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Winda Benedetti

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News >  Nation/World

Judge Bars Allegations In Abuse Trial Teacher Takes Stand But Doesn’t Have To Answer Questions About 1989 Rape Investigation

When Paul Mather took the stand Thursday to defend himself against sexual misconduct charges, he did not have to answer accusations that he had sex with a 16-year-old several years ago. Despite repeated requests from Kootenai County prosecutors, Judge Gary Haman would not allow a jury to hear evidence that the middle school teacher had sex with a Post Falls teenager in 1989.
News >  Idaho

Breakup Turns Into Confrontation With Boyfriend Struck By Car

An 18-year-old Coeur d'Alene man was taken to the hospital after his girlfriend allegedly ran into him with a car, according to a Coeur d'Alene police report. Wayne M. Johnson told police he got into an argument with his 16-year-old girlfriend Saturday night. She was upset because he wanted to go to a party with a previous girlfriend, according to the report. During the argument, Johnson told the girl he wanted to break up and he wanted his snowboarding equipment returned.
News >  Idaho

Murder Case’s Airing Draws Tips Two Promising Calls On Vern Henry’s Whereabouts Don’t Check Out

Although "America's Most Wanted" hasn't led to the arrest of Kootenai County's No. 1 suspected criminal, it has brought in several tips about where he may be hiding. Kootenai County sheriff's investigators believe Vern Henry, 44, of Athol, Idaho, gunned down his wife and 18-year-old daughter at their family home in August. He has been missing since. Saturday, the true-crime TV program "America's Most Wanted" aired a segment about the murders of Connie and Heather Henry. The show, broadcast throughout the United States and in other countries, asked people to call if they have information about where Henry may be hiding.
News >  Idaho

Man Charged After Girlfriend Nearly Strangled

A Kellogg man has been charged with assault with intent to commit murder for allegedly strangling his girlfriend until she was unconscious, Shoshone County Sheriff's officials said. John A. Westfall Jr., 25, is being held at the Shoshone County Jail on $200,000 bond. His 27-year-old girlfriend, whose name has not been released, was treated for injuries to her neck.
News >  Idaho

Accosted By Strangers, Children Say

In two separate cases, children recently reported that a stranger grabbed or tried to grab them near their schools. In both cases, the children were unharmed, according to reports released by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department Monday. Investigators do not believe the cases are related, said sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger. A 14-year-old Coeur d'Alene girl told deputies that she was on her way to Canfield Middle School at about 8 a.m. Monday when a man approached her at the intersection of Dalton Avenue and Fourth Street.
News >  Nation/World

Scam Taps Wrong Businessman Kootenai County Sheriff Pierce Clegg On Receiving End Of Dubious Offer

The owner of the Alpine Country Store received an appealing - if not illegal - offer in the mail this past weekend. A man, claiming to be a Nigerian government official, offered to deposit $21.5 million in the Hayden store's bank account. All the while, this ne'er-do-well really intended to make off with all the store's money. Good thing the store owner didn't bite. It seems the con man didn't realize who he was dealing with: Kootenai County Sheriff Pierce Clegg.
News >  Idaho

Standoff With Suicidal Gunman Ends Safely Deputies Knock Down Man With Beanbag Fired From Shotgun

Kootenai County sheriff's deputies surrounded the home of a suicidal Coeur d'Alene man Monday night after he fired a gun in his house and threatened to come out shooting. Deputies ended the four-hour standoff by shooting Buck Brooks with a beanbag fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, Sheriff Pierce Clegg said. "He'll be bruised tomorrow, but he's alive," Clegg said. "There is a happy end to this."
News >  Nation/World

Woman’s Survival Amazes Doctors, Family

The 82-year-old woman clung to the thought of her great-grandchildren as the intruder dealt her blow after blow. "She said the whole time, 'Jesus protect me, I've got my babies and they need me,"' Janis Nielsen said Friday. On Dec. 3, Nielsen's mother, Dorothy Kjera, was so brutalized during the attack that her blood was splattered against the walls and ceiling of her home of 38 years.
News >  Idaho

13-Year-Old Boy Faces Charge Of Lewd Conduct Police Arrest Boy For Allegedly Molesting 4-Year-Old

Spirit Lake police arrested a 13-year-old boy on a charge of lewd conduct Monday after he allegedly molested a 4-year-old boy. The teenager, who is mentally retarded, is being held at the juvenile detention center in Coeur d'Alene. The boy apparently had been staying at a foster home in Spirit Lake until he could be placed in a treatment facility, said Barry Black, Kootenai County deputy prosecutor. The family he was staying with has a 4-year-old son. The teen allegedly pulled down the boy's pants on Monday and fondled the youngster, said Officer James Cotter.
News >  Idaho

State Investigating Shootout At Twin Lakes Condominiums Sheriff’s Deputy Kills Gunman Who Had Fired At Least Eight Shots

The blood that had marked the gunbattle's ground zero was cleaned up Monday. But the bullet holes remained. There was a cracked gap in the gunman's condominium window. There were splintered holes in a carport - where bullets barely had missed a deputy. In the next-door apartment, black holes marked where two bullets had blasted into the living room, which was empty of people. Twin Lakes residents living in the Evergreen condominiums spent Monday wondering what had caused their quiet, strange and sometimes spooky neighbor to open fire Sunday night. They examined the bullet holes the 54-year-old father of two had left and talked about the Kootenai County sheriff's deputy who finally shot and killed the armed man.