In brief: Man gets 40 years in torture death
One of two men convicted in the torture death of a third has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Superior Court Judge Harold Clarke sentenced James Phillip Tesch, 41, on Friday after a jury convicted him June 9 of six charges, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and assault.
Another jury convicted Tesch’s longtime friend, Ben Alan Burkey, 46, of the same six charges on June 22. Burkey has yet to be sentenced.
The body of 52-year-old Rick Tiwater was found Sept. 5 on a trail leading from the 13400 block of East Laurel Road in north Spokane County.
According to court testimony, Tiwater was beaten and likely run over.
Investigators found skin and blood matching Tiwater’s on the undercarriage of Burkey’s 1987 Ford Thunderbird, which according to witnesses, was being driven Sept. 4 by Tesch.
– Thomas Clouse
Bridge work narrows Washington Street
Washington Street traffic will be reduced to one lane starting this morning from Spokane Falls Boulevard to the end of the tunnel through Riverfront Park.
Crews will be repairing the bridge there.
Work will continue through Friday.
– Amy Cannata
FAA inspector accused of lying
An inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration in Spokane has been indicted on a charge of making a false statement to his employer.
John Richard Black, 54, of Spokane, is accused of lying on an FAA application for a second-class medical certificate and student pilot certificate signed on Nov. 2, 2004.
The indictment alleges that Black had visited a medical doctor and been prescribed Lorazepam, Paroxetine HCL, Mirtazapine and Trazodone within the last three years, but failed to make those disclosures “knowing that could materially affect whether” he would be approved for the certificates.
Black was released on his own recognizance after an appearance last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno.
– Bill Morlin
Easton, Wash.
Small plane crashes, killing pilot
A small plane heading from Spokane to Seattle crashed Monday afternoon near this Cascade Mountain town, killing the pilot, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The male pilot, who was the only person on board, had radioed that he was having difficulty maintaining altitude and was diverting to the Easton airstrip, said Cynthia Emery, an FAA duty officer in the Seattle suburb of Renton.
The victim was not immediately identified. A Western Washington television station, KING-5, said the pilot was reportedly from Seattle.
The plane was a Piper PA-31-350 operated by Airpac, a freight line, Emery said.
– Associated Press