Council approves Foss proposal

The former Foss Maritime property and marina is on track to become part of Coeur d’Alene.

The Coeur d’Alene City Council voted Tuesday to annex the 3.6-acre tug and marina property now owned by Spokane developer John Stone.

Stone wants to reconstruct and update the 120 docks in the commercial marina and use the city’s water and sewer services. Future plans for the property are uncertain, but for now Stone will continue to operate the 12 tugboats that supply lumber to Stimson Lumber Co.’s two remaining Spokane River mills.

To complete the annexation, the city must negotiate an annexation agreement that will outline details such as how to extend utilities to the property and how much Stone will pay in annexation fees.

Before the Foss deal is final, the city must approve Duane Hagadone’s request to annex the Blackwell Island marina that is next door. The city can only take contiguous pieces of land.

The council has approved the Blackwell Island annexation but is still waiting to vote on the pending annexation agreement. Deputy City Attorney Warren Wilson said he is uncertain when that agreement will be complete and ready for the council’s review.

Tuggle waives preliminary hearing

John Rollins Tuggle, a registered sex offender charged in the attempted murder of his 12-year-old daughter, has waived his preliminary hearing on additional charges.

Earlier this month, Tuggle was charged with felony charges of rape, first-degree kidnapping, and lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor, which were added to the earlier charge of attempted murder.

Tuggle is accused of taking his daughter from her home in Athol, Idaho, to a remote part of Shoshone County, tying her up and raping her. He allegedly stabbed her five times and then left her. Campers found her about five hours later after hearing her cries for help.

Tuggle is being held in the Shoshone County Jail. His bail has been set at $10 million. His next court appearance is an arraignment in 1st District Court on Sept. 12, when he’s scheduled to enter a plea on the attempted murder charge.

Idaho pioneer town waiting for a buyer

Elmira, Idaho The abandoned, four-acre town of Elmira is up for sale.

Windemere Real Estate agent Tony Hayes has listed the property at $675,000 – which includes both the townsite, founded in 1909, and a few remnants of old buildings.

“It’s a rather unusual listing, and it’s definitely something you don’t come across every day,” said Hayes, who placed it on the market Aug. 2 but has yet to receive an offer. “How often do you get to try to sell an original, pioneer townsite from the turn of the century?”

Elmira, about 15 miles from Sandpoint, once was a whistlestop with 20 lots. But the town died out, and little historical evidence of its existence remains. Not even photographs of the original homes can be found at the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum.

“We’re sending out portfolios about it to prospective buyers who might view it as a good project to develop into a pioneer theme town or putting down townhomes with a universal Western-type theme,” Hayes said. “There’s a lot of potential.”

Suspects plead guilty in assault case

The last of three suspects pleaded guilty Thursday in an April 1 assault they claimed was vigilante justice.

According to court records, Raymond R. Franetich thought he was going to be paid in methamphetamine for helping fix a woman’s car when he went to Holly Adams’ home in the 900 block of East Liberty in Spokane. Instead, he was clubbed and stabbed by three men who accused him of having raped a friend of theirs.

Franetich suffered what police said was a life-threatening stab wound in his lower back, and dived through a newly broken window to escape. He ran to a neighbor’s house for help.

Robert H. Fletcher III, and Cody Russell Woods, both 18, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree assault and were sentenced to five months in jail.

Michael C. Materne, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault last week and was sentenced to a year in prison. All three defendants had been charged with first-degree assault, but Materne – Adams’ boyfriend – was the first to attack Franetich.

Franetich told police he heard women yelling, “Kill him, kill him,” while he was being beaten with fists and clubs, but Adams and another woman in the home, Sarah Larue, weren’t charged. Nor was Franetich charged with what Materne contended was his rape of a third woman.

Adams told investigators that Franetich “went crazy” and began attacking “everyone in the house” when Woods stabbed him.

Franetich told police he was hit on the head with a metal bar and became dizzy after being stabbed. He said he was convinced he was going to die and made his way to the front door while his assailants continued to beat him with fists and clubs. He said he couldn’t unlock the door, so he dove through a dining room window.

Adams told investigators that Fletcher threw a metal shelf at Franetich, missing him and breaking out the window that Franetich immediately dived through.

Early morning pursuit ends in arrests

Two men were arrested on several charges after a miles-long pursuit that started in Millwood and ended in north Spokane County.

James M. Boller, 26, of 11121 E. Springfield, and Allen C. Green, a 26-year-old transient, both were arrested around 5 a.m. Wednesday and booked into jail after the Datsun pickup they were riding in crashed at Day-Mt. Spokane Road and Freya Street, sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said in a press release.

The incident began when a caller reported that two men were prowling near his driveway in the 3900 block of North Argonne. The caller followed the suspects, who drove away in a Datsun pickup.

Deputies Patrick Bloomer and Jesse Bianchi were driving toward the area when they saw a Datsun driving southbound on Argonne. The driver saw the squad car and sped away, Reagan said.

The chase eventually went north on Argonne onto Day-Mt. Spokane Road where the driver turned west. The Datsun crossed the Newport Highway fast enough to cause the truck to go airborne.

When the driver attempted to turn south on Freya Street, the truck crashed into a decorative boulder. The driver, later identified as Boller, ran from the vehicle, but deputies Bloomer and Bianchi quickly captured him, Reagan said.

Deputy Griffin Criswell removed Green from the Datsun after he refused to comply with the deputy’s commands, Reagan said.

The pickup contained several car stereos and other items that appeared to be stolen, Reagan said.

Both Green and Boller were booked on charges of attempting to elude a police vehicle, obstructing and second-degree criminal trespass. Boller had an additional charge of resisting arrest, Reagan said.