Four teens arrested in graffiti incidents
Four teens face felony vandalism charges in connection with a series of graffiti incidents in Kootenai County that began in July.
A juvenile arrested Wednesday by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department for an incident a day before led Coeur d’Alene police to arrest Jeremy V. Guzman, 19, and two 17-year-old boys.
Police are investigating the trio’s connection to 15 acts of vandalism that occurred at Lake City High School, where the two 17-year-olds are students; Skyway Elementary; Sunshine Meadows housing development; and downtown businesses, according to the Coeur d’Alene police.
Police estimated damages at $3,887. More arrests are expected, police said.
Spokane County
Two injured in head-on crash
A head-on collision on Highway 2 sent two people to the emergency room Wednesday night.
Vicki A. Ostberg, 49, of Chattaroy, faces a drunken driving charge after her 1985 Ford Econoline Van crossed the centerline and struck a 1995 Chevy Blazer driven by Paul G. Murray, 53, of Newport, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Ostberg was southbound and Murray was northbound when the collision occurred about 5:10 p.m. just north of Deer Park-Milan Road.
Both were taken to Holy Family Hospital, where they remained Wednesday night.
Spokane Valley
Boy’s threat puts school in lockdown
Centennial Middle School was in lockdown for about an hour Wednesday morning after a student allegedly told his mother that he was going to kill two fellow students he said were bullying him and that she’d hear about him in the news.
The mother called the school, which was then locked down, said West Valley School District Superintendent Polly Crowley. Security officers and administrators watched for the eighth-grader, who tried to run when he spotted them, she said.
The boy, 13, was sent for a mental evaluation, but no charges have been filed.
Spokane Valley police spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan said that because the boy had no weapons, “we decided we really couldn’t arrest him.”
Crowley said she didn’t have details about the history between the boy and the students who allegedly threatened him. The boy did have a history of behavioral problems at school and was attending only a few classes a day. School administrators will decide whether the student will be suspended or expelled, Crowley said. “He is not in school at this time,” she said.
Duplex damaged, no injuries in fire
Fire damaged a Spokane Valley duplex Wednesday.
Crews contained the blaze, which began at 2320 N. Marguerite Road, in about five minutes, said Bill Clifford, spokesman for the Spokane Valley Fire Department.
The home where the fire began sustained fire, smoke and water damage, and the neighboring unit, 2322 N. Marguerite, sustained smoke and water damage.
No one was home when the fire began, and no injuries were reported. Three cats living at the second unit made it out safely. The Red Cross was assisting two women and two babies who lived at the unit where the fire began. The cause is under investigation, Clifford said.
Region
Reward offered for poaching tips
A $2,500 reward has been offered to help solve any of three Spokane-area poaching cases reported last week.
The national Humane Society offered the rewards Wednesday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for incidents in October and November:
•A young cow moose was shot and left on Horseshoe Lake Road south of Pend Oreille County lake on Oct. 24.
•A deer was illegally killed south of Cheney on Belsby Road near Long Road around Nov. 14.
•A small whitetail deer was killed Nov. 17 and left near the 13000 block of Scribner Road near Marshall.
Madonna Luers, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department spokeswoman, said tipsters can remain anonymous.
Wildlife crimes can be reported to (877) WDFW-TIP between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For after-hours reports, call Washington State Patrol at (509) 227-6560.
Planet alignment may be visible
Drier weather over the Inland Northwest this week could give sky watchers a chance to see the latter stages of a conjunction between Jupiter and Venus in the early evening.
The two planets and the moon were closely aligned Monday evening, but clouds and fog obscured the astronomical event.
While the moon has since moved to the east, the two planets will remain in close proximity to each other for several more nights. If it is clear enough, the planets may be seen in the southwest at sunset and for several hours afterward.
Forecasters are calling for clear or partly cloudy skies through much of the week until a new storm system approaches Saturday. Colder air aloft could bring snow to the mountains over the weekend. More storms are predicted by computer forecast models next week.
Whitman County
Man accidentally shoots self in groin
A Spokane man accidentally shot himself in the groin, then told authorities someone else did it, according to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.
Pullman Regional Hospital employees called deputies about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday after Gerald E. Fry Jr., 46, was admitted with a gunshot wound to the groin. Fry didn’t say much about what happened but indicated someone else may have been involved, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Once the victim was extensively interviewed and confronted with the evidence, he admitted the report was false,” Sheriff Brett Myers said in a news release.
Fry accidentally shot himself as he was sitting in his car, Myers said.
Stevens County
Cigarette blamed in fatal car fire
A woman whose body was found in a scorched car in Stevens County may have fallen asleep while smoking a cigarette as she waited for friends to return home, officials said.
The woman’s body was so badly burned that county Coroner Patti Hancock said it could take weeks and possibly DNA samples to identify her, though officials think they know who it is and the woman’s family is grieving.
The woman’s family found the body in her car parked outside a friend’s house along the Kettle River near Barstow on Friday afternoon, Hancock said.
“She probably decided to wait for (the friend),” Hancock said. “It seems fairly innocent.”