In brief: Woman arrested after crashing into bus
A 34-year-old Spokane Valley woman was arrested Friday after she hit a Central Valley school bus head-on at Dishman Mica Road and Schaeffer Road about 8:40 a.m.
Tyann L. Larson’s Ford Ranger pickup allegedly crossed into the southbound lane and hit the bus driven by 61-year-old Barbara J. Hankel.
The bus was transporting 22 kindergarten students from University Elementary to Ponderosa Elementary at the time, said Gene Marsh, school district transportation director.
Larson, alone in the pickup, wasn’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Although she hit the steering column, she declined medical examination at the scene, according to traffic investigator Joe Bonin.
Bonin said Larson exhibited signs of alcohol impairment and was arrested for driving while under the influence.
Neither Hankel nor any of the students was injured. After being evaluated by paramedics they were taken by a second bus to Ponderosa where school officials notified the students’ parents.
– Kandis Carper
Spokane
Suspect in car thefts appears in court
A man police think is responsible for numerous auto thefts appeared in court Friday after detectives found 27 shaved Nissan keys and a sawed off shotgun in his possession.
Dustin Rauscher, 22, and his girlfriend, Nicole Phillips, 24, are each charged with first-degree possession of stolen property and illegal firearms charges, police said. Both have previous felony convictions.
“We believe we’ll see a big drop in the thefts of those particular make of car,” said Spokane police Sgt. Keith Cummings.
During a search on Thursday, police found a stolen car in the backyard of the home where Rauscher was staying, Cummings said. The loaded sawed-off shotgun was found next to the bed where the couple was sleeping.
Additional charges are expected as detectives determine how many car thefts Rauscher can be linked to, said Spokane police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee. Rauscher is also suspected in several pursuits with police, which were called off because of the danger to the public.
– Jody Lawrence-Turner
Moses Lake
Man arrested after car breaks through ice
Authorities say Moses Lake resident Calvin Eugene Smith narrowly avoided drowning in cold water Thursday evening. His 1985 Toyota Camry didn’t fare as well.
Smith, 46, was spinning doughnuts on the frozen surface of Moses Lake when his car broke partially through the ice, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Smith was able to get out and dash to safety.
He called for help from a nearby home, where officers arrested him on suspicion of drunken and negligent driving.
– John Craig
Chesaw, Wash.
Border Patrol makes cocaine smuggling bust
With a little help from the weather, U.S. Border Patrol Agents arrested an alleged Canadian drug smuggler Thursday night near Chesaw, Wash., and seized 136 pounds of cocaine.
The cocaine’s estimated street value was $4.3 million.
Agents were suspicious when they saw a car driving south on what they described as a “desolate” road, so they trailed the car’s tracks in fresh snow. The tracks led to the driveway of a rural residence, where agents found footprints that led to two men hiding under some snow-covered bushes.
The cocaine was in two large backpacks next to the men, one of whom fled toward Canada and got away while agents were taking the other suspect into custody, according to the Border Patrol.
The agency didn’t identify the man who was arrested but said he and the drugs were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
– John Craig