Briefly

Drivers should be wary of icy roads

Police are warning Spokane drivers to expect icy roads.

Between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, officers responded to 20 crashes. None of them involved serious injuries, Spokane Police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

The frost was particularly bad Monday on shaded side streets, Cottam said.

With cold temperatures, drivers should always be wary of icy patches and drive accordingly, he said.

Victim offers reward in comic book theft

Holy comic-book heist, Batman. A West Plains man has offered a cash reward for the safe return of $12,000 worth of comic books that were stolen from his home on Bowie Road last month.

The victim told Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies that someone kicked in his door sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight on Nov. 18, sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.

The burglar stole 13 cardboard boxes, each containing about 300 old comic books, Reagan said. They included 15 “Fantastic Four” comics and nearly 100 Marvel-brand Two-In-One comics, Reagan said.

The victim had been burglarized a week earlier and lost his checkbook and other items. Because of the prior burglary, he placed his comics in boxes so he could move them to a friend’s house for safekeeping, Reagan said.

Since the theft, the victim has notified area businesses that buy and sell comics, but has not yet located any of the stolen issues, Reagan said.

Anyone with information can call sheriff’s Detective Ken Salas at 477-2688 or Crime Check at 456-2233.

Portland seeks some alcohol restrictions

Portland Portland’s City Council has voted to ask the state to restrict sales of wine and some single bottles or cans of beer in two North Portland areas to try to cut down on public drinking and raucous behavior.

The council is asking the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to impose the limits in the commercial district in St. Johns and in Cathedral Park.

Agency spokesman Ken Palke said the commission has never issued such restrictions.

Neighborhood leaders in St. Johns called for the restrictions, saying the North Precinct reports an increase in public drinking, but the St. Johns Business Boosters oppose the idea, saying it could hurt the area’s reputation.

For commission approval, the city must present a petition to the agency, Palke said, adding that it could take at least six months to put the changes in place.

The agency would review the area after one year.

Under the proposal, some stores in the areas would not be able to sell single bottles or cans of beer or malt liquor containing 5.8 percent or more alcohol in amounts less than 16 fluid ounces, except in quantities of six or more; bottles or cans of beer or malt liquor containing 5.8 percent or more alcohol in 16 ounces or more; or fortified wine containing more than 13.8 percent alcohol.

While the OLCC has never created an alcohol impact area, there is one in Old Town, set up by Portland, where liquor violations are more strictly enforced.

Woman killed in SeaTac house fire

SeaTac, Wash. A house fire in this suburb south of Seattle Monday morning killed one person, sent two others to the hospital and killed a dog.

A 49-year-old woman, believed to be the homeowner, was found dead on the first floor of the two-story home near the front door, fire officials said. SeaTac Fire Chief Bob Meyer said the woman was known to be a heavy smoker and said he believes the fire began from a single cigarette on a recliner.

One man was rescued from the roof of the house, while another escaped on his own. Both are believed to be renters, fire officials said. Both were taken to Harborview Medical Center suffering from smoke inhalation.

The fire started around 3:45 a.m. and flames engulfed the first floor of the home. Fire officials believe the blaze started on the first floor.

It was the first fatal house fire in SeaTac in years, Assistant Fire Chief Brian Wiwel said. The home did not have working smoke detectors.

Woman charged in death of 23-month-old girl

Seattle A woman who had been caring for a 23-month-old girl has been charged with her death, King County prosecutors said Monday.

Arliss Demaree, 29, faces one count of second-degree murder for allegedly shaking Gracee Gorrebeeck and breaking her skull last Tuesday. According to investigators, Demaree admitted shaking the baby, and said she had been frustrated that the girl wouldn’t say her name.

A King County Superior Court judge set bail at $1 million.

Demaree, who was not a licensed daycare provider, had been caring for five children, including two of her own, in her White Center home that day.

When Gracee’s father arrived to pick her up Tuesday afternoon, Demaree ran outside carrying her limp body, investigators wrote in an affidavit for probable cause. The father carried her back inside and called 911.

Gracee died at Harborview Medical Center. Doctors determined she had been shaken or struck on the head.

Demaree initially denied hitting or shaking the girl, but later admitted shaking her three times, investigators said.

She said she had been under a great deal of stress; her husband was competing with her to buy good Christmas gifts for their own children.

It was not immediately clear Monday if Demaree had obtained a lawyer. She was scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 6 at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.