Man turns himself in after judge threatened
A man accused of making death threats against a Spokane Superior Court judge turned himself in Wednesday.
Patrick R. Kinnunen, 30, is charged with two counts of intimidating a judge after police said he made at least four phone calls to a relative of Judge Sam Cozza on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29 and said he planned to kill the judge.
Caller ID showed the calls came from a private number, and Spokane police Detective Paul Lebsock submitted a search warrant to Comcast last week seeking the call history for the phone number that received the threatening calls. The search warrant shows the first call came about 10:55 p.m. Nov. 28, followed by three calls within 20 minutes beginning about 9:30 a.m. the next day.
An arrest warrant for Kinnunen was issued Tuesday, and he was booked into the Spokane County Jail about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to jail records.
Police said Kinnunen was involved in a custody dispute overseen by Cozza earlier this year.
Coeur d’Alene
Well-known bartender killed in I-90 crash
A veteran Spokane bartender who was one of the trendsetters in Inland Northwest nightlife was killed Tuesday night when the vehicle he was driving collided head-on with a semitruck on Interstate 90 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho State Police reported Wednesday.
Andrew F. Gumprecht, 32, of Post Falls, died instantly at the scene of the accident at 11:14 p.m., police said.
Gumprecht was driving west in his Hyundai Elantra in the eastbound lanes of I-90 near milepost 14, which is west of the Sherman Avenue exit.
His vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer truck driven by Tony J. Love, 42, of Swan Lake, Mont. ISP officers said alcohol may have been a factor and that an investigation was continuing.
A 2007 newspaper story said Gumprecht was the beverage director for Cuisine NW and had been overseeing beverage menus at popular restaurants such as Bluefish, Soleil and the Artisan Room.
He reportedly was seeking a new position in recent days, according to Mike Ravens, co-owner of the 360 and Cavallino lounges in Spokane.
Ravens said he wanted to offer customers great cocktails. “He was very passionate about what he did,” he said.
He was the son of Dr. Donald Gumprecht of Springfield, Ill., and grandson of Drs. Don and Jane Gumprecht, of Coeur d’Alene.
Kevin Marshall, a friend and former co-worker, said Andrew Gumprecht was well known and popular. “He was a good storyteller. He was a food and beverage connoisseur,” he said.
“You’d go into a bar. Everybody knew him.”
Hayden
Toy company, truckers boost Toys for Tots
A Hayden toy company is donating 4,000 remote-controlled boats, airplanes and helicopters to Toys for Tots drives in North Idaho, Spokane and Seattle.
“This time of year, we’re usually shipping pallet loads of toys to stores across the nation, however, this year it’s been reduced to only box loads,” said Clint Bower, president of Venom Group, in a news release. The company decided to donate the excess inventory – valued at more than $250,000 – to children throughout the region, the release said.
“The older kids are generally the toughest for Toys for Tots to get donations for,” Bower said. “We’re happy our products are perfectly suited to fill this need. Regardless if times are good or bad, no child should go through the holidays without receiving a gift.”
The truckers who offered help are: Glenn and Sherry Tucker of North Idaho, who work for Diversified Transportation Services; Estes Express, of Spokane; Expeditors International, based in Seattle; and Peninsula Truck Lines, of Auburn.
Lake Pend Oreille
Weevils to be enlisted in fight to stem milfoil
Next summer, several local groups hope to test whether weevils can reduce milfoil’s spread in Lake Pend Oreille.
Partners for Milfoil Control has secured $90,000 in grants and donations for the pilot project. Another $85,000 is needed to fully fund it.
“We see this as a great opportunity to investigate non-herbicidal control of milfoil in our lake, while contributing to the body of research on weevils,” said Diane Williams, executive director of the nonprofit Tri-State Water Quality Council.
Other partners in the effort are Panhandle Environmental League, Selkirk Conservation Alliance, Sandpoint Mothers for Safe Water, and the Idaho Conservation League.
Weevils have been used for more than a decade in lakes in the East and Midwest. The bugs don’t eliminate milfoil, but they feed on and burrow into the plant’s stems, controlling the spread of the invasive aquatic weed.
A native milfoil weevil is present in Lake Pend Oreille in low densities. The pilot project would involve collecting native weevils and producing thousands of them in a culturing facility. They would be released in milfoil infestations, and the results would be studied.
For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.tristatecouncil.org or call (208) 265-9092.
Athol, Idaho
Space heater blamed for restaurant fire
A steakhouse on state Highway 54 in Athol suffered about $100,000 in damage in a Wednesday morning fire after a portable electric space heater was left too close to a booth, the Timberlake Fire Protection District reported.
The owners of the Saddle-Up Grill plan to rebuild, said Timberlake Chief Jack Krill. “The structure itself is still pretty sound,” Krill said. “They were optimistic, hopefully by spring.”
No one was injured in the fire that drew 24 firefighters from Timberlake, Spirit Lake, Northern Lakes, Sagle and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. The call came in about 4 a.m. Damage was limited to 15 percent of the building, Krill said.
“Anytime you’re dealing with a portable space heater like that you always want to be sure you turn them off,” Krill said, adding that owners should also unplug heaters and be sure they’re cool to the touch to be safe. “We’re not sure if it was left on or if they thought they turned it off but didn’t.”