In brief: House destroyed in fire started by space heater
A space heater set curtains ablaze, causing a fire that destroyed a Spokane Valley woman’s house early Wednesday.
The fire started about 12:30 a.m. at 614 N. McCabe.
Spokane Valley Fire Public Information Officer Bill Clifford said the woman tried to put the fire out with a pan of water, but when she was unsuccessful she went outside to call for help.
Seven Valley Fire engines and 22 personnel came to battle the fire. When they arrived, smoke and flames were visible from the outside.
Firefighting efforts were hampered by extreme cold, which caused water to freeze around the fire trucks, creating slick conditions.
The woman is now staying with family, Clifford said.
Clifford said space heaters should be kept at least three feet from combustible materials.
Spokane
Police investigating shot fired into house
A Spokane man was nearly hit by a bullet early Wednesday when a shot was fired into his front room.
The 49-year-old man was sitting at a computer about 1:20 a.m. at his home in the 1000 block of West Spofford. According to Spokane police the bullet passed just a few feet from the man’s head.
Spokane police are investigating and ask anyone with information to call (509) 242-TIPS.
Spokane County
Election turnout was over 50 percent
Slightly more than half the voters in Spokane County participated in this month’s general election.
But the turnout among voters was not a uniform 54.7 percent across the county. It was heaviest in some areas of Spokane, where a hotly contested mayor’s race and some council contests appear to have caught voter interest, as well as in the southern third of rural Spokane County. It was lightest in northeast Spokane, some parts of Spokane Valley north of Interstate 90, and parts of the West Plains.
For a map of the precinct breakdown for Spokane County turnout go to spokesmanreview.com.
A complete list of the final results – except for two races that face a mandatory hand recount Friday – is available online at www.spokane county.org/elections.
Nespelem, Wash.
Inmate found dead in apparent suicide
An inmate was found dead in his jail cell last week at the Colville Indian Reservation’s corrections facility in Nespelem, Wash. Tribal police said he apprently committed suicide.
The 34-year-old man from Keller, Wash., was found hanged in his cell about 1 a.m. Nov. 21 during a routine cell check, tribal police Chief Rory Gilliland confirmed Wednesday.
Emergency medical personnel were unable to revive the man, who was pronounced dead a short time later.
Documents found at the scene indicated the inmate had been depressed and gave reasons for his apparent suicide. Police did not say why he was in jail – whether he had been convicted of a crime or was being held pending trial.
An investigation into his death is continuing with the assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI.
BOISE
Abuse suit against father dismissed
The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled to dismiss a lawsuit against a North Idaho economic development official who was accused of sexually molesting his adoptive daughters as children and teenagers nearly 30 years ago.
In a ruling Tuesday, the justices unanimously upheld a lower court decision to dismiss the case filed against Jim Deffenbaugh, the executive director of Kootenai County’s Panhandle Area Council.
The opinion written by Justice Jim Jones said the case exceeded the statute of limitations for abuse claims and that the daughters’ fraud claims were not legally viable.
According to court documents, Veronica Glaze, of Alaska, and Viola Ralston, of Arizona, allege that Deffenbaugh molested them as children when they were living in California. The abuse ended in 1979 sometime after the family moved to North Idaho.