In brief: Teenager missing since Thursday

A missing 16-year-old boy is being sought by family and Spokane police who are worried that he isn’t getting required medication.

Dwayne J. Tolbert is black, 5-foot-2, weighs 130 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair and has a pierced left ear.

He hasn’t been seen or heard from since he left his southeast Spokane home about 6 p.m. Thursday.

Relatives believe he may be a runaway, and police said they have no reason to suspect foul play in his disappearance.

Anyone who has information about Tolbert is asked to call 911.

Spokane Valley

Sinkhole closes part of Sands Road

A sinkhole opened up Friday on South Sands Road in Spokane Valley near what is known as the Chester pit, city officials said.

The sinkhole is located in the center of the road but below the surface, and it appears to have undercut the full width of the westbound lane of Sands.

Until the sinkhole is repaired, a portion of Sands Road near 44th Avenue will be closed to traffic. Drivers are asked to use Bowdish Road to access areas southward into the Ponderosa neighborhood.

Spokane County

Fugitive sought on drug allegations

Secret Witness is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of a fugitive drug suspect.

Thomas J. Lindstrom, who has an extensive criminal record, is wanted for possession of a controlled substance, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Dave Reagan.

Lindstrom, 45, is described as white, 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds with brown hair and eyes.

Anyone with information regarding Lindstrom’s whereabouts is asked to call the (509) 327-5111. Tipsters do not have to give their name to collect the reward but should leave a code name or number with the operator.

SEATTLE

Inmate recovering after transplant

An inmate jailed at a state prison for drug convictions was recovering Friday after receiving a liver transplant in Seattle, the Department of Corrections said.

The department did not release the name of the 55-year-old inmate from the Correctional Complex in Monroe, citing privacy laws.

The man underwent transplant surgery March 25 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He’d been awaiting a liver for about two years, said Jeff Weathersby, a spokesman for the department.

“This is the first time there’s been a liver transplant” among state inmates, Weathersby said.

The man was jailed in 2000 on convictions for drug manufacturing, possession and delivery and jumping bail, Weathersby said.

From staff and wire reports.