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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Police seek man accused of threats


Radford
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Compiled from staff reports The Spokesman-Review

A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of a man who faces a harassment charge.

Terry Radford, 49, is accused of threatening to kill someone in a domestic violence situation.

He was convicted in 2004 of driving under the influence of alcohol or a drug.

Radford is 5 feet 6 and 125 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information on Radford’s whereabouts can call Secret Witness at 327-5111. Callers do not have to use their name to be eligible for the reward.

Spokane men killed in ultralight crash

La Grande, Ore. Two Spokane men were killed when an ultralight plane crashed less than 200 yards from Interstate 84 in Eastern Oregon, the authorities said.

The plane went down just after 2 p.m. Saturday in the Ladd Canyon area about 10 miles south of La Grande. The wreckage was found on a steep hillside, said Capt. Craig Ward of the Union County Sheriff’s Office

The victims were identified as Ezra M. Ward, 71, and Keith G. Bird, 47. The authorities don’t know who was at the controls.

The men were both pilots and they co-owned the plane, Ward said.

Witnesses told police that the ultralight, a 52-horsepower Challenger II, seemed to be having trouble in a snow squall and was either following the freeway or trying to land on it.

Ward said the strong winds and snow likely contributed to the crash.

The investigation was being conducted by the Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Oregon State Police.

Silver Mountain to close after today

Today will be the last day to hit the slopes at Silver Mountain in Kellogg.

That may leave one area resort open. Lookout Pass Ski Area near Mullan, Idaho, may open next weekend, according to its Web site.

Lower-than-normal snowfall has shortened the ski seasons across the area. Schweitzer Mountain Resort and 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort near Chewelah closed early this month. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park stopped operations in January.

Final suspects arrested in kidnapping, assault

Police have arrested the final two people accused of participating last month in the kidnapping and assault a man who suffered numerous injuries in the attacks, court records say.

Wendy C. Iwanow, 33, and Jason E. Childs, 31, are accused of abducting and beating a man last month. The two were booked into jail on Thursday and are charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault. They remained in the Spokane County Jail on Saturday on $250,000 bonds.

Three other people have been arrested on charges that they participated in the kidnapping and assaults, which allegedly occurred at a home at 917 E. Rockwell Ave. After escaping the home, the victim, David Vernoy, was assaulted again at an apartment at 6109 N. Colton, according to court records.

When he was allowed to leave the apartment, Vernoy yelled for help, and he was treated for head cuts that required 30 stitches and 40 staples. He also suffered nerve damage and a broken collarbone and hand.

City of Liberty Lake, sewer district to meet

A long-awaited joint meeting between the city of Liberty Lake and the local sewer and water district is being held on Tuesday. The two entities – which haven’t effectively communicated since the city moved to “assume” Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and the district sued to block the takeover – will come together to discuss issues of crucial concern to the community.

While both sides hope to make the joint forum ongoing, the first meeting will be limited to coordinating a spring clean-up day and discussing summer water usage, treatment plant construction and regional water and sewer issues.

Community input is welcome at the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at city hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive. The meeting is expected to last one hour.

Carjacking results in crash, arrest

A man stole a truck at gunpoint and crashed it into another vehicle Friday afternoon in north Spokane, police said.

Douglas O. Worley, 25, is accused of pointing a gun at a passenger in a commercial truck outside the Family Superette, 2501 W. Boone Ave, said Spokane police spokesman Dick Cottam in a press release. The passenger exited, and Worley allegedly stole it, then struck a vehicle at Ash Street and York Avenue before fleeing.

Worley ran to a nearby relative’s house to change clothes, but was recognized and arrested by police after he left the home, Cottam said.

He was booked into jail on two charges of first-degree armed robbery, a count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and hit and run.

Fire damages duplex, family displaced

A duplex in east Spokane was severely damaged by fire Saturday morning.

Fire crews were called to 2726 E. Third Ave. about 5 a.m. after a resident in the downstairs unit was awakened by a smoke alarm, said Spokane Fire Battalion Chief Ken Kirsch.

The family living in the home escaped the home without injury. The Red Cross was called to assist the family. The upstairs unit was unoccupied.

Kirsch said the fire started in or near the garage and spread into the kitchen. There was smoke damage throughout the structure.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

No one was injured when fighting the blaze. But a firefighter’s hand was cut during cleanup of the scene, Kirsch said. The firefighter needed stitches and likely will miss about a month on the job, Kirsch said.