Burn victim may have played with gas
A teen badly burned late Friday during a camping trip on the outskirts of Mullan may have been playing with gasoline, according to a news release from the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses told detectives that Norbert E. Lane, 16, and another 16-year-old “were throwing gasoline around the camp and lighting it on fire,” according to the release. The other teen allegedly “threw the gasoline on Lane, at which time it ignited from the gas burning on the ground.”
Lane suffered second- and third-degree burns to his stomach and legs, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition. Sheriff Chuck Reynalds said Lane is expected to be released today and go to his father’s home in Nampa, Idaho.
The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office plans to question Lane.
According to the press release, Lane and the other teen were camping with three other teenagers. Alcohol may have been a factor in the accident, which is still under investigation.
One of the teens took Lane to his home and a friend later took Lane to Shoshone Medical Center. He was taken by ambulance to Spokane’s Felts Field and then airlifted to Harborview.
No charges have been filed against any of the teens.
Child injured in Highway 95 vehicle crash
A 3-year-old girl was injured Monday afternoon in a car accident when the car in which she was riding went off Highway 95 and rolled end-over-end several times, according to Idaho State Police.
Deyanira Shaw was listed in satisfactory condition Monday night at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. She was ejected as the Chevy Blazer rolled, according to an ISP press release.
Police said the driver, 24-year-old Anita Ponce of Rexburg, Idaho, may have fallen asleep.
The Blazer reportedly drifted off the shoulder of Highway 95 near Cocolalla, went down a 6-foot embankment and rolled.
Lisa Johnson, a spokeswoman for Kootenai Medical Center, said Ponce was in good condition Monday evening and was being transferred to Sacred Heart.
The accident is under investigation.
Hearing Thursday on rock quarry plan
The Kootenai County Commission will have a public hearing Thursday on a proposal for a 125-acre rock quarry south of Coeur d’Alene.
Forrest Godde of Yearington, Nev., is asking the county to change the zoning of the property, which is about eight miles south of Coeur d’Alene and just west of U.S. Highway 95, from rural to mining.
Commissioners visited the site in March and want more public input.
A county hearing examiner recommended denial of the request last year because the quarry could damage the Mica watershed and harm the rural character of the area.
This isn’t the first time the county has rejected the rock quarry plan. Godde sued the county in 2001 for denying a proposed 175-acre mine. The commissioners said that the mine wasn’t compatible with the rural neighborhood.
Godde dropped the lawsuit just as it reached the Idaho Supreme Court and instead decided to reapply with this smaller request.
The 10 a.m. meeting will be at the Kootenai County Administration Building, 451 Government Way. For more information, call 446-1070.
I-90 hit-run crash under investigation
The Washington State Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run collision Monday that started a chain-reaction accident involving four vehicles, injuring two people and causing lane closures on Interstate 90.
The crash occurred at 12:24 p.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 near Havana Street, according to a press release from the WSP.
A 1997 Ford pickup was westbound when it passed a 2001 Oldsmobile van driven by a 71-year-old Post Falls man. While passing, the Ford struck the van on the passenger side, according to the release.
That collision forced the Oldsmobile van into a 2002 Ford pickup driven by a 46-year-old Chattaroy man.
The 2002 Ford then struck a 2001 Toyota Tacoma driven by a Spokane woman. She then struck the median Jersey barrier as the 1997 Ford pickup got off I-90 at the Freya exit, according to the WSP press release.
The collision injured the 33-year-old driver of the Tacoma but she was not transported from the scene. Her passenger, a 28-year-old Spokane woman, was taken to Deaconess Medical Center, according to the report.
The suspect’s pickup has damage on its driver’s side. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Washington State Patrol at (509) 456-4101.
Vehicle license offices closed Wednesday
The Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls vehicle license offices will be closed Wednesday.
The staff is attending an Idaho Department of Transportation title and registration training workshop.
Both offices will reopen Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
For more information, call 446-1580.
Ex-Bannock County official gets state post
Pocatello, Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has appointed former Bannock County Commissioner Tom Katsilometes to the state’s tax commission board.
Katsilometes, 57, starts work on the board this week, serving a six-year term and replacing Larry Watson.
The four-member tax commission oversees a $2.25 billion operation and about 400 employees.
“As commissioner for 18 years, we dealt with property taxes, board of equalization and assessments and appeals on those assessments,” Katsilometes said. “I’ve got a pretty extensive number of years with that background.”
Katsilometes has been promoting the GemPlan, a self-funded medical plan for government employees. He had to give up that job to accept the governors appointment.