Jordin to avoid jail during appeal

Convicted rapist Arlin Jordin will remain out of jail while waiting for his appeal to be heard.

Superior Court Judge Neal Rielly denied a request by prosecutors Friday to revoke Jordin’s post-conviction bond.

“There is no evidence that (Jordin) is violating the conditions of the order,” Rielly said. “I felt like in this particular case, if I imposed the appropriate conditions, that he was not a danger to the community. There was nothing new in this argument that I felt warranted a look at this issue.”

The former insurance executive and apartment landlord was convicted May 11 of second-degree rape and indecent liberties. The victim told police she blacked out after accepting drinks from Jordin. Dozens of other women later told police they had felt ill or become disoriented after accepting drinks from him, too.

In August, Rielly agreed to release Jordin on a $100,000 bond, with conditions, as he waits for his appeal, which typically takes about a year to be heard. Jordin, 59, is being monitored with a GPS unit. He is not allowed to have contact with the victim or witnesses, and he cannot go into any business that serves alcohol. Jordin also faces a curfew requiring him to remain home between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and cannot possess or consume alcohol.

At his sentencing in July, Jordin maintained his innocence in connection with the 2004 rape of a woman.

After his arrest, more than 50 women came forward to Spokane police with allegations of feeling ill or disoriented after accepting drinks from Jordin.

In addition to the victim, court documents say, police identified eight other women who reported being raped and drugged by Jordin and seven other women who believed they were given drug-laced drinks by him.

Officer, residents stop bridge jumper

A Spokane police officer and four residents are being credited with rescuing a suicidal teenage girl who attempted to jump off the T.J. Meenach Bridge in west Spokane.

When Cpl. Jon Strickland arrived at the bridge on Thursday, the residents were holding onto the girl by her clothing, said police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee. Their grip was keeping the 16-year-old from falling onto rocks about 100 feet below.

Strickland straddled the railing and, with help, was able to pull the girl to safety, Lee said. The girl, who was receiving mental health treatment at Tamarack Center, was taken into protective custody.

About 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the girl ran from the mental health clinic where she had been in a counseling session, Lee said. The teenager jumped from the T.J. Meenach Bridge, which is near the Tamarack Center, but a Tamarack employee grabbed the girl by her jacket and kept her from falling.

Other people stopped to help, and when the girl began slipping out of her jacket they reached through the gaps in the railing to grab on to her clothing, Lee said. They held onto her until the officer arrived.