Police say suspect dragged deputy

A sheriff’s deputy was pulled alongside a car about 50 feet Thursday afternoon as he attempted to arrest a man in Deer Park, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Deputy Jason Karnitz drove in behind Michael L. Martin’s car as Martin pulled into his driveway at 300 S. Fir Ave. about 3:40 p.m., said sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan in a press release.

Martin, 72, was wanted on harassment and fourth-degree assault charges.

Karnitz left his car and approached Martin’s, Reagan said. As he opened Martin’s door to make an arrest, Martin drove off, pulling Karnitz until he lost his footing and fell, Reagan said.

Karnitz, who was not injured, got back to his patrol car, Reagan said. Martin eventually ran from his car and Karnitz caught up to him and ordered him to the ground at gunpoint.

The earlier charges stem from Nov. 30. In that incident, Martin is accused of threatening a worker at the Deer Park Post Office and hitting the employee with a newspaper, Reagan said.

Martin was booked into the Spokane County Jail on the original charges and a charge of third-degree assault, Reagan said. He was out on bond Friday.

Information sought on bank robbery

A north Spokane bank was robbed Friday afternoon.

The robber entered US Bank, 7307 N. Division, about 2:20 p.m. and handed a teller a note demanding cash, said Dave Reagan, Spokane County sheriff’s spokesman, in a press release. He indicated he had a weapon but did not show one. The teller gave him cash and he left the bank heading west, Reagan said. The robber was described as white, in his 20s, about 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds with a slim build. He wore a dark coat, blue jeans and a dark baseball cap. Anyone with information about the robbery can call the Sheriff’s Office at (509) 242-8477.

Sex offender moves to Spokane Valley

A sex offender has moved to Spokane Valley, police said.

Delores Marie Hegge, 26, lives in the 17600 block of East Appleway, Spokane Valley police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said in a press release.

Hegge was convicted of first-degree child molestation in 1995, Reagan said. Her victim was a 10-year-old boy whom she did not know. Hegge, who is not wanted by police, has been labeled a Level 3 sex offender, the category considered the most likely to commit another sex crime. She is 5-foot-6 and 387 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. She has used the aliases Delores Moriss and Delores Powell, Reagan said.

Lummis burn down former drug house

Lummi Nation, Wash. The Lummi Nation, trying to combat drug use among tribal members, held a ceremony with songs and prayers, and burned to the ground a house used for drug dealing.

Boarded up and condemned, the house on the Lummi reservation was last occupied by a renter who used it, without the knowledge of its owners, to deal drugs.

The dealer is now in jail and the family that owns the house agreed to the burning to cleanse the ground.

Painted with red ochre for spiritual protection, Dorothy Charles, a spiritual leader of the neighboring Nooksack Tribe, led family members in setting the house afire.

“I hope that people will start to realize drug dealers are here at Lummi and that it is not condoned in any fashion, in any way,” tribal spokesman Aaron Thomas told The Bellingham Herald.

Of 170 babies born on the reservation in 2003, 28 are believed to have been affected by alcohol or drugs. An 18-month-old who ate an Oxycontin pill she found on the floor in her home died of an overdose of the prescription painkiller, the Seattle Times reported Friday. A 2-month-old was found dead in a baby swing surrounded by drug abusers.

Since 2002, the Lummi have fought back with a community anti-drug program, using detectives and prosecutors, drug testing, surveillance cameras and even banishment of dealers.

Since January 2004, 21 alleged dealers have been charged and 15 convicted.

NIC events celebrate Latino culture

NIC is offering a taste of Latino culture next weekend with its Fiesta de Diciembre.

A children’s dance group will perform, salsa dance lessons will be offered, and crafts and food will be on sale.

Members of the North Idaho College Diversity Events Committee will perform “Las Posadas,” a song traditionally sung at Christmas Fiestas, symbolizing Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter at various inns.

The event runs Dec. 9-10. For more information, call (208) 769-3397.

House will go to winner of Really Big Raffle

Prizes ranging from a $250,000 custom home to a $2,000 shopping spree are up for grabs in the NIC Foundation’s Really Big Raffle.

Proceeds go toward funding educational needs at North Idaho College.

The 3,720-square foot, custom house is being constructed by NIC carpentry students, in the Coeur d’Alene Place development.

Tickets are on sale for $100 each and can be purchased by calling (208) 769-3271 or visiting http://foundation.nic.edu/rbr.

People who buy tickets before May 31 will be eligible for the early bird prizes: a home theater system and digital camera.

The drawing will be held July 12, 2006.