Police stop man from driving off High Drive embankment

Spokane Police spent several tense moments Thursday afternoon working to stop a man from trying to kill himself by driving down an embankment next to High Drive near 33rd Avenue.

The man, who was not identified by police, kept inching his Chevy Blazer farther down the steep hill as an officer stood several feet behind the car, yelling at the man, whose window was open.

“All I want to do is help you. Can I get any closer?” the officer yelled. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

About 3:10 p.m. – an hour after a passing motorist first noticed the Blazer headed toward the hill – the driver gave up and was taken by police to a hospital for a mental health check. The Blazer was more than half way down the embankment when the driver was persuaded to stop, said police Sgt. Anthony Giannetto.

Even though the man was slowly driving down the hill, police were concerned that the Blazer would lose its traction and tumble.

“I’m surprised it didn’t roll or just go,” Giannetto said. “It’s a steep hill.”

Spokane resident Gary Schroeder was driving on High Drive when he noticed the Blazer in a precarious spot. Schroeder said he stopped and spoke to the man, offering to talk things over with him over dinner. Another passing motorist called 911 as Schroeder continued a dialogue.

“He said he didn’t want to go back to jail and that he had some medical problem,” Schroeder said.

Police discovered, however, that the man isn’t wanted, Giannetto said.

Officers found no weapons, drugs or alcohol with him, said police spokesman Dick Cottam in a press release. The man will not be cited.

Police seek help regarding theft

Spokane police are seeking information in connection with the theft of items from BJ Motors earlier this week.

Two sets of tires and wheels worth thousands of dollars were taken sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, Spokane Police Department spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Employees at BJ Motors, 1907 E. Sprague, found a hole cut in a corner fence that leads to a storage yard behind the business, Cottam said. The tires and wheels were stolen from that area.

Four of the tires were mounted on American Racing wheels, valued at $600 each, and four other tires were valued at about $300 each.

Anyone with information on the stolen items is asked to call 242-8477.

Burglar breaks into Rogers High

A burglar pried open a vent and kicked a hole in a ceiling to get into Rogers High School early Wednesday, police said.

Spokane Police were unable to determine what, if anything, was stolen and are seeking information in connection with burglary.

About 4 a.m., a District 81 security officer went to the school at 1622 E. Wellesley Ave. after receiving a call from Sonitrol alarm company about an alarm from the building, Spokane Police Department spokesman Dick Cottam said.

The security officer discovered the front door unlocked and called police, Cottam said. No one was found inside the school or on the grounds.

Police determined entry was made through the roof of a portable classroom, Cottam said. Someone had pried a vent from an opening, then kicked through the ceiling in the portable room.

Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call the 242-8477.

River advocates to launch effort

Environmental activists hope to get 100 volunteers to knock on 40,000 Spokane neighborhood doors Saturday to bring attention to the state of the Spokane River.

The effort, called I Love the Spokane River, will encourage the community to mail letters to Mayor Jim West and Avista Corp., said campaign director Stephen Barbieri. The campaign is asking Avista, which owns and operates six dams along the river, to restore more water to keep the river clean and waterfalls flowing.

“We want people to voice to decision-makers the importance of clean, flowing rivers in our river system.” Barbieri said. “We have opportunities right now to move the quality of the river in the right direction.”

Five of Avista’s dams are due to be relicensed by 2007, and the utility is taking public comment on their operation until May 23. The I Love the Spokane River campaign is also asking West to support the state’s water quality standards for the river, Barbieri said.

The nonprofit campaign, launched about three weeks ago, has about 300 registered members and is funded through donations from environmental groups and private businesses, Barbieri said. It seeks to encourage elected officials to help protect Spokane’s “most visible and valuable natural asset.”