Region in brief
Idaho’s first case of West Nile virus this year has been reported in Gem County in southern Idaho, where infected mosquitoes were found.
Last year, the virus surfaced in 15 southern Idaho counties, where it infected 13 people, more than 100 horses and a dozen birds.
Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito won’t become ill, according to the state Department of Health and Welfare. But in rare cases people, especially the elderly, can become very ill.
Horses and birds are most affected by the virus. Vaccinations can protect horses.
The Fish and Game Department plans to test dead birds for the virus this year. Report dead birds to a Fish and Game office. Magpies, crows, raptors, ravens and jays are most likely to become infected.
Deputy state epidemiologist Leslie Tengelsen advises people to reduce standing water on their property to limit mosquito breeding, repair or replace screens and use insect repellent and clothing to avoid mosquito bites.
Spokane County
Sex offenders register in area
Authorities warned Monday about two sex offenders who have registered to live in Spokane and Spokane Valley.
Both are Level III offenders, the kind considered most likely to commit new sex crimes, who have preyed on children.
Spokane police said Donald C. Burchett, 32, was released from prison on May 27 after serving five years for second-degree assault with sexual motivation, second-degree kidnapping and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. His victims were a 10-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl.
Burchett is to be supervised by the state Department of Corrections while living in downtown Spokane. Officers described Burchett as 5-foot-10 and 226 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Spokane Valley police said Darin Arthur Putnam, 45, has moved to the 4500 block of East Second Avenue. Putnam was convicted in 1992 of second-degree child molestation involving a 10-year-old girl. He is no longer under supervision.
Putnam is 5-foot-4, weighs 150 pounds, and has brown hair, blue eyes and a snake tattoo on his arm.
Post Falls
Closure extended for Poleline Road
A Poleline Road closure between McGuire and Chase roads in Post Falls has been extended through Monday. The road was originally scheduled to reopen today, but work remains to finish installing utilities and widen the street for the Meadows subdivision. Detours are posted.
Tacoma
Pastor convicted of conspiracy, fraud
A church pastor has been convicted of conspiracy, visa fraud and obstruction of justice after prosecutors said he helped Korean nationals file fraudulent visa applications claiming they were coming to the U.S. to serve as religious workers at his church.
The U.S. attorney’s office said Dong Wan Park, pastor of Hope Korean Church, advertised in a Korean language newspaper that immigration visas were available through his church.
Prosecutors claimed he charged as much as $30,000 to provide people with visa paperwork including phony transcripts from a Korean seminary and a certificate of ordination from a Korean bishop.
Park, 52, signed the petitions, which said the applicants were to be associate pastors at the Hope Korean Church and would be paid $24,000 a year. None of the applicants was employed at the church or had any religious training, the U.S. attorney’s office said. When the alleged scheme began to unravel, prosecutors said, Park tried to get applicants to change their stories and mislead investigators.
During his trial, Park claimed the money received from visa applicants was either a loan or a donation to the church. Prosecutors countered that Park used the money for personal purposes, often withdrawing it at tribal casinos.
– From staff and wire reports