In brief: Robbery attempt at motel fails
Coeur d’Alene police are looking for a man who brandished a silver revolver and tried to rob the manager of a downtown motel early Wednesday morning.
Motel Manager Jennifer McAvoy told police she was sleeping in her room at the Budget Saver Motel when she was awakened by the doorbell to the main office around 3:25 a.m., according to police reports.
McAvoy said she walked to the front door and let in a man who asked about a room. The man agreed to pay cash and followed her inside, according to police reports.
When McAvoy went into the motel office, the man pulled a silver revolver out of his pocket, pointed it at her and demanded cash, she told police.
A struggle ensued, and McAvoy screamed loudly, kicking open the door to her room, according to police reports. Her small dog ran out, and the man left. He was described as white, in his early 20s, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall, with a stocky build.
He was wearing a blue baseball hat, a dark gray fleece jacket, faded blue jeans and gloves.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Coeur d’Alene Police Department at (208) 769-2320 or the Tip Line at (208) 769-2296.
Home invasion suspects arrested
Two men have been arrested in connection with a home invasion robbery committed nearly two months ago in Hayden.
Toby L. Anderson, 19, Post Falls, and Todd C. Mitchell, 40, Hayden, are each being held on $150,000 arrest warrants, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department.
Anderson is charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, second-degree kidnapping, burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Mitchell is charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Sheriff’s Detective Brad Maskell served both men with the arrest warrants Wednesday. Both men were already in custody at the Kootenai County Jail on numerous charges.
Taxi cab stolen outside bar
A taxi cab was stolen from outside a Coeur d’Alene bar Monday evening after the driver went inside to see if anyone needed a ride and left the taxi running outside for nearly half an hour.
Matthew Rice of Lakeside Taxi told Coeur d’Alene police that he went inside D’Mouse Trap bar on Appleway Avenue, and when he came outside at 11:52 p.m., the taxi was gone.
According to the taxi company, the 1993 Plymouth Voyager was found abandoned on nearby Julia Street around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Parenting classes to begin Monday
Weekly parenting classes begin Monday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the St. Thomas Center, 406 N. 10th St. in Coeur d’Alene.
“Maximum Resources for the Whole Family” classes, sponsored by Catholic Charities of Idaho, are aimed at families that have substance abuse-related issues.
Cost is $10 per adult per class or $20 for a family. Families of all sizes are encouraged to attend. Separate sessions for adults and children will be offered, and children will be grouped according to age.
Classes will be held each Monday until Nov. 5. To register, contact Angie Murray at (208) 676-1974 or register at the center the night of the classes.
NIC journalism adviser honored
Longtime North Idaho College journalism instructor Nils Rosdahl recently earned a national award for his work as the college’s newspaper adviser.
A 23-year NIC teaching veteran, Rosdahl is the adviser for the Sentinel, the NIC student newspaper. He’ll receive the 2007 Distinguished Adviser Award from the College Media Advisers at a journalism conference in Washington, D.C., scheduled for Oct. 24 through Oct. 28. Rosdahl is chairman of the organization’s non-daily newspaper division.
NIC student Noah Buntain of Coeur d’Alene is also a finalist for the national Reporter of the Year award at the convention.
Ninewah Province, Iraq
Area soldier killed in Iraq
An Eastern Washington soldier was killed Tuesday in Iraq in what the Department of Defense is calling a “non-combat related incident.”
Twenty- year-old Spc. Matthew J. Emerson, of Grandview, Wash., near the Tri-Cities, died in Ninewah province, Iraq. Emerson was part of the Fort Bliss, Texas, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
His death is under investigation.
According to Fort Bliss public affairs officials, Emerson entered the Army from Spokane in July 2005. He was awarded the Iraqi Campaign Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
A date for a memorial service has not been set.
Liberty Lake
Teen shot in face returns home
A Central Valley High School graduate shot in the face earlier this month in a random attack in Boise is home with his parents.
Austin Askins still has to undergo many outpatient surgeries to repair the damage caused by the Sept. 3 shooting, but he is improving, said his father, Scott Askins.
Austin Askins, 19, was at a party when a stranger approached him and several other people to talk. The man returned later and shot Askins and two others before robbing them.
Police haven’t arrested anyone in the crime.
“It was so random they just don’t have anything to go on,” said Scott Askins.
Austin Askins was in Boise to start school at Northwest Lineman College.
From staff reports