In brief: Motorcycle crash kills woman
A woman was killed Friday in a motorcycle crash in southern Spokane County.
The driver, whose name has not been released, was westbound on Spangle Waverly Road near Rohwer Road about 7:40 p.m. when she lost control and was thrown from the Yamaha she was riding, said Spokane County sheriff’s Detective David Thornburg.
No one witnessed the crash, Thornburg said in a press release. The woman and her bike were discovered on the side of the road by a passer-by.
The woman, who was wearing an open-face helmet, suffered head injuries and died soon after being found, Thornburg said.
He added that deputies smelled alcohol on the driver and found a container with alcohol in it, but they have not determined whether she had been drinking it. An autopsy is pending.
A crash investigator determined speed was likely not a factor, Thornburg said.
Spokane Valley
No one home when fire guts house
A Spokane Valley home that was for sale was gutted by fire late Saturday afternoon.
Crews were called to 7222 E. Fifth Ave. about 5:40 p.m.
No one was home at the time of the fire, said Spokane Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Warren Kennett.
Ryan Kinghorn, who lives cater-corner from the burned residence, said he heard smoke alarms going off in the house and had his wife call 911.
As he pounded on windows and a door to ensure his neighbors weren’t inside, windows began breaking and flames became visible, Kinghorn said.
Fire charred the back of the house. A pickup parked next to the residence also was burned.
Cause of the fire is under investigation.
The property is owned by Jill M. Sweet, according to county records. Fliers attached to a Windermere Real Estate sign said the home had an asking price of $109,900.
LEWISTON
Alcohol not factor in child’s death
A prosecutor says alcohol and drugs were not factors when a 33-year-old woman left her 15-month-old step-grandson in a parked car for more than five hours with temperatures topping 95 degrees.
The toddler, Patrick Graber Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday, according to court records.
Clearwater County Prosecutor Clayne Tyler said Rita Johnston was cooperating with authorities. Johnston forgot about the child after going inside a male friend’s house and falling asleep, investigators said.
Tyler said Johnston has no criminal record and no history of being irresponsible with grandchildren.
Johnston has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony injury to a child. She was being held in the Clearwater County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
PORT ANGELES, Wash.
Missing hiker walks out safely
A hiker missing since Tuesday in Olympic National Park walked out on her own Saturday, and she is in good condition.
Park spokeswoman Kathy Steichen said 45-year-old Mary O’Brien was “tired and hungry, but she does not need medical attention.”
O’Brien, from Arlington, Mass., failed to return Tuesday from a day hike in the Sol Duc River area. She was reported overdue by a friend, and the search began Wednesday with dozens of ground searchers, a dog team and a helicopter.
Steichen said O’Brien came out of the woods at Lake Mills, which is in the Elwha River drainage east of Sol Duc. She flagged down a boat to get help and contacted authorities at 3:45 p.m.