Man struck patrol car, police say
A 28-year-old man was in jail Tuesday after ramming a police car and being caught with a large quantity of cocaine, police said.
Savaad Alex was accused of attempting to elude a police officer, second-degree assault and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, said Spokane police Officer Shawn Pegram. Alex also had an arrest warrant for escape.
An officer patrolling north Spokane early Tuesday tried to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation, but the driver sped away, and police decided not to pursue the vehicle, Pegram said. About 2:30 a.m., the same vehicle was spotted near Trent and Hamilton. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver allegedly rammed a patrol car and then led police on a short pursuit.
Police arrested him and discovered he had dealer quantities of cocaine in his possession, Pegram said.
Superintendent to hold Web chat
Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Brian Benzel will host his online chat with the public from noon to 1 p.m. today.
The community is invited to submit questions for the superintendent by going to the district’s Web site at www.spokaneschools.org and clicking on “Chat with the Superintendent.”
The chats are held the first Wednesday of each month. Transcripts from previous chats are also available on the Web site.
Stevens County
Collision closes U.S. 395
U.S. Highway 395 was closed for about three hours Tuesday evening because of a two-vehicle collision near Deer Lake Road, about two miles north of Loon Lake in southern Stevens County.
Details weren’t available, but the Washington State Patrol said one person was airlifted to a Spokane hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening.
The injured person was in a Nissan Sentra that collided with a Ford pickup owned by the state Department of Natural Resources shortly after 5:30 p.m., police said.
Liberty Lake
Man hospitalized after crash
A one-car crash at Inlet Drive and South Liberty Lake Road sent a man to the hospital Tuesday night, a Spokane County Sheriff’s detective said.
The crash occurred about 8:30 p.m. The driver was heading south on Liberty Lake Road when his Nissan Maxima struck a tree, Detective Don Manning said. The driver was ejected from the vehicle, which landed upside down. The driver, whose name was unavailable, appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s.
He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital with what appeared to be serious injuries, witnesses said.
WENATCHEE
Teenager’s body found in canal
A teenager has been found dead in a canal, and investigators say they have found no sign of foul play.
Stephanie K. Wilhelmi, 17, of Chelan, was unconscious when discovered Friday in the Highline Canal and could not be revived, police said. An autopsy the next day revealed no evidence of death by “suspicious means,” Chelan County Coroner Wayne E. Harris said.
The cause of death remained undetermined pending toxicology tests, which typically take six to eight weeks, Harris said.
Wilhelmi was visiting relatives in Wenatchee before a passer-by spotted her body in water 3 to 4 feet deep in the canal, said her stepfather, Dave Martin.