In brief: Angler accidentally shoots self in back
A fisherman accidentally shot himself in the back Tuesday as he was leaving a small lake near Conconully, Wash.
Sporting a .44-caliber Magnum on his hip, 44-year-old Randy C. Hugh, was fishing alone at Fish Lake. When it came time to leave, he tossed the gun into his truck and it fired, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said.
Hugh was hit in the back and the bullet shot out his chest, but he jumped in the truck to find help, Rogers said. About halfway to Conconully, Hugh came across a forest service worker, who called for an ambulance.
“He was actually talking to everybody, telling the story, and everything fits,” Rogers said. “Totally accidental.”
Hugh was taken to an Omak hospital then airlifted to Central Valley Hospital in Wenatchee. The Mineral, Wash., resident was in satisfactory condition Wednesday evening, a nursing supervisor said.
Spokane
Man investigated for sex with teen
A 29-year-old man who allegedly met a 14-year-old Central Valley High School student on a gaming Web site and started a relationship is now under investigation for third-degree child rape.
The girl told a resource officer at the Spokane Valley high school that she was dating and had sex with Shadrack L. Cain, of Spokane, after they met online, according to a probable cause statement for a search warrant.
Records state the girl told Cain she was 14, but when he was arrested Saturday, he told police he believed she was 18. He admitted to having sex with the girl, records show.
The girl alleged Cain bought her a cell phone so he could contact her without her parents’ knowledge, documents state.
Cain was in Spokane County Jail late Wednesday being held on $25,000 bail, according to jail records.
Courthouse, street to close for training
Federal and local law enforcement will start training exercises on Riverside Avenue between Lincoln and Monroe streets Friday afternoon, causing the U.S. Courthouse to close early.
After 11:30 a.m., the courthouse will shut down to the public. The street and sidewalks will be closed from noon to about 9 p.m., according to a U.S. Marshals Service news release.
The courthouse will stay closed Monday because of Columbus Day and will reopen Tuesday for regular business.
Cowlitz County
Russell transferred to Cowlitz County jail
Former fugitive Fred Russell has been transferred to a jail in Cowlitz County, where he is expected to stand trial later this month for vehicular homicide.
Whitman County Jail officials have confirmed the move.
Earlier this week, a Whitman County judge declined to dismiss charges against Russell. His lawyers sought dismissal because a state lab accidentally threw away blood evidence showing Russell was drunk at the time of a 2001 accident that killed three Washington State University students and injured three others.
Russell’s trial on vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges is to begin Oct. 15 in Kelso. He fled in 2001, was tracked down in Ireland in 2005 and extradited to the United States.
Post Falls
Firm sues city over annexation denials
A North Idaho company whose property has been repeatedly denied annexation by the city of Post Falls will ask a state court today to require the city to provide documents and allow city officials to be deposed.
The company, Hayden LLC, wants to build a mixed-use development, mostly multifamily and single-family residences, on 280 acres slightly northeast of Post Falls and east of state Highway 41.
But the city on four occasions has refused to incorporate the property, citing concerns over a lack of sewer service and the potential for more traffic.
Bentley Stromberg, a Lewiston lawyer representing Post Falls, said the city believes the matter is outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Magistrate Lansing Haynes will hear the matter in 1st District Court in Kootenai County.
From staff and wire reports