Regional news
Security for Bush visit costs city $17,350
The presidential visit last week cost the city of Spokane $17,350 to pay for overtime for 60 officers who provided security, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a press release.
Spokane police Chief Roger Bragdon previously estimated that security for President Bush would cost taxpayers a minimum of $6,000 and a maximum of about $8,000.
Capt. Steve Braun said last week the department estimated the security detail would require the department to pay four hours of overtime for each officer. But that time ran over.
Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk said Wednesday that it will be some time before he’ll know how much it cost the county to provide extra security for Bush’s visit to Spokane last week.
At the request of the Secret Service, both departments provided SWAT teams, tactical teams for crowd control and several patrol officers to escort Bush in and out of Spokane.
Man, 61, dies after being pinned by trailer
A 61-year-old Stevens County man died Wednesday after being pinned under a trailer near Suncrest.
Dennis Biehl was winching an antique tractor onto a trailer attached to a pickup truck near Whitmore Hill Road, when the truck and trailer started moving.
Biehl could not get out of the way of the moving trailer and pickup and became pinned, said Spokane County Fire District 1 Chief Keith Reilly. He was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, a hospital spokesman said. The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident.
Biehl, a resident of Tum Tum, retired from working with the Chelan County Public Utilities District in 1997 after 26 years of service, a Chelan County spokeswoman said.
Police find pot plants in home, arrest woman
Spokane police arrested a 27-year-old northeast Spokane woman Wednesday after finding more than 80 marijuana plants in her home.
Spokane special investigation unit officers executed a search warrant at 3808 E. Fairview and found Billy Jo Reader and her two children at home, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.
In the basement, officers found 86 pot plants, grow equipment and a rifle, Cottam said. Reader told officers she and her boyfriend had been growing plants in the home for the past three years, police said.
Lt. Darrell Toombs said the plants were large and of unusually good quality. He estimated the street value to be about $1,000 for each plant.
Reader was booked into Spokane County Jail on charges of manufacturing a controlled substance. Her children were placed with a relative, Cottam said.
Man sought for attempted assault at 7-Eleven
Spokane police are looking for a man who attempted to assault a clerk at a downtown convenience store Thursday morning when she caught him shoplifting.
The man entered the 7-Eleven store at Second Avenue and Division Street about 7 a.m. and stashed merchandise in his clothing, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.
A clerk was watching him, and when he came to the counter to pay for some smaller items, she ordered him to leave, Cottam said. The man shouted and pushed the clerk. When she told him to leave a second time, he swung his fist at her, and the clerk ducked to avoid his punch.
The thief was described as black, in his early 20s and about 6 feet tall with a thin build. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue cargo pants. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.
Teen driver hits two boys in Spokane Valley
A 17-year-old Spokane Valley girl was cited Thursday after she struck two 12-year-old boys on bicycles with her car, Spokane Valley police reported.
The boys suffered minor injuries, said Cpl. Dave Reagan, police spokesman.
The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of 24th Avenue and Evergreen Road. Victoria Benson was southbound on Evergreen in a Honda Civic when she “rolled” – slowed but did not stop – through the stop sign to turn right onto 24th, Reagan said.
Benson was looking east and failed to see the two boys, who also did not heed their stop sign, Reagan said.
The front of the car hit one of the boys, knocking him over. He received minor scrapes and cuts and was taken to Valley Medical Center for precautionary examination. The second boy slid and hit the side of the Honda and was knocked over. He suffered a minor cut to his chin.
Benson was cited for failure to obey a stop sign, a civil infraction, Reagan said.
Recreation area opened to personal watercraft
The National Park Service on Thursday reopened the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area to personal watercraft in time for the Fourth of July holiday. The ruling is effective today, allowing personal watercraft on the lake for the first time since 2002.
Responding to environmental concerns, the park service in 2000 banned the water bikes on all but 16 of its lakes nationwide. The exceptions included Lake Roosevelt.
In a settlement of a lawsuit that sought to broaden that ban, the park service agreed to conduct environmental studies at each of the 16 lakes to determine whether the machines were causing damage, while banning them in the interim. “The finding of the environmental assessment was that there was no significant impact on Lake Roosevelt” from the watercraft, said Lynne Brougher, chief of resource education for the lake, which is the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam. The personal watercraft did bring important recreational benefits, the agency decided.