Police use Taser to subdue suspect
Spokane Police used a stun gun on a man early Friday after he struck two officers, police said.
Police were called to the Park Inn, 103 W. Ninth Ave., about 2 a.m. on a report of a man throwing garbage around the parking lot, said police spokesman Dick Cottam.
When officers got to the scene, the man, Robert T. Andresen, punched two officers, Cottam said. Police were able to handcuff Andresen after the Taser was applied.
Andresen, who was wanted on two warrants, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a count of third-degree assault of an officer. He remained in jail Friday night on three $5,000 bonds.
No one injured as fire guts home
A small home north of Spokane was gutted by fire Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to a residence at Double Eagle Stables, 1111 W. Ballard Road, about 3:35 p.m.
A man employed at the stables lived in the home and was inside at the time of the fire, said Spokane Fire County Fire District 4 Chief Ed Lewis. The resident escaped unharmed.
Flames and heavy smoke were showing when crews got to the scene, said firefighter Zach Searle. The blaze was extinguished within minutes of their arrival.
The blaze started in a ground floor storage area, and caused extensive smoke and fire damage throughout the home, Lewis said. The cause is under investigation.
Employee robbed en route to make deposit
A Zip Trip employee was robbed Saturday afternoon when she was on her way to make a bank deposit for the business, Spokane Police reported.
The woman was riding her bicycle to the U.S. Bank, 102 W. Indiana Ave., when she was approached by two men about 4:40 p.m. about a block from the bank, said police spokesman Dick Cottam. One of the men displayed a knife and they demanded her wallet, the woman told investigators.
When she refused to give it up, one of the men ripped her jacket and a bank bag with the Zip Trip money fell to the ground, the woman told officers.
The victim said the men grabbed the bag and fled eastbound on foot.
One of the robbers was described as white, in his 20s and about 5 feet 8 with a medium build. He wore a fleece jacket with a hood, black baseball cap and baggy jeans. The other was in his 20s, slender and about 6 feet with a dark complexion.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call 242-8477.
Fire damages vacant house
A fire damaged a vacant house near the West Central neighborhood early Saturday.
At about 3 a.m., crews responded to a blaze at 902 W. Maxwell Ave., said Spokane Fire Battalion Chief Bob Green. When they arrived, they found the rear corner of the house, near the back door, engulfed in flames, he said.
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, despite the fact that ventilation was impeded by sheets of plywood that covered the doors and windows, Green said. The 1 1/2-story structure was heavily damaged, he said, and the cause of the blaze is now under investigation.
According to news reports, the residence has had a shady history. In 1999, Spokane Police found a methamphetamine lab there. The year before, police obtained a search warrant for the place and arrested one of its residents for cocaine possession with intent to deliver.
The house was sold for $72,000 in 1998, records show.
Reward offered for stabbing suspect
A man wanted in connection with a stabbing that occurred in July remains at large, and a reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest.
Police have named Shawn David Cranford, 25, as a suspect in a July 26 stabbing at 3 Dishes Restaurant, 3525 N. Division St.
The victim was hospitalized after his throat was slashed with broken glass.
Other suspects believed to have participated in the crime have been apprehended. Cranford, who has 10 convictions as an adult, is the only suspect still left at large.
Cranford is 5 feet 9 and 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Secret Witness at 327-5111. Callers do not have to use their name to be eligible for the cash reward.
Seven women arrested in prostitution sting
Seven women were arrested Friday in a Spokane Police prostitution sting east of downtown.
Two undercover officers in unmarked cars were solicited by the women, and when a price for a sex act was set, a uniformed officer stopped the vehicle, said police spokesman Dick Cottam in a press release.
The women, whose ages ranged from 21 to 47, were arrested between 7:15 p.m. and midnight, Cottam said. Many of the women were solicited on East Sprague Avenue between Division Street and Altamont Street. One was found at Division and Pacific Avenue and another at Perry Street and Third Avenue.
Six of the accused prostitutes were cited and released. Officers found hydrocodone pills, a prescription pain reliever or cough suppressant, and a baggie of cocaine on one of the women, Connie P. Rousseau, 47, Cottam said. She was arrested and booked into jail where she remained Saturday on two counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Cottam said police stage prostitution stings on nights when lighter crime is expected and break away if officers are needed elsewhere in the city.