Regional news

Man tied to wheelchair during burglary, police say

A man was tied to a motorized wheelchair by a burglar he surprised Friday evening in his Spokane Valley home, the Spokane Valley Police reported.

The man, who lives in the 9200 block of East Broadway, came home while a man was burglarizing it, said police Inspector Dave Wiyrick.

The burglar then tied the resident to a motorized wheelchair and stole buckets of honey, the resident’s wallet and boxes of other property, Wiyrick said.

The victim, who was not injured in the incident, was able to call for help because he was wearing a medical alert button, Wiyrick said. Officers were too late, however, to catch the robber.

Reward offered for convicted thief

Secret Witness is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of a 21-year-old woman.

Sarah P. Birnel is wanted on a Department of Corrections warrant.

Birnel has been convicted for crimes including theft, forgery, possession of stolen property and burglary.

Birnel is 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Birnel is asked to call Secret Witness at 327-5111. Callers don’t have to use their own name to be eligible for the reward.

Stabbing victim still in hospital

A man who was stabbed multiple times Friday night in downtown Spokane remains at Sacred Heart Medical Center, police said.

The victim, who is in his early 20s, was listed in satisfactory condition on Saturday, said police spokesman Dick Cottam.

During a confrontation with two men, the victim was stabbed three to five times in the abdomen on a sidewalk on the 300 block of West Second Avenue at about 10:15 p.m. Friday.

The victim and a relative he was with told police that they were walking to their apartment when they were confronted by two men. A fistfight ensued before one of the other men pulled a knife, Sgt. Eric Olsen said at the scene on Friday.

The victim and his relative then crossed the street to their apartment building to get help, Olsen said.

The suspect in the stabbing was described as white, in his mid-20s, skinny with dark hair and facial hair. The man he was with was described as white, in his mid-20s and thin with dark brown hair.

Anyone with information on the case should call Crime Check, 456-2233.

Bicyclist still in critical condition

A 49-year-old bicyclist who was struck by a pickup on Sept. 29 remains in critical condition.

Ricky Werner was southbound on Napa Street when he was struck by a westbound truck on Trent Avenue. He was listed in critical condition Saturday afternoon at Deaconess Medical Center.

At the time of the accident, Spokane Police said there were conflicting reports about whether Werner or the truck’s driver had the green light to enter the intersection.

Idaho wilderness bill introduced

Boise Rep. Mike Simpson’s effort to resolve the debate over designating wilderness in central Idaho’s White Cloud mountains has finally reached Congress.

Simpson introduced the bill Friday, but it is unlikely to see much action right away. Congress will not take any action until at least its lame-duck session later this year. Still, Simpson is optimistic about prospects for the bill, saying that even if it is not passed this year, it could be put on the fast track in the next Congress.

The Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act includes wilderness protection for nearly 300,000 acres of the Boulder-White Cloud Mountains near Stanley. The designation prohibits motorized recreation, logging and new mining permits.

The plan keeps other areas open to motorized use. Simpson has called his original proposal a preservation and economic stimulus plan for central Idaho.

In the bill, Simpson dropped lands he had added after hearings this summer near Ketchum, which he called the Hemingway Wilderness. But he retained the name Hemingway for proposed wilderness land in the Boulders.

The bill also would transfer tracts of federal land to Custer County, the cities of Stanley and Mackay, and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. It also would keep intact several popular motorized trail systems that run through the popular recreation areas.