In brief: Woman shot by husband improving
A Calder, Idaho, woman who was shot in the head by her estranged husband Thursday has been upgraded to satisfactory condition, according to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.
Rose Turner, 43, was injured in a gunbattle with her husband, Rick Turner. Authorities say Rick Turner shot and killed his wife’s parents in the shootout, and his wife shot him four times with a .22-caliber gun.
Rick Turner then turned his .38-caliber gun on himself, firing the fatal shot, Shoshone County Sheriff Chuck Reynalds said.
Detectives attempted to interview Rose Turner on Monday.
“She’s talking but she does not have any memory of the situation at all,” Reynalds said. “We’re hoping it comes back in one way. In the other, we’re hoping it doesn’t come back.”
The couple was in the process of divorcing, and friends and family members told authorities Rick Turner was upset over the divorce. Rose Turner told colleagues that she was scared her husband would kill her.
Man held after admitting sex abuse
A 53-year-old man was arrested this weekend after he admitted to police that he raped a 6-year-old girl.
Allan R. Walden was still booked into the Spokane County Jail on Tuesday afternoon on charges of first-degree child rape, with a $25,000 bond.
In court documents filed Monday, an Airway Heights police officer said Walden signed a written statement confessing to sexually abusing the girl in 2006, including having the girl perform various sex acts on him.
The girl, who now lives in Arizona with her family, provided testimony to Airway Heights officers in a video interview, according to court records. The family is in the military and is now stationed at Fort Huachca, Arizona.
Spokane Valley
Man allegedly set roommate on fire
A Spokane Valley man allegedly beat his roommate Monday night and set him on fire.
Dominic A. Melaas is accused of attacking the 36-year-old man as he lay drunk in bed at their home on the 7800 block of East Nora Avenue.
According to Spokane Valley Police, Melaas first beat the man in the head, punching and kicking him. They say Melaas then hit the roommate in the torso with a piece of furniture before hitting him in the head with a portable space heater. Melaas then allegedly poured gasoline over the victim’s head and set him on fire.
Neighbors heard the victim screaming and saw him running around with his head on fire in the backyard.
Emergency responders found him with burns on his head, hand, back and neck. He also had a large lump on his forehead and a black eye. He was conscious at the time and told police that Melaas attacked him.
Third-degree burns cover 10 to 12 percent of the victim’s body. He has been transported to a Seattle burn center.
Melaas was arrested about 9:30 p.m. for the crime and booked on charges of first-degree arson and first-degree assault.
Investigators haven’t been able to determine why Melaas may have attacked the victim, but they did find a gasoline can in the victim’s bedroom as well as a dented space heater containing his hair.
Boise
Suspect indicted in second killing
An Ada County grand jury indicted John Delling on first-degree murder and grand theft charges on Tuesday, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Heather Reilly said.
Delling, already charged with murder in the March 31 fatal shooting of University of Idaho student David Boss in Moscow, has now been indicted in the April 2 death of Boise State University student Bradley Morse at the Idaho Parks and Recreation office.
The grand theft charge accuses Delling of taking Morse’s car, Reilly said in a statement.
Delling, 21, is also suspected in the March 20 wounding of University of Arizona student Jacob Thompson in Tucson, Ariz.
Prosecutors in both Ada and Latah counties agreed that Delling would first stand trial in Ada County, Reilly said.
Delling, Boss and Thompson were former classmates at Timberline High School in Boise. Morse attended high school in nearby Meridian at about the same time.
Delling’s family members and court documents suggest that Delling may have struggled with mental illness.
Delling is being held in the Ada County Jail on $2 million bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
Kootenai County
Third set of plans required to build
Anyone requesting a building permit in Kootenai County will have to submit three sets of building plans to the county.
The change, which takes effect June 11, was requested by the Kootenai County Fire Chiefs Association. The association wants to review all plans to ensure safety.
Currently, residents must submit two sets of construction plans for proposed commercial projects and single-family homes larger than 3,600 square feet. For more information, call (208) 446-1070.
Coeur d’Alene
Traffic crackdown planned for today
Coeur d’Alene police and Idaho State Police are conducting a “zero tolerance” traffic patrol today on Highway 95.
The patrols will focus on the area from Appleway Avenue to Prairie Avenue, Coeur d’Alene police Sgt. Christie Wood said.
Officers will be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, speeding drivers, those following other cars too closely, drivers who don’t signal turns and lane changes, and those who run red lights.
Compiled from staff and wire reports