Thomas Clouse

A jury today took under an hour, excluding lunch, to civilly commit a convicted rapist to state custody likely for the rest of his life.

Officials conducted an autopsy today on a 4-mont-old baby girl who died Friday and are now considering the death to be an accident.

The Washington Supreme Court has erased penalties levied against prosecutors who changed the date of a suspected robbery on the day the case was set for trial. The unanimous court ruling Thursday is the latest twist in the case of three men who were convicted of a home-invasion robbery and drive-by shooting only to have another man say after the trial that it was he who had committed the crime and then helped implicate the other three men. The case stemmed from a robbery and drive-by shooting trial against Tyler W. Gassman, Robert E. Larson and Paul E. Statler.

In a case originally believed to be a hit-and-run homicide, detectives continue to seek information in what has since been ruled the suspicious death of a 25-year-old man.

Spokane Valley Police investigators are seeking help locating a man accused of twice hitting another man in the head with a sword during a dispute Monday night over something else.

Just three weeks after disbursing more than $4,000 to each of its members, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced today that it will disburse another $58 million from its $193 million settlement with the federal government stemming from mismanagement of tribal timber- and rangelands. Tribal leaders originally said it would disburse 20 percent from the trust, which was approved in May as part of a $1 billion settlement of the longstanding legal battle between the federal government and 41 Native American tribes over mismanagement of tribal lands by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies are seeking help identifying two men who reportedly entered the home of an 82-year-old woman today and stole several items.

Spokane Mayor David Condon reconsidered his plan to sever the city’s ties with the police ombudsman next month, agreeing Monday to instead extend the employment contract through the end of the year. City spokeswoman Marlene Feist said Condon made the decision following concerns expressed by City Council members and to “smooth the transition to an enhanced model of civilian oversight for police.”

A Spokane man received 36 years in prison for killing a 1-year-old and beating an infant blind and inflicting brain damage. James R. Cooley, 24, apologized to the families of the children and said he wished he could bring the dead child back, his attorney Mark Hannibal said. “But there is no way to do that.”

Laughing driver caught after chase

The body of a 25-year-old man was discovered Sunday morning in Spokane Valley, and Spokane Valley police are investigating the case as a homicide. Spokane County sheriff’s detectives believe they know the identity of the deceased man but don’t know how he died, sheriff’s spokesman Deputy David Thornburg said in a news release. Thornburg said he expects to release more details about the case today.

Spokane police arrested a 21-year-old woman Sunday after she drove away from a traffic stop and continued to laugh as officers chased her through southeast Spokane until one officer finally ended the chase by forcing her to crash. The chase started just before 5 p.m. when Officer Joe Pence noticed a 2000 Plymouth Breeze driving recklessly near Illinois Avenue and Perry Street. After attempting a traffic stop, Breanna Stead, 21, sped up to an estimated 50 to 60 mph and ran several stop signs, Officer Ben Green wrote in a news release.

Spokane Police arrested a 21-year-old woman today after she drove away from a traffic stop and continued to laugh as officers chased her through southeast Spokane until one officer finally ended the chase by forcing her to crash.