Driver sought in vehicular homicide

Spokane County sheriff’s detectives are looking for a 25-year-old Spokane Valley man who is wanted in connection with a felony vehicular homicide and hit-and-run at a wedding reception last weekend.

Brandon N. Peterson was driving a 2006 Dodge Ram from which Daniel Taylor fell on Aug. 25, according to sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

Taylor struck his head and suffered a brain injury. He was taken to a hospital and died the following day, Reagan said in a press release.

Witnesses said both men were drinking at the reception – inside the hall and in the parking lot at CenterPlace event facility at 2421 N. Discovery Place. When Peterson and a female acquaintance were ready to leave in the pickup, Taylor jumped into the bed.

“Although Peterson knew his friend was in the truck bed, he accelerated to leave, throwing Taylor out of the truck,” Reagan said in the press release. “Peterson and his girlfriend never identified themselves to investigators at the scene, and later left and hid the truck at his grandmother’s apartment complex.”

Detective Don Manning established probable cause for Peterson’s arrest Friday and notified him by phone. Repeated attempts to arrest him during the day were unsuccessful, and detectives said it appears Peterson is attempting to avoid arrest.

Peterson lives a transient lifestyle but has relatives in the 12200 block of East Maxwell and in the 5500 block of North Cedar, and his girlfriend lives in the 1200 block of North Sargent, Reagan said.

Anyone with information on Peterson’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.

27-year-old wanted in home invasion

Secret Witness is offering a reward for information that leads to the capture of a man suspected of a home-invasion burglary in May.

Dustin M. Christensen, 27, is wanted on a $100,000 bail warrant after he is believed to have forced his way into a Spokane Valley home and shoved a female resident to the floor as she begged him not to hurt her baby, detectives said. Authorities think Christensen, along with several other men, stole some of her property, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Christensen is white, 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 190 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes, the release states.

Christensen has previous drug convictions.

People can anonymously call the Secret Witness tip line at (509) 327-5111. The organization is not affiliated with law enforcement.

Post Falls

Man denies videotaping preteen

A Post Falls man pleaded not guilty Friday to video voyeurism.

Vincent P. Aschinger, 36, is set to stand trial in October for allegedly enticing a girl to come into his home and change clothes while he secretly videotaped her.

Aschinger has also pleaded not guilty to three charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16. He will be tried separately on those charges, with three trials for those cases set for November.

Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor Art Verharen said in a brief hearing Friday that he wasn’t aware of the other cases and wasn’t sure why a motion hadn’t been filed to try those cases together.

The deadline for filing such a motion has passed, Deputy Public Defender Christopher Schwartz said.

According to police reports, the victims in all four cases are preteen girls.

Post Falls police were investigating molestation allegations against Aschinger last fall when he allegedly fled to Oregon. Authorities there arrested him on an outstanding warrant from Latah County.

He was brought to Kootenai County in June to face two felony charges of lewd conduct. Prosecutors later charged Aschinger with an additional count of lewd conduct and video voyeurism.

Detectives found more than 50,000 images on Aschinger’s home computer, according to Post Falls police reports. Some were pornographic images of young women – some apparently teens – engaged in sexual activity, the report said.

Pictures of young girls and women in swimsuits that appeared to have been taken at Coeur d’Alene City Beach and Post Falls parks were also found on Aschinger’s computer, the report said. Investigators said most of those pictures focused on the girls’ and women’s groins and buttocks.

Marlin, Wash.

Town facing wildfire evacuated

An entire Grant County farming town was evacuated Friday evening as a wildfire grew and encroached from the west, a fire spokesman said.

The 9,600-acre fire started about 2:30 p.m. just south of Wilson Creek and spread southeast, jumping state Route 28 and moving toward Marlin. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office started evacuating Marlin – population 60 – about 6 p.m., said Gary Garnant, spokesman for the county Department of Emergency Management.

The cause of the wildfire was unknown late Friday, he said. About 100 firefighters from area cities and Grant and Lincoln counties were battling the blaze.

“The fire came under state mobilization this afternoon,” Garnant said Friday, “so that will bring fire crews from across the state.”

The Washington State Patrol closed Route 28 between Wilson Creek and Odessa, about 12 miles east of Marlin. The north-south Route 21 is available as a detour, according to a WSP report.

From staff reports