Statewide crime report released
Murder was up but sex offenses dropped last year, according to an annual crime report released Monday by the Idaho State Police.
The report tallies the number of crime reports and arrests made in 2005 by nearly every law enforcement agency in the state, though it does not include the number of arrests that resulted in convictions.
Overall, crime reports appeared to drop slightly in 2005, compared with the previous year, with crimes against persons dropping by more than 3 percent, crimes against society dropping by more than 4 percent and crimes against property dropping by more than 5 percent.
Some types of crime were on the rise, however. There were 41 murders reported in 2005, according to the report, compared to 30 murders the previous year, for an increase of more than 36 percent. Reports of pornography or obscene material violations also increased by more than 45 percent, with 48 such crimes reported in 2005 compared to 33 reports in 2004.
But Idaho’s still a safe place to live compared to most other states, the report found, ranking 42nd nationally for violent crimes in 2004, the most recent year available for those statistics.
The state isn’t alone in its downward trend, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2004, violent crimes and property crimes were at a 30-year low, with violent crimes dropping by 57 percent since 1997 and property crimes dropping by 50 percent.
Spokane
Man accused of kidnapping try
A 42-year-old man is accused of beating a 20-year-old Spokane woman and shoving her child in an apparent kidnap attempt.
Gerald Shawn Johnston remained in jail Monday night on suspicion of two counts of attempted first-degree kidnapping. Earlier in the day, Spokane County District Court Commissioner Robert M. Seines set bail at $500,000.
According to court documents, Johnston didn’t know Sarah Anderson but followed her to her apartment near Eighth Avenue and Adams Street at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. One of her neighbors, Jeffrey Fromm, said Johnston had followed Anderson’s car so closely with his 1988 black Ford Bronco that Fromm thought the two vehicles were traveling together.
Anderson told police she was removing her 1-year-old son from his car seat when Johnston threatened to kill her if she didn’t get back in her car. She said he struck her face and head when she refused, but she bit his hand and screamed.
Court documents say Anderson’s son was knocked over when Johnston shoved his car seat. The documents also say Johnston fled when Anderson screamed, and neighbor Michael Reid called police.
Police said officer Shawn Kendall and his police dog found Johnston hiding under a bush four blocks away.
Johnston apparently has no Spokane County felony record but has an extensive record of misdemeanor and traffic charges.
Seattle
Captain pleads to alcohol charge
The former captain of a cruise ship pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to one count of operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol. He was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $15,000.
Periklis Petridis, 47, was arrested May 19 when Coast Guard officials making a routine check of the 866-foot Celebrity Cruise Line ship Mercury discovered he had been drinking. He failed four breath tests, with a blood-alcohol level as high as 0.18, federal prosecutors said. The legal federal maritime limit is 0.04.
In addition to the fine, U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Donohue ordered Petridis, a Greek citizen, not to enter U.S. waters as an employee of a commercial vessel without the approval of the Department of Homeland Security for one year. Celebrity Cruise Line fired him following his arrest.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska
Salvage team member dies
A member of a salvage team looking at how to stabilize a listing ship in the Aleutian Islands died when he lost his footing, slid down the ship’s deck and hit his head, the Coast Guard said Monday.
The salvage team was getting ready to leave the Cougar Ace on Sunday when the naval architect slipped and was knocked unconscious. Efforts to revive him aboard the ship failed. He was flown to a nearby Coast Guard cutter with a surgeon and a clinic, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Sara Francis. However, he was declared dead about an hour later.
The team had just completed an internal survey of the ship when the accident occurred, said Charles Nalen, vice president of environmental safety quality assurance for Crowley Maritime, owner of Titan Salvage.
The naval architect was from Seattle and one of the company’s most experienced, Nalen said. His name was being withheld until relatives could be notified.