G-Prep grad dies in WWU dorm

A Gonzaga Prep graduate died in his dorm room at Western Washington University over the weekend, but officials still don’t know what caused his death.

Nicholas DeLauder was found by a roommate on Sunday evening. Paramedics were unable to revive him.

There was no indication of homicide, but the Whatcom County medical examiner will not issue an official cause of death until toxicology test results are returned in about six weeks.

The 22-year-old Western student had planned to join the Peace Corps after graduation, according to his parents, Cynde and Dan DeLauder, of Spokane.

Nicholas DeLauder graduated from G-Prep in 2003.

Spokane

Police dog tracks suspected car thief

Persistence paid off early Wednesday in the capture of a suspected car thief who police say tried to avoid capture by driving dangerously.

Police say the chase began about 1 a.m. near Dalke Avenue and Addison Street when an officer tried to stop a reckless driver, who fled at speeds reaching 60 mph, traveling the wrong way in northbound lanes of Division Street.

A check of the license plate revealed the car was stolen, according to a police press release.

According to the press release, the first officer gave up the chase because of the danger. Another officer soon spotted the car but ended the pursuit when the driver again sped the wrong way on Division.

A third officer found the stolen car near Franklin Park, and a police dog tracked down the alleged driver. Taylor J. Davis, 19, was arrested on charges of possessing a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude police.

Sex offender now living downtown

Spokane police are warning the community about an 18-year-old sex offender now living in the downtown area. Brandon R. Braatz was convicted of molesting a 4-year-old girl.

Braatz is not wanted by police at this time and is being supervised by corrections officials. He is not allowed to be around children younger than 16 and is listed as a level 3 sex offender – those at high risk to re-offend.

Braatz has black hair and hazel eyes. He is 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds.

Police seek robber of gas station

A man robbed a North Spokane gas station at knifepoint Wednesday night, fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

No one was hurt, said Spokane Police Department spokesman Sgt. Joe Walker.

Police were called to the Chevron at 2910 N. Division about 8:15 p.m., Walker said. Officers searched the area using police dogs, but were unsuccessful.

The robber was wearing a bandana over his face, a hood on his head, a white jacket and blue jeans, Walker said.

Anyone with information is asked to call (509) 242-8477.

Spokane County

Tractor-car crash leaves one injured

An Elk man was injured Tuesday evening while driving a tractor on state Highway 2. The tractor was hit from behind by a Ford Escort.

The crash happened about 5:30 p.m. near Eloika Lake, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Kevin A. Koesel, 33, was driving a John Deere tractor northbound on the highway when 52-year-old Dana A. Morey drove up from behind in his 1990 Escort, striking the tractor.

Koesel was taken to Holy Family Hospital, where he was listed Wednesday in satisfactory condition.

Morey and his passenger, Sherri L. Gugel, were not injured, but Morey was charged with vehicular assault. According to the Washington State Patrol, Morey may have been drinking. The tractor didn’t have lights on, which also may have contributed to the crash.

OLYMPIA

McKenna kicks off re-election bid

Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna launched his 2008 re-election campaign on Wednesday, touting his first-term work fighting identity theft and methamphetamine abuse.

McKenna, a former King County councilman, was first elected attorney general in 2004. He is one of three Republicans to hold statewide elected office, along with Secretary of State Sam Reed and Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland.

In an interview, McKenna said his travels around the state working on consumer protection, crime and open government issues have helped him connect with Washingtonians.

“I just need to do my job every day, and that’s the most important thing I can do to persuade the voters to give me another four years,” he said.

McKenna filed paperwork to seek a second term shortly after winning the attorney general’s seat in 2004. Finance records show he’s raised more than $470,000 overall for the 2008 campaign.

SEATTLE

Lawyers protest Pakistan arrests

More than 200 lawyers, most of them in suits and ties, demonstrated outside the federal courthouse Wednesday in support of jailed lawyers and judges in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s military ruler, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, suspended the constitution a week ago and has jailed thousands of judges, lawyers, political activists and human rights workers who have demonstrated against him.

Hozaifa Cassubhai, who practices in general litigation at Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle, spent 12 years in Pakistan as a child.

“As unfortunate as the circumstances may be over there, it is exciting to see that there is this voice rising up,” he said. “As lawyers it is incumbent upon us that we join that voice, and that we not just let it die, but that we to go back to our offices and do something about it.”

Among the speakers was former U.S. Attorney John McKay, who was ousted by the Bush administration earlier this year in a controversy that helped prompt the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

BILLINGS

After DNA testing, hunter gets funeral

A funeral for a man who went missing during a hunting trip in 2004 has been scheduled for Friday in Lodge Grass – after a two-year wait for the FBI to confirm his identity through DNA testing.

Robert “Bugsy” Springfield, an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe who lived in Casper, Wyo., disappeared during an elk hunting trip with his cousin and son in September 2004. The men split up and set a time to meet back at their vehicle. Springfield never showed up.

A crow screeching in a tree apparently led an elk hunter to Springfield’s body in October 2005. The remains were sent to the FBI for identification and were turned over to the Big Horn County coroner on Nov. 7.

“It’s sad, but we’re not wondering where he is now,” said Myra Gros Ventre, Springfield’s sister. “We all know where he will be.”