Briefly: Regional news
Child-rape suspect arrested in mountains
A fugitive Stevens County child-rape suspect was arrested Friday morning near his home in the mountains about 20 miles northwest of Chewelah, Wash.
Darren L. Zerba, 38, was armed but didn’t resist arrest, Sheriff Craig Thayer said.
Sheriff’s officers found Zerba’s pickup about two miles from his home Tuesday, and combed the woods with help from civilians and a Border Patrol helicopter. Family members said they thought Zerba was suicidal.
Capt. Mike George said Zerba was found Friday near the spot where his pickup was parked.
“We got a tip that he might be in the area,” George said.
Zerba was being held in the county jail Friday evening, in lieu of $50,000 bail that was set when he failed to show up for a court appearance Tuesday. He faces another hearing Monday, at which a bail increase may be sought.
Prosecutor Jerry Wetle said he hadn’t decided Friday whether to file additional charges against Zerba.
Zerba is charged with first-degree rape of a child. The alleged victim, now 8, told investigators that Zerba performed a sex act on her a couple of days before her sixth birthday.
Zerba had been facing trial next Friday, but Wetle said the trial now will likely be rescheduled for sometime in October.
Man walking dog attacked by driver
A man was hospitalized Wednesday night after being assaulted as he walked his dog on Spokane’s South Hill, Spokane police reported.
The man arrested in the assault, Vasiliy Ustimenko, 18, was also involved in a felony hit-and-run collision moments after the beating that sent a woman and her 3-month-old baby to the hospital, said Dick Cottam, police spokesman.
The incident began about 8:50 p.m., as the victim walked near Cliff Drive and Sumner Avenue. He yelled at the driver of a speeding car to slow down, and the driver stopped, got out and began beating the man, Cottam said.
The victim suffered a fractured jaw and underwent surgery at a local hospital.
Moments later, the same vehicle ran a red light at Main and Division, and fled the scene. The driver of the other car and her small child were taken to the hospital.
Witnesses and paperwork left at the scene of the crash eventually identified Ustimenko as the driver of the car that fled, and the man involved in the beating.
He was located at his residence in Nine Mile Falls and arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, drunken driving and hit-and-run, Cottam said.
Police seeking robber of downtown motel
Spokane police are looking for a man who robbed a downtown motel Wednesday morning at gunpoint.
A man walked into the Downtowner Motel, 165 S. Washington, about 6:30 a.m., displayed a handgun, demanded money, took some cash and left, said Dick Cottam, police spokesman.
The robber was described as white, in his 20s, 5 feet 11, 180 pounds, with a shaved head, blond eyebrows, and blue eyes. He was wearing an Army fatigue shirt and pants, Cottam said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.
Traffic unit to focus on Upriver Drive
The Spokane police traffic unit will patrol the area of Upriver Drive beginning Monday and continuing through Friday.
Officers conducting the emphasis patrol will focus on speeding violations along the road that borders the Centennial Trail in northeast Spokane, said Officer Paul Taylor in a press release.
The area is heavily used by pedestrians and bicycle riders coming to and from the trail, Taylor said. Drivers should use caution in the area, and obey all posted speed limits.
Colville teenager continues to improve
The Colville-area teenager who remained at Deaconess Medical Center on Friday was continuing to improve and was in stable condition. The teenager is one of 10 hospitalized Monday after overdosing on a prescription drug called baclofen.
The other nine teenagers were released from the hospital earlier this week.