Regional news
A man shot by a Latah County sheriff’s deputy in July 2003 died Wednesday as a result of injuries he received in the shooting, authorities said.
The Latah County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release saying Sa’id Jihad Yusuf, also known as Luke Rapp, died at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
A sheriff’s deputy was dispatched north of Genesee, Idaho, on July 8, 2003, after motorists reported a man was jumping in and out of traffic on Highway 95, The Spokesman-Review reported at the time.
Sheriff’s Cpl. Phil Gray shot Yusuf after the 29-year-old brandished a knife, threatened to kill the officer and then charged.
Family members said Yusuf had been committed to the state mental hospital many times.
“It was tragic events that led to Yusuf’s death, and our sympathies go out to his family,” the Sheriff’s Department said in Thursday’s press release.
High-speed chase on I-90 leads to arrest
A Spokane man was arrested early Thursday morning following a high-speed chase through the Spokane Valley and into Idaho on Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 95, according to the Idaho State Police.
A Mazda van was reported stolen about 5 p.m. Wednesday in Spokane, according to the Washington State Patrol. About 2 a.m. Thursday, WSP troopers had spotted the van and were pursuing it eastbound when the chase crossed into Idaho, according to the ISP.
ISP officers laid spikes at milepost 9, which flattened two tires on the van, but the chase continued with the flat tires. The driver, identified by police as Thinh H. Pham, 30, lost control of the van and crashed into a tree off U.S. Highway 95 at milepost 423, according to the ISP.
Pham fled on foot, but three hours later sheriff’s deputies found him near the crash scene, and he surrendered without incident, according to the ISP.
Pham was arrested on charges of felony eluding, possession of a stolen vehicle and driving without privileges.
Driver in critical condition after hitting truck
A collision on U.S. Highway 95 during morning commuter traffic Thursday left one driver in critical condition and closed the highway north of Hayden for nearly two hours, according to the Idaho State Police.
Anthony J. Miller, 31, was ejected from his car about 8:20 a.m. after hitting an unloaded logging truck that was traveling about 50 to 55 mph, according to ISP Officer Todd Corey.
Truck driver Michael McGregor, 47, of Sandpoint, was driving south on U.S. Highway 95 through the intersection with State Highway 53 when Miller drove into the intersection from the east and hit the truck on the driver’s side, according to the ISP.
The truck driver and a witness told Corey that the truck driver had a green light. McGregor veered to the right to try to avoid a collision, but Miller’s car bounced off the truck and spun around. Miller, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from his car and landed on the highway. McGregor was uninjured, according to ISP.
Corey said the truck driver didn’t have time to brake.
“It was a busy time of morning. A lot of traffic,” Corey said. “When people get in a hurry, they try to shoot the gap. This is what happens.”
Bill would allow state to require chains
Boise Legislation allowing the Idaho Transportation Department to require tire chains when conditions warrant was introduced in a House committee Thursday, over the objections of two North Idaho legislators.
The measure would allow ITD to post mandatory chain requirements for specific stretches of road when it determines driving conditions are unsafe. Emergency vehicles and ITD maintenance vehicles would be exempt from the requirement. The House Transportation Committee voted 10-2 to introduce the bill.
Reps. Phil Hart, R-Athol, and Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, cast the only votes against introducing the bill. Once introduced, the measure can be scheduled for a public hearing in the committee.
Gunshots lead deputies to marijuana plants
When Bonner County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of gunshots early Thursday on the outskirts of Blanchard, Idaho, they stumbled upon a large marijuana-growing operation, the Sundance Drug Task Force said Thursday.
“One of the males walked out on the porch and decided to shoot some shotgun rounds in the area,” said sheriff’s Detective Jason Slinger. The gunman was intoxicated, Slinger said, and lacking “better judgment.”
When deputies arrived, they were invited into the house and could see and smell marijuana, Slinger said.
After getting a search warrant, the deputies discovered more than 100 plants growing in an adjacent shop, according to the task force.
The task force estimated the value of the marijuana at more than $200,000.
The owner of the residence, Orville Scott Shreve, 51, was arrested, as was Bobby Wayne Snider, 48, who was at the scene, according to the task force.