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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man arrested after car chase, crash

Compiled from staff and wire reports The Spokesman-Review

Deputies arrested a 23-year-old Spokane Valley man Saturday morning following a car pursuit that reached speeds of up to 80 mph and ended in a minor crash.

Leslie James Olson, 11811 E. 26th Ave., was arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property, attempting to elude police in a vehicle, and two counts of possessing a controlled substance, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.

Around 5 a.m. Saturday, a deputy was westbound on Interstate 90 near Freya Street when he spotted a 1990 Acura that had been reported stolen a day earlier, Reagan said. The driver sped off at more than 70 mph when the deputy attempted to stop him.

The car continued north on Hamilton and ran a red light at Trent Avenue and again at Mission Avenue, Reagan said.

The driver then ran a stop sign at Illinois and Cincinnati and eventually crashed into two parked cars, causing only minor damage, Reagan said.

The driver ran from the car but was caught a short time later by the deputy.

The deputy found methamphetamine and Hydrocodone, a prescription pain medication, when he searched the driver’s clothing, Reagan said.

Olson was booked into Spokane County Jail.

Authorities offer reward for burglary suspect

A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of a man accused of burglary.

Cephas William Parham, 29, is suspected of crashing a stolen car into a barn near Marshall, Wash., while being chased by a deputy in June. He escaped and is suspected of attempting to burglarize nearby homes.

Parham, who once lived at 2324 W. Mallon in Spokane, is 6 feet and 175 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

He has 23 convictions on his criminal record including thefts, burglary and assault. In 1997, he was found guilty of vehicular homicide in connection with a crash at Maxwell and Howard in which his passenger was killed. He was found to be speeding and driving on a suspended license with a .16 blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash.

Anyone with information on Parham’s whereabouts can call Secret Witness at (509) 327-5111. Callers do not have to give their name and can use a code name or number to be eligible for the cash.

Ruling on wind farm regulations delayed

Boise The regulator that oversees power producers in the state opted not to make a decision in a request by two utilities to suspend their federal obligation to buy electricity from some proposed small Idaho wind farms.

Instead, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission on Friday urged Idaho Power, the state’s largest utility, and Avista Corp., which supplies energy to northern Idaho, to continue to negotiate with several farmers and wind-energy companies that want to build electricity-generating turbines near the Snake River.

According to the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, regulated electric utilities such as Idaho Power and Avista must buy renewable power from small power producers at a fixed price.

The utilities argue that requirement has prompted a spate of small wind turbine proposals and that the rate it must pay for electricity from them – $60 per megawatt hour, on a 20-year contract – is about twice as much as the rate being paid for wind-generated power by utilities in neighboring states such as Montana.

Proponents of the small Idaho wind farms argue that allowing Idaho Power and Avista to even temporarily skirt their obligation would mean the end to their projects because investors want to move ahead quickly with construction in order to take advantage of thousands in tax breaks this year.

Members of the Public Utilities Commission declined to say when they might issue a ruling.

“There is always the possibility that the commission will not be able to issue a rapid order,” said commission chairman Paul Kjellander, during the meeting in Boise.

Slain girl’s mother says child’s safety worried her

Boise The mother of a toddler beaten to death in 2003 told jurors that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly asked her if he could care for her daughter while she was in jail on drug charges.

Amanda Atencio testified in 4th District Court Friday that she left her daughter with Ignacio Sanchez because she thought he loved the girl.

Sanchez, 23, is accused of beating Evangelina Azteca Atencio Leija to death on Dec. 7, 2003.

Prosecutors say a blow to the girl’s head ended weeks of torture that included beatings, strangulation and stomping on the toddler’s stomach.

Sanchez could face the death penalty in the case. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His lawyers say he was abusing methamphetamine and under significant stress when the death occurred.

Atencio testified that on Dec. 6, the day before the girl died, she was so concerned about her daughter’s safety she called Sanchez’s home from the jail 13 times in an attempt to have the girl taken to her mother’s house.

In a recording of one of the calls – played in court – the toddler could be heard telling her mother, “I cried, mommy,” “He kicked me,” and “I love you.”

Deputies seek suspects in gas-station robbery

Polson, Mont. Sheriff’s deputies searched Saturday for two men suspected of robbing a Pablo gas station at gunpoint.

The men allegedly threatened the female clerk with a gun early Saturday and tied her up in a back room before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash, sheriff’s Detective Dan York said.

The men appeared to have left on foot and headed west, he said.

They were last seen wearing white hooded sweat shirts, red bandannas and blue pants. At least one was wearing white tennis shoes.

One man is 5-feet-4 inches tall and 170 pounds, while the other is 5-feet-10 inches tall and about 145 pounds, York said. Both are believed to be in their late teens or early 20s.