Rangers told to stop enforcing parking fees

Wed., March 22, 2006

The Spokesman-Review

Heading to a state park this weekend? Ready to dutifully plunk your envelope with the $5 parking fee into the metal can?

Stop right there. Put that fiver back in your wallet.

Even though a new state law eliminating the fees doesn’t take effect until April 9, state parks officials have decided to stop ticketing people who don’t pay the fee.

“The rangers have been directed not to enforce the parking fees. And they’re starting to take the signs down,” said Linda Burnett, a public information officer for the state Parks and Recreation Commission.

The commission and state parks director Rex Derr felt that it wouldn’t be in the spirit of the new law to keep handing out $128 tickets to people who don’t pay the fee during the remaining few weeks, she said.

The park system will lose about $3.4 million this year in parking fees. To make up for that, lawmakers recently allocated $3.1 million – and vowed to come up with a stable, long-term source of maintenance money next year.

Anyone who bought a $50 annual permit will be reimbursed $4.16 per unused month, she said.

– Richard Roesler

Liberty Lake chief applies for new job

Liberty Lake’s police chief has applied for a new job in Lakewood, Wash.

Brian Asmus, who has been the chief of the Liberty Lake Police Department since it was formed more than four years ago, is a finalist for a lieutenant’s position at the Lakewood Police Department.

“The reason I’ve applied is to get back closer to my family, and I’m ready for a new challenge,” Asmus said.

Officials from Lakewood are conducting background checks in Liberty Lake this week and may make a decision by the end of the month, Asmus said. If offered the job, Asmus said he will resign his position in Liberty Lake.

Before Liberty Lake, Asmus worked at the Yelm Police Department. He lives in Liberty Lake with his wife and two children.

– Christopher Rodkey

Suspect arrested at plea hearing

The bet going around the Spokane County Courthouse on Tuesday was that a prolific car prowling suspect was not going to show for his scheduled plea and sentencing after media coverage last week that the suspect was facing several new felony charges in Liberty Lake.

But 25-year-old Robert Lee Hahn arrived for his 2:30 p.m. sentencing before Superior Court Judge Ellen Clark and was arrested by two waiting Liberty Lake police officers after Hahn pleaded guilty to the previous charges of stealing his friend’s electronic games and CDs.

Hahn’s attorney, Richard Bechtolt, said he didn’t read the front page story last week in The Spokesman-Review about how Liberty Lake police identified a fingerprint as Hahn’s. Hahn now faces felony charges of burglary, possession of stolen property and trafficking in stolen property.

Hahn also has a pending $50,000 warrant out of Coeur d’Alene, according to court records.

Judge Clark agreed with Deputy Prosecutor William Jennison’s recommendation and sentenced Hahn to two months in jail for pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree theft.

– Thomas Clouse

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