Thomas Clouse

A federal judge said Thursday that he is leaning toward allowing prosecutors to show that marks made on the wires of the bomb planted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Spokane came from a set of pliers owned by Kevin W. Harpham. If he allows the testimony, it would be the first time in a federal trial.

COLVILLE – The man charged with mistreating a 106-year-old Kettle Falls woman was arrested on theft charges Tuesday. John H. “Herb” Friedlund, 78, is accused of raiding the retirement accounts of Frances T. Swan, who was discovered May 26 begging for food in her Kettle Falls home, which was riddled with dog feces, rotting food, guns and ammunition. The woman’s family members say more than $800,000 has been drained from accounts.

COLVILLE – The suspect charged with killing a Colville man last month is exploring the option of pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, a prospect that bothers the dead man’s common-law wife. “I find that really unsatisfying,” Denise Ridley said Tuesday after the scheduled arraignment of accused killer Eric L. Booth was postponed for a mental evaluation. “He knew what he was doing. He just ruined my life.”

The man charged with mistreating a 106-year-old Kettle Falls woman was arrested today at a hearing initially set to allow him to appoint a new attorney to represent him in his criminal matters.

The suspect charged with killing a Colville man last month is exploring the option of pleading guilty by reason of insanity, a prospect that bothers the dead man’s common-law wife.

Cole K. Strandberg has pleaded guilty to killing a Spokane woman with a crossbow in 2008. Defense attorney Chris Bugbee has acknowledged in past hearings that Strandberg killed 22-year-old Jennifer Bergeron on Jan. 7, 2008. However, Bugbee argued unsuccessfully to have Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen find Strandberg, 25, not guilty by reason of insanity.

Cole K. Strandberg has pleaded guilty to killing a Spokane woman with a crossbow in 2008.

Jane B. Korn never saw herself becoming an attorney – let alone the first female dean of Gonzaga University School of Law. Ending her first month on the job after being chosen to replace Earl F. Martin, who stepped down to become the school’s executive vice president, Korn said she has appreciated every moment.

The man charged with killing Gordon R. Feist, of Colville, has confessed to the shooting and told detectives that two others helped him, according to court records filed Wednesday. Eric L. Booth, 26, faces a charge of murder in connection with the July 17 killing of 63-year-old Feist. Neighbors found Feist bleeding from the head when they responded to the sound of his utility vehicle crashing into a pole.

An FBI plan to not tell domestic terrorism suspect Kevin W. Harpham why he was arrested has raised the ire of the federal judge presiding over the case of the Stevens County man who is charged with leaving a bomb along the planned route of the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March. According to documents released Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Justin Quackenbush expressed his “concerns as to the several hour delay in advising Kevin Harpham of the reasons for his arrest after taking him into custody and also the failure to give the defendant Miranda warnings during that several hour period.”

Federal prosecutors revealed today that domestic terrorism suspect Kevin W. Harpham took pictures of himself at the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March in which he is charged with leaving a bomb along its route.

The family of slain Spokane Valley pastor Wayne Scott Creach has filed a $14.7 million wrongful death claim against Spokane County, which is the first step in filing a civil lawsuit. “A jury may come in and feel highly aggravated at what happened,” said the pastor’s son, Alan Creach. “They may award a very large sum.”