Regional news

Man drives car off Highway 5

An 84-year-old man lost control of his car and plunged to the bottom of an 87-foot-deep embankment Sunday a mile west of St. Maries, Idaho.

Richard Tee, of Tekoa, Wash., was eastbound on state Highway 5 at 10:52 a.m. when he drove off the right shoulder, hit a guardrail and swerved back into the roadway. He then crossed the centerline and went over the embankment on the westbound side of the highway.

Idaho State Police reported that alcohol was involved in the crash, but a blood-alcohol level wasn’t available Sunday night.

Tee was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center. After undergoing surgery, he was listed in critical condition, a nursing supervisor there said.

Tee wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

Burglar hits homeowner in face, takes guns

A northeast Spokane homeowner was hit in the face after walking in on a burglar in his house Saturday. The perpetrator escaped with two of the man’s handguns.

The shirtless burglar entered the house on the 1300 block of East Bridgeport Avenue shortly after 11 a.m., Spokane Police spokesman Dick Cottam said. The burglar was in the bedroom when the homeowner arrived. The burglar hit the resident and ran, Cottam said.

The burglar was described as a pale white male, about 20 years old, with short brown hair. He was about 5-foot-9, 135 pounds, and his ribs showed.

The victim told police a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun and a .44-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver were missing, Cottam said.

The burglar broke into the home through the front door. He exited through the same door, ran east on Bridgeport, and then perhaps fled south, Cottam said.

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

Four killed when car hits elk, veers off I-90

North Bend, Wash. Four people were killed and a fifth was injured after a car struck an elk on Interstate 90 early Sunday morning.

Eastside Fire and Rescue officials said the car hit the elk in the westbound lanes of I-90 near North Bend around 5 a.m., then went over an embankment and ended up underneath the freeway on a street below.

Three men and a woman, all from Mabton, Wash., were killed. The victims included driver Jesus P. Reyna, 26.

Also killed were 19-year-old Enrique Gonzalez-Reyna, 42-year-old Rafael S. Gonzalez and an 18-year-old unidentified woman. Reynaldo Gonzalez, 20, was injured. He was ejected from the car and taken to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

Man jailed after fatal shooting

A Chesaw, Wash., man was arrested Friday on manslaughter charges, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said in a press release Sunday.

When deputies arrived at 156 Wannamaker Road on Pontiac Ridge, Tracy S. Davis, 38, allegedly said he had shot Robert G. Winchester, 44, of Chesaw, a day earlier.

Officers believe Winchester, Davis and others had been drinking together on Thursday. About 6 that night, Winchester and Davis got in a fight involving a Russian SKS rifle. Witnesses told deputies that Davis and Winchester were struggling with the rifle when it went off, striking Winchester in the upper right side of the chest.

After the shooting, someone covered up Winchester’s body and left him where he was, Rogers said. Almost 24 hours later, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office was notified

Davis was taken to the Okanogan County Jail and booked on charges of manslaughter in the first degree, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and on an outstanding felony warrant.

Man drowns after rescuing his girlfriend

Portland A 29-year-old man drowned Saturday in the Sandy River at Lewis & Clark State Park after first rescuing his girlfriend from the strong currents.

The pair were in the river when the woman, 34, started swimming to a popular island. When she began to struggle in the current, her boyfriend swam in to help, police said. As the man pulled her onto the island, he took another step into deeper water and disappeared.

The area on the west side of the island is known for its fast currents and water 10 to 20 feet deeper than other areas around the island.

Passers-by called 911 and helped rescuers retrieve his body, which witnesses said had been under water for 10 to 15 minutes. Rescuers were unable to revive him.