Briefly

More women report similar rapes

A Spokane police detective received several calls on Thursday from women who reported that they may have been assaulted when answering rental ads for apartments, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

On Dec. 3, Arlin R. Jordin, a Spokane property manager, was arrested on charges of second-degree rape after a woman told police that she was drugged and raped the night of Nov. 23 by a man she met when he showed her a rental apartment .

Jordin was released from jail on his own recognizance by District Court Judge Annette Plese on Monday. Jordin, 57, does not have a criminal history.

Cottam said that the reports received by police on Thursday did not necessarily involve Jordin. However, he said, the cases were similar in nature to the alleged Nov. 23 incident.

Police ask that anyone with information on the Jordin case, or who may have experienced a similar event, call Crime Check at 456-2233.

Teens say woman gave alcohol, took photos

A Cheney woman was booked into jail Wednesday after being accused of furnishing teens with alcohol and taking pictures of some female partygoers “in different degrees of nudity,” according to court documents.

Susan Hernandez, 33, remains in the Spokane County Jail on a $25,000 bond. She is charged with sexual exploitation of minors.

The alleged incident occurred at Hernandez’s daughter’s 16th birthday party and included students from Cheney High School.

On Nov. 17, a man gave Cheney police a digital camera that he said his daughter had gotten from Hernandez. On it were pictures of several girls who were “in different degrees of nudity,” court records say. The man’s 15-year-old daughter was shown in one picture with her breasts bared.

At least four of the girls at the party told investigators that Hernandez had supplied them with alcohol and took pictures of some girls who were not fully clothed, records say.

One teen said that there were several cases of beer at the Hernandez residence and that Hernandez told them they could drink all they wanted, court records say. Two others said that when partygoers drank all the beer, Hernandez went across the street to a gas station and bought more.

A 14-year-old boy told police that he did not remember pictures being taken at the party because he passed out after drinking beer, documents say.

Hernandez, who lives in the 700 block of West First Street in Cheney, denied any knowledge of the party when she was arrested, records say. She declined a request for a jailhouse interview on Thursday.

Three schoolgirls say man exposed himself

A lewd, nude man has scared several area children this week.

Three girls have reported being frightened by an overweight man in a white van.

In one incident, a girl said she’d seen a man in a white van three times in recent days as she walked to Sheridan Elementary School. On each occasion, the man drove past the girl wearing only a black stocking cap and tried to raise his body to expose his genitals, according to a press release from the Spokane Valley Police Department. The student’s father drove her to school Tuesday to see if they could find the van, but didn’t see it. The father contacted school officials about the matter.

A mother reported Tuesday that her 12-year-old daughter had been frightened by a man in a white van as she walked home near McDonald Elementary School. The man was wearing no shirt and had one hand in his lap, although the girl could not see what he was doing, Police said. The van drove past the girl, then turned around. She ran home, according to the press release.

The daughter described the suspect as a white male with short brown hair. He had a round belly and was heavy-set and in his 40s, she told police.

On Monday, a woman reported that a white man had exposed himself to her and her 7-year-old daughter while they were waiting at the bus stop at South Koren Road and East Fourth Avenue about 8:30 a.m. He raised himself up and exposed his genitals as he drove past the bus stop, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.

Avista hopes to have power back on today

About 650 Avista customers west and north of Spokane remained without power Thursday evening, said Avista spokeswoman Robyn Dunlap.

A snowstorm on Wednesday caused 7,370 Avista customers to lose service.

Most of those without electricity Thursday were in the Colville and Chewelah areas, Dunlap said. The rest, 279, were in or near Davenport.

Dunlap said Avista hopes to have all power restored by today.

Two injured after SUV slides on icy roads

Two men were injured Thursday in a crash near Newman Lake.

One of the men, Mark R. Andrews, 20, was trapped inside his 1999 Ford Explorer, until firefighters got him out. Andrews was airlifted to a downtown hospital where he was treated for a fractured arm, broken pelvis and possible internal injuries, according to a press release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

The Explorer slid out of control on icy Starr Road just north of its intersection with Newman Lake Road at 7:50 a.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office. It then collided with a pickup, the press release said.

The driver of the pickup, Jeffrey L. Sharp, 27, had cuts on his knees and was being evaluated for internal injuries Thursday.

Both of the trucks were destroyed in the crash, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Walla Walla man killed in rollover on U.S. 395

A Walla Walla man was killed Thursday morning when the Ford Explorer he was driving drifted off U.S. 395 and rolled about five miles south of Ritzville.

Frederick Raymond Kubrock, 51, was wearing a seatbelt in his 2001 Ford Explorer at the time of the crash, Washington State Trooper Jim Hays said.

The roadway at 5:35 a.m. was slippery but weather does not appear to be a factor in the one-vehicle crash, Hays said.

“It’s a straight stretch,” Hays said. “He drove off the left side of the highway and overcorrected to the right.”

When the Explorer went off the right side of the northbound lane, it struck an embankment and rolled.

Based on the nature of the crash, Kubrock may have fallen asleep, Hays said. But the cause remains under investigation.