In brief: Centennial Trail break-ins up sharply
Vehicle break-ins at Centennial Trail parking lots have increased dramatically this summer, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said.
So far, 92 thefts and break-ins at the trail have been reported, sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said in a news release Tuesday. Most occurred in parking areas at trail heads.
Deputies encourage people to keep valuables out of sight or to lock them in the trunk when using the trail.
Murder charge sought in death of woman, 19
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office requested a second-degree murder charge on Tuesday against a man suspected of killing a 19-year-old Mead woman.
Kevin Wayne Newland, 20, was seen driving Jamie Lynn Drake’s Ford Mustang last month and made numerous purchases with her debit card, Detective Tim Hines wrote in a summary sent to the county prosecutor.
On June 29, Newland led detectives to Drake’s body, which was hidden beneath the floorboards of his mother’s cabin near Addy, Wash., officials said. An autopsy revealed that Drake died of suffocation from homicidal violence.
Newland has been held in the county jail for possession of stolen property since he was arrested in Maple Valley, Wash., with Drake’s Mustang. A high bond was granted as detectives investigated the killing, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The charge could be upgraded to first-degree murder after prosecutors review the investigation, according to a county press release.
Spokane
Work on building done before council vote
The redevelopment of a downtown building that once housed J.C. Penney and Burlington Coat Factory required new stairs and wheelchair ramps extending into the sidewalk along Main Avenue, and CPC Development Co. asked city officials to vacate about 9 feet of sidewalk adjacent to the building to accommodate the improvements.
However, the new stairs and ramps were already installed when the City Council was asked on Monday to approve the vacation. Engineering Services Director Tom Arnold said the contractor took a chance that the council would approve the vacation by completing the work ahead of Monday’s vote.
CPC Development Co. is a subsidiary of Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.
Council members voted in favor of the vacation, which calls on the owner of the property to grant a sidewalk easement for public use of the existing sidewalk area. The owner also must pay the city $159,000 for the value of the vacated property.
Third arrest made in intimidation case
Spokane police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly intimidating a witness in a murder case.
Anthony J. “Pops” Ackerman, 59, was wanted on a felony warrant accusing him of intimidating a witness and second-degree assault.
He is the third and final suspect in a witness intimidation investigation surrounding the death of Ernest “Sonny” Hamlin, a transient, police said. Marcie Jo Michael, 34, and Lisa Ann “Pebbles” Michael, 38, were booked into jail last month on suspicion of witness intimidation.
Hamlin died June 10 after Wayne Walksnice Jr., 45, allegedly picked him up and slammed him onto the pavement in an effort to get Hamlin’s beer. Walksnice has been charged with second-degree murder.