Briefly

Man charged with vehicular homicide

A 20-year-old Spokane man has been charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in a July 24 car crash in Okanogan County that killed one passenger and injured two others.

Matthew R. Perkins faces trial Oct. 12 in Okanogan County on one count of vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol, two counts of vehicular assault while under the influence and one count of being a minor in possession of alcohol.

He is free on $20,000 bail.

According to court documents filed by Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Stephen Bozarth, Perkins was driving downhill on a mountain road near Winthrop, Wash., when his vehicle went off the road. Bozarth said the car apparently flew 100 feet through the air before landing on a different road and rolling.

Adam Sams, one of three passengers in Perkins’ car, died at the scene. Passengers Amber Butler and Shaun Chambers both suffered broken arms.

Perkins told sheriff’s deputies he had been driving 50 mph, twice the recommended speed, Bozarth said. He added that officers said Perkins smelled strongly of alcohol and had bloodshot, watery eyes.

Men injured in struggle after alleged theft

A security officer tussled with a suspected shoplifter Sunday.

Both men were injured slightly during the struggle outside Tidyman’s grocery store, 13104 E. Sprague, according to Spokane Valley Police Department spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan.

Police were called after a Tidyman’s loss-prevention officer watched a man leave the store at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a basket of unpaid-for groceries totaling approximately $100 in value, Reagan said.

The suspect was identified as Kevin L. Sanger, 44, 301 W. Graves Road. Sanger allegedly started driving away in a white van.

The security officer tried to get Sanger to stop, Reagan said, and both men ended up falling to the pavement. Sanger got back in his van and again tried to leave but was stopped by a store employee, Reagan said.

During the getaway attempts, the van hit a car and a light post, Reagan said.

Both men were treated for their injuries. Sanger was taken to a hospital and was booked into the Spokane County Jail later Sunday on suspicion of first-degree robbery.

Motorcyclist dies of injuries following crash

A 60-year-old Wilkeson, Wash., man died Saturday of injuries he suffered in an Aug. 5 motorcycle accident on state Highway 23 in Lincoln County, the Washington State Patrol reported.

Perry D. Crandall was southbound on the highway about 16 miles south of Sprague when a deer crossed the roadway, striking his 1991 Harley-Davidson, the WSP said. Crandall was ejected from the motorcycle.

He was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he died, the WSP said.

Expect delays on I-90 at Latah Creek Bridge

Crews are scheduled to work today on westbound Interstate 90 at the Latah Creek Bridge.

They will be repairing the right lane from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Drivers should expect some congestion and delays.

Woman stable after truck runs her over

A 70-year-old woman who was run over by a truck last week has improved from critical to stable condition, said Dick Cottam, Spokane Police Department spokesman.

The woman suffered fractures and internal injuries in the accident Thursday.

She was walking on a sidewalk along Third Avenue near McClellan Street when a 50-year-old driver pulled out of the Firestone Tire and Service Center. The driver was watching for traffic on his left and failed to notice the woman approaching on his right.

No citations have been issued, Cottam said, though police still are investigating.

Retired general’s condition upgraded

Fort Lewis, Wash. The condition of retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, who chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Clinton administration, has been upgraded from guarded to serious but stable.

Madigan Army Medical Center spokesman Mike Meines said Monday the change indicates Shalikashvili’s condition has improved, but noted that he was barred by privacy rules from providing any details.

The 68-year-old general was admitted to Madigan on Aug. 7. Friends have said Shalikashvili suffered a brain hemorrhage.

He spoke at the Democratic National Convention in July, endorsing John Kerry for president.

Shalikashvili served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the Clinton administration from 1993 to 1997, when he retired from the Army.

Earlier, under the first Bush administration, Shalikashvili served as NATO’s supreme allied commander and also commander in chief of all U.S. armed forces in Europe.

Shalikashvili and his wife, Joan, moved to Steilacoom, near Fort Lewis, an Army base south of Tacoma, in 1998. In the late 1980s, he had served at Fort Lewis as commander of the 9th Infantry Division (Motorized).

FBI tries ad in Gun News for tips on killing

Seattle The FBI has taken out an ad in Gun News magazine hoping to generate tips that could help solve the murder of Thomas Crane Wales, a federal prosecutor shot to death in his basement nearly three years ago.

The two-page advertisement asks readers who know anyone with an “after-market” barrel for a Makarov semi-automatic pistol to call the agency. It describes the barrels, manufactured by Federal Arms Corp., as being made of stainless steel and having six lands and grooves. Original barrels for the pistols are made of blued steel with four lands and grooves.

The ad’s other page offers a $1 million reward for information that helps solve the case. It describes Wales, 49 and a father of two, as an assistant U.S. attorney in Seattle for 18 years who specialized in prosecuting white-collar crime.

Wales, also an anti-gun activist, was killed as he worked at his computer on the night of Oct. 11, 2001. The gunman fired several shots through the basement window.

At one point in the investigation, a federal grand jury in Seattle subpoenaed Federal Arms Corp., of Fridley, Minn., to provide the names of customers and gun dealers who purchased replacement Makarov barrels before Wales’ death. The company complied, and FBI field offices around the country began contacting people who bought the 3,500 barrels. They hope to turn up one that matches ballistics markings on shell casings found outside Wales’ basement window, where the fatal shots were fired.

Oregon man rips through 39 phone books

Roseburg, Ore. A Sutherlin, Ore., man reclaimed his title as world champion phone book ripper by tearing through 39 Portland white page directories in three minutes.

About 100 people watched as Ed Charon, 69, ripped the 1,004-page books in half during the exhibition at the Roseburg Valley Mall.

After the first 60 seconds, Charon had already ripped through 16 phone books, three shy of the number he tore through two years ago when he originally set the world’s record in Branson, Mo.

After two minutes, he had gone through another dozen. Only twice did any of the books give Charon a problem. He paused slightly on the 32nd phone book and again on the 34th before splitting each in half.

He’d almost finished ripping the 40th volume when time expired and the audience erupted in applause.

“Oh, I wanted 40,” Charon said. “I wonder how long 39 will stand up.”

Roseburg Mayor Larry Rich, one of four official witnesses seated next to the stage to attest to the accomplishment in the submission to the Guinness Book of World Records, said he thought Charon would snap the record.

“He had the motivation and desire,” Rich said.

Charon lost his title in late 2002, when Mike West, a fitness and judo instructor from Indiana, ripped through 30 phone books.