Police arrest man suspected in stabbing
A 29-year-old man was recovering Wednesday from stab wounds, including a 12-inch cut to his face, after an argument with another man.
Donald L. Dyson, 35, was arrested in connection with the stabbing, said Spokane police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee. Dyson was booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree assault.
Police responded to 2300 N. Stone about 8 p.m. Tuesday and found blood in the parking lot, Lee said. The victim had already been taken to a hospital.
He was treated at a hospital for his injuries and later released.
Search on for armed robber of pharmacy
Spokane police were searching Wednesday for a gunman who took an undisclosed amount of prescription drugs from a South Side pharmacy
The robbery occurred about 4:30 p.m. at the Altamont Pharmacy, 924 S. Perry St.
Officer Devin Presta said witnesses described the robber as average in height and build, with long, dark, curly hair under a baseball cap. His face was covered with a tan or gray bandanna, and he was wearing a gray sweat shirt and light-blue jeans.
Witnesses thought the suspect may have left in a two-tone, black-over-white vehicle with Bondo patches, possibly a Chrysler LeBaron or Buick LeSabre from the 1980s or 1990s, Presta said.
Spokane Valley
Citations intended to raise awareness
Sheriff’s deputies and Spokane Valley police cited 24 people and warned 34 others Wednesday in a daylong effort to familiarize motorists with a new law requiring them to give a wide berth when passing parked emergency vehicles.
The law requires drivers to keep at least one lane between themselves and emergency vehicles that are parked with flashing lights activated. On roads with only one lane in each direction, or when congestion prevents lane changes, the law requires motorists to slow down enough to ensure safety.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said the citations that were issued Wednesday to familiarize drivers with the new law were for speeding, failure to use seat belts and aggressive driving. When tickets are issued for violation of the new law, the standard penalty will be $101.
MISSOULA
Washington couple in one-vehicle crash
A vehicle drifted off Interstate 90, hit a gravel pile, flipped and landed on its top just west of here Wednesday, killing a 74-year-old woman and critically injuring her husband, the Montana Highway Patrol said.
The one-vehicle accident happened at 3:10 p.m. near Airway Boulevard.
The woman, a passenger, died at the scene. Her 75-year-old husband, who was driving, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, the patrol said.
The couple was from Washington state; their names were not released.
The death raised Montana’s 2006 highway fatality toll to 83, the same number reported on May 17, 2005.
PORTLAND
Airliner’s safety slide deployed in flight
A United Airlines flight to Denver was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland on Wednesday after an indicator light showed an inflatable emergency slide had deployed.
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said the slide did deploy but couldn’t say if it occurred in the air or after landing. An investigation is under way.
About 30 minutes into the flight the crew told passengers they’d be returning to Portland.
Passenger Bert Bernie said the jet then slowed and began to vibrate noticeably during the descent.
A passenger told KGW television in Portland that the inflatable slide actually rolled out while the jet was in the air.
“Standard operating procedure is to return to the field, and that’s exactly what they did,” McCarthy said.
The flight was carrying 189 people, including 182 passengers, airport spokesman Steve Johnson said.
Passengers were put on a new jet for their trip to Denver. Only 115 people were on the second flight, but there is no measure of how many were rerouted and how many opted to stay put.