pellet gun near Whitman Elementary School will be allowed to finish school after family members pleaded with a judge to let him out of jail. Tanner J. Caldwell, 18, appeared Wednesday before Superior Judge John Cooney on two charges of first-degree assault. Also charged is a 15-year-old boy.

A judge today released an 18-year-old high school senior, one of two people charged in connection with shooting a woman’s car near Whitman Elementary School, after pleas from family members that he be allowed to finish school.

A cargo pilot who overshot the Spokane airport by 50 miles last year, then lined up on the wrong runway during his approach, has been convicted in federal court of the rare charge of flying while intoxicated. Paul R. Roessler, 48, of Federal Way, was flying a twin-engine Piper PA-34 Seneca for a company based in Seattle. He faces up to 15 years in prison, although he’s likely to get far less time when he’s sentenced July 9.

A cargo pilot who overshot the Spokane airport by 50 miles last year, then lined up on the wrong runway during his approach, has been convicted in federal court of the rare charge of flying while intoxicated.

Federal agents accused two brothers of rolling back odometers on used cars to trick Craigslist shoppers and turn a profit. One of the men pleaded guilty to a similar felony fraud three years ago. Both brothers are jailed and one, Tam Q. Do, 36, is on an immigration hold. He is from Vietnam.

Testifying as a victim, a federal judge Wednesday explained how a prolific South Hill burglar traumatized his family, forcing him night after night to explain to his young children that they would be safe to sleep through the night. The family of the admitted burglar, 32-year-old Nathan D. Moore, then launched an emotional plea for leniency in Spokane County Superior Court, blaming his bizarre behavior on adverse reactions to new medications used to control debilitating seizures.

The man charged in the death of his girlfriend’s 18-month-old toddler pleaded not guilty Monday and has told investigators he thinks the child’s fatal injuries were caused by an accidental fall. Joshua D. Burnett, 23, faces a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the March 31 death of 18-month-old Rylee Castner. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Rylee died from blunt force trauma to his head.

Federal agents have joined the investigation into a Colville police officer who has been placed on administrative leave after women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. The investigation of Officer Rex Newport, who has been on the force for about 15 years, was first turned over to the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI opened its case after allegations were made that Newport violated a victim’s civil rights by committing a crime while he was on duty.

Federal agents have joined the investigation into a Colville police officer who has been placed on administrative leave after women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

A former Liberty Lake youth pastor and YMCA swim coach who distributed child pornography is scheduled to begin a five-year federal prison sentence in Sheridan, Ore. Lonnie W. Castillo, 50, of Liberty Lake, agreed late last year to plead guilty to the charge in exchange for the dismissal of another charge of possession of some 37 images and six videos showing child pornography.

A 10-year-old Colville boy pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to kill a classmate and tampering with a witness in a plot that prosecutors believe was thwarted by school officials. The boy was one of two fifth-graders arrested Feb. 7 after school officials discovered the boys trying to sneak a stolen gun and a knife into their school as part of a documented plan to kill fellow classmates.

A 10-year-old Colville boy pleaded guilty today to conspiring to kill a classmate and tampering with a witness.

Spokane developer Gregory D. Jeffreys has talked himself out of freedom, a judge ruled Monday. Citing his multiple violations of another judge’s order and a previously undisclosed threat made to a business associate, U.S. District Judge Rosanna Peterson ruled that Jeffreys must remain in jail during the months leading up to his January trial on charges that he defrauded millions of dollars from investors.