Five jailed in alleged racial attack
Five Lewiston residents were in jail Monday night after they allegedly harassed and beat a 13-year-old American Indian girl while shouting “white power,” police said.
A warrant is out for a sixth suspect, 21-year-old Ashley Grant, who is on the run after the incident Wednesday, said Officer Todd Stobie, of the Lewiston Police Department.
The six people, whom Stobie described as white supremacists with swastika tattoos, were outside an apartment complex at 615 Third Ave. shouting “white power,” Stobie said. The 13-year-old, who lives at the complex with her mother, walked by and said something to them. Grant and her mother, Jill, started beating the girl while four males cheered on, Stobie said.
“They beat her bloody,” Stobie said. “They stole her purse. She fled to her apartment.”
Police arrested Jill Grant, who is in her 40s, for malicious harassment – an anti-discrimination felony that carries a harsher penalty than assault, Stobie said. On Saturday, officials handcuffed Jason Grant, 19; Michael Moody, 19; David Moody, 18, and a 17-year-old boy for witness intimidation as they chanted again outside the girl’s home.
The Moody brothers posted bail Monday evening but were arrested again within 30 minutes for disturbing the peace as they yelled “white power” outside their own residence, less than two blocks away from the victim’s home.
The girl and her mother, both members of the Nez Perce tribe, “have been moved to an undisclosed location because they’re terrified,” Stobie said.
Sandpoint
Engineering firm faces EPA fine
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking a $5,000 fine against Sandpoint-based Black Diamond Engineering for alleged violations of stormwater protection laws.
The business is fighting the charges.
Inspectors from the agency discovered violations of erosion control laws during an October visit to the Cedars at Sandpoint construction project, said David Domingo, EPA compliance officer. The violation involved not having frequent enough site inspections and not following proper erosion control practices, Domingo said.
“It’s a paper problem,” said Joel Petty, president of Black Diamond. “We didn’t have a sign posted on site. … No sediment left the site.” A hearings officer will issue a ruling in coming months.
Coeur d’Alene
Man accused of lewd conduct on bus
A man has been barred from riding North Idaho’s public Citylink buses after a rider complained he was masturbating on the bus.
A woman told police she saw a man masturbating on the bus on Aug. 30 as it left its stop at K-Mart. She didn’t report the incident until Friday, when she rode the bus again.
She told police that the driver said there had been other complaints about the same man. As the woman talked to the driver Friday, the man boarded a bus behind them.
Drivers from both buses asked Coeur d’Alene police to have the man removed from the bus.
The man, who has not been charged, denied the accusations.
Spokane
Man injured while working on roadside
A construction worker was injured Monday when he was pinned between a truck and a large tractor near Geiger Corrections Center.
The man was working about 7 a.m. between a pickup and the tractor just off the south side of Will D. Alton Road, west of Spotted Road. An eastbound driver drifted onto the shoulder, forcing the truck into the man.
He was pinned until rescue crews arrived. An ambulance took him to a hospital, where he was treated for serious lacerations and at least one broken leg, said Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy Mark Smoldt.
Luncheon will feature photojournalist
Photojournalist Linda Schaefer will speak at the 11th annual Caring for Kids luncheon today, a benefit for St. Anne’s Children and Family Center and Morning Star Boys’ Ranch.
Schaefer documented the work of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India in her book “Come and See: a photojournalist’s journey into the world of Mother Teresa.”
The luncheon, which has raised more than $225,000 for St. Anne’s and Morning Star since it was launched, begins at 12:05 p.m. at the Spokane Convention Center.
Also at this year’s lunch, Terri Caferro and Denise Greco will be honored for co-chairing the Caring for Kids luncheon since its inception.
OLALLA, Wash.
Park reopens after bear attacked man
Kitsap County has reopened the park where a bear attacked a bike rider, even though wildlife agents have been unable to find the bear.
Warning signs at Banner Forest Heritage Park caution visitors to watch out for bears.
State Fish and Wildlife Department agents tried to trap the bear after the Sept. 2 attack at the park north of Gig Harbor, near Olalla.
A 51-year-old Port Orchard man, Anthony Blasioli, was treated at a Tacoma hospital and is recovering from wounds to his arms, back and neck.
From staff and wire reports