Tribal council officials arraigned
The chairman of Spokane Tribal Council and two other council members were arraigned Thursday on charges of misappropriation of tribal property, abuse of office and intimidation, according to tribal prosecutor Dale Nagy.
Council Chairman Greg Abrahamson was ordered to appear for trial Sept. 22 on each of the three charges stemming from a 2005 incident, Nagy said. A trial date of Sept. 8 was set for council Vice Chairman Warren Seyler and council member David C. Wynecoop on the three charges stemming from a separate 2004 incident.
Nagy declined to explain the charges. However, at a June 3 news conference, Tribal Council member Ronald “Buzz” Gutierrez said the charges against Abrahamson, Seyler and Wynecoop involve “several thousand dollars” worth of property purchased by the tribe through the state’s government surplus program.
Nagy said the judge is considering a defense motion that as council members the three defendants have immunity from criminal prosecution under Spokane tribal law.
The council members’ attorney, Dave Lundgren, said Thursday his clients would have no comment on the case.
Driver seriously injured when Jeep crashes, rolls
An Athol woman suffered serious injuries and two other people sustained minor injuries Thursday afternoon in a one-vehicle, rollover crash on Dodd Road near Hayden, Idaho.
Peggy L. Burch, of Athol, was driving a 1987 Jeep Cherokee west on Dodd Road at about 3:30 p.m. when she drove onto the left shoulder. She overcorrected and the Jeep rolled at least once before it came to rest on its tires, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Sgt. L. Carrington said in a news release.
Burch was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. She suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Kootenai Medical Center.
Also taken to KMC were Thomas L. Crain, of Twin Lakes, who suffered minor injuries, and a 6-year-old boy. The boy was treated and released, Carrington said.
Deputies continue to investigate the cause of the crash, he said.
Craig, U.S. officials to discuss public land use
Top Bush administration officials and U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, are hosting a listening session Thursday in Coeur d’Alene focused on public land management in the West.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at North Idaho College’s student union building with a panel discussion featuring Craig, Agriculture Department Undersecretary Mark Rey and Rebecca Watson, assistant secretary of the Interior Department. The public will have a chance to express their opinions during the second half of the session.
North Idaho College is located at 1000 W. Garden Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.
Police chief, officers end employment with city
McCall, Idaho The police chief and two other officers of this small northcentral Idaho resort town, who were accused of mishandling documents in an investigation, no longer work for the city, Mayor Kirk Eimers said Thursday.
A statement on the municipal Web site said Chief Ralph Appa, Lt. Chris Moore, and Sgt. Lance Rogers had reached agreements to “sever their relationship” with the city, effective Thursday.
The three men were suspended with pay earlier in June.
The statement characterized the agreement as “mutually beneficial” and said it would allow the city “to reorganize the command structure of the Police Department and to continue providing professional law enforcement services to the citizens of McCall.”
In a telephone interview, Eimers refused further comment, calling the departures a personnel matter.
The officers have unlisted phone numbers and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Woman missing after SUV crashes in river
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Searchers attempted to find a missing park worker after finding her heavily damaged sport utility vehicle in the Yellowstone River.
A green Ford Explorer belonging to Candace May Kellie, 19, of Belgrade, Mont., was found near Tower Junction by a person hiking along the river.
She was last seen at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday driving away from the Roosevelt employee housing area.
The Explorer, which was pulled from the river Thursday, was severely damaged, with broken windows and deployed air bags, rangers said.
A preliminary investigation indicated the vehicle was traveling east of Tower when it struck an embankment on the right side of the road, crossed to the left side and over another embankment, dropping more than 100 feet into the river.
Kellie is an employee of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, based in Denver, Colo., which provides lodging, food, retail, camping, marina and other services at Yellowstone through a contract with the National Park Service.
Another search continued for Luke Sanburg, a 13-year old Boy Scout from Helena, who fell into the Yellowstone River last Friday. Recovery operations are focused on a 14-mile stretch from Knowles Falls to Corwin Springs, Mont.