In brief: $500,000 bond set in rape case
A 19-year-old man charged with robbing and raping a woman in downtown Spokane was ordered to remain in the Spokane County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Anthony Parks, 19, appeared Friday before Superior Court Judge Michael Price after his arrest earlier in the week for first-degree robbery and rape.
A 36-year-old woman told investigators that she was sexually assaulted Monday night in an alley near First Avenue and Pine Street by a knife-wielding man.
She had a cut on her hand where she said she tried to push the knife away, police said.
As officers were interviewing her, Parks rode by on a bicycle, and the woman identified him as her attacker, Lee said.
Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Ed Hay sought a $500,000 bond. “The crimes speak for themselves. They are violent offenses against a member of our community,” Hay said.
“I’m satisfied that Mr. Parks is a menace to the community,” Price said, approving the bond.
Price set Parks’ arraignment for 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Police arrest felon after gun threat
Police arrested a wanted drug felon Thursday after he threatened them with a gun, authorities said.
A Spokane bail bondsman tried to bring in Roger Harold Nordling, 54, but was forced to leave when Nordling pulled out a revolver and told him to leave, according to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Nordling then traveled from Spokane to the home of an acquaintance in Plummer, where sheriff’s deputies, U.S. marshals and corrections officers arrested him Thursday afternoon.
He again tried to escape by threatening law enforcement officers with a weapon, but they tackled him before he could reach his gun. .
Nordling was arrested on outstanding warrants for manufacturing a controlled substance and escape from community custody.
Candles cause fire at North Side spa
A north Spokane fire that engulfed a spa was caused by forgotten candles left burning overnight by an employee, fire officials said.
The blaze caused about $200,000 worth of damage to Essence Spa at 10101 N. Nevada St., according to Brian Schaeffer, assistant fire chief for the Spokane Fire Department. The blaze was reported about 2:30 a.m. Friday, and crews knocked it down within about 30 minutes.
Firefighters called the amount of damage to Essence Spa “extensive,” and later Friday afternoon fire investigators determined unattended candles had started the blaze.
Crews performed mop-up and salvage work Friday afternoon, and the fire was limited to the spa, Schaeffer said.
Employees at an adjacent business, Gold’s Gym, said the fire did not affect their operation.