Assault Suspect In Bar Brawl Awaits Charges

Sat., June 27, 1998

By John Craig johnc@spokesman.com

The suspect in a shooting during a Springdale bar brawl is to be arraigned Monday in Stevens County Superior Court.

Deonisy F. Konovalov, 20, was in the county jail Friday in lieu of $25,000 bail. He was being held on suspicion of first-degree assault.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Al Nielson said he wanted to review sheriff’s reports before filing charges Monday.

A 17-year-old accomplice was charged Friday in Juvenile Court with attempting to elude police and first-degree rendering criminal assistance. He was being held in the Martin Hall detention center at Medical Lake, and will be arraigned Monday.

Konovalov and the juvenile both gave Gervais, Ore., addresses.

Nielson and Sheriff Craig Thayer gave this account:

Konovalov and the juvenile were drinking at The Depot tavern in Springdale early Wednesday morning when Konovalov got into a fight with Norman J. Ford, 22, of Wellpinit. Ford threw at least one punch at Konovalov inside the tavern, and the fight continued outside. Shortly after 2 a.m., Ford was shot in the abdomen and Konovalov escaped in a vehicle the juvenile was driving.

Ford was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where he was listed in satisfactory condition.

Spokane tribal police later spotted the suspects on state Highway 231, and they fled at speeds up to 80 mph. The suspects were stopped and arrested in Lincoln County with assistance from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.

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