Briefly

Spokane man charged with throwing baby to floor during domestic dispute

Spokane police arrested a man Tuesday and charged him with assaulting a child after a woman said she saw him throw a 1-year-old girl to the floor, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Officers responded about 2:30 a.m. to 26 W. Gray Court on a report of a domestic dispute.

They found 22-year-old David A. Futchko sitting on the ground holding the baby girl, Cottam said in a press release.

The baby was crying and had a red mark on her back.

The baby’s mother told officers that Futchko had arrived at the home at 1:30 a.m. and appeared to have been drinking.

She said they had a dispute and Futchko shoved her and then broke the bedroom door, Cottam said.

Officers found splintered wood and saw bite marks on the woman’s arm and shoulder.

The mother said that during the dispute, Futchko was holding the baby and threw the baby to the floor, Cottam said. He apologized, and she called police.

Officers booked Futchko for third-degree assault of a child, fourth-degree assault of the mother and third-degree malicious mischief for damaging the mother’s apartment.

The mother took the baby to a family doctor, and officers notified Child Protective Services, Cottam said.

False alarm cancels United flight to Denver

The day’s last flight from Spokane International Airport to Denver was canceled Tuesday afternoon after a screener thought a United Airlines pilot had been drinking.

It was a false alarm.

United spokesman Stephan Roth said flight 1186, which was due to depart at 2:30 p.m., was canceled so that the pilot could be tested.

“As the pilot was going through security, a screener thought he or she detected alcohol on the pilot,” Roth said.

“We obviously take security as our No. 1 priority. So we pulled the pilot and canceled the flight so we could look into the matter.”

United officials tested the pilot, whom Roth did not name, under Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation and local law enforcement guidelines “and determined that she was not impaired.”

However, since it was the last flight of the day, many of the 110 passengers didn’t make it to Denver on Tuesday.

“Some of them were put on other connecting flights. Others are being put up in local hotels at United’s expense and will be put on flights (today),” Roth said.

Steam plant to shut down, limiting hot water

Several public facilities will be without hot water, possibly until 5 p.m. today, because of maintenance at the Spokane County steam plant.

The plant must be shut down to replace a valve on boiler No. 4, said Craig Lilyquist, with the building and environmental services division of the Spokane County Facilities Department.

No hot water will be available from sinks or showers in the Steam Plant building downtown, the Public Safety Building, which includes the jail annex, the juvenile detention center, the Spokane County Courthouse or the courthouse annex, and the Public Works Building.

Sex offender moves to North Ridge Road

A level 3 sex offender has moved to a new address in Spokane County.

James M. Combs, 32, lives on the 32800 block of North Ridge Road, sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.

Combs was convicted of two counts of second-degree child molestation.

His victims were 5- and 6-year-old girls, Reagan said.

He was released from prison in 2001. Most recently, Combs had been living in Spokane.

Combs is 5 feet 10 inches tall and 155 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.

He has no known tattoos or scars. He is not wanted by law enforcement at this time, Reagan said.

Humane Society to close for disinfection

The Spokane Humane Society will be closed today for disinfection after a cat died of feline distemper Monday.

Shelter officials euthanized the Siamese-mix cat Monday, hours after they diagnosed it with feline distemper.

The highly contagious and fatal virus attacks the intestinal lining of cats and causes vomiting, diarrhea and depression.

Cats usually die of severe dehydration within a day and a half of diagnosis, said Brooke Evans, shelter manager.

This is the fourth or fifth case of feline distemper in the past month at the shelter, 6607 N. Havana St., she said.

Monday’s case was the first in which an adult cat died. The disease usually strikes unvaccinated kittens.

The cats will be quarantined until Friday or Saturday, depending on whether other cases arise, Evans said.

Feline distemper has an incubation period of between three days and two weeks.

People can still adopt dogs during the period, though space limitations and the disease outbreak mean the shelter cannot accept animals at this time, she said.

The shelter will reopen Thursday with normal weekday hours, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Evans recommended that pet owners who suspect their cats have feline distemper contact a veterinarian immediately.

The disease can be treated with a bleach solution.