Guilty plea entered in double homicide
A suspect in a North Idaho double homicide last summer pleaded guilty Monday and is expected to testify against four other suspects.
The state will recommend Jon Allen Kienholz Jr., 20, of Silverton, be given a life sentence with a fixed sentence of 10 to 20 years for pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
Kienholz was arrested Aug. 13, five days after the bodies of Neil Howard, 20, and Cynthia Bewick, 18, were found at the top of Dobson Pass, north of Wallace. The couple planned to marry and had a young son.
Kienholz’s testimony is key to the cases against Corey Reid, 20; Hiram Wilson, 17; Braecyn Wood, 19; and Christan Purtill, 18, said Shoshone County Prosecutor Michael Peacock.
Reid and Wilson, son of Pinehurst Police Chief Rocky Wilson, are charged with aiding and abetting in a murder; Purtill and Wood are charged with accessory to murder after the fact. All have pleaded not guilty.
Kienholz will be sentenced in January.
Inland Northwest
High winds, rain forecast for region
Weather forecasters warned that high winds could strike the Inland Northwest Wednesday in the wake of a vigorous Pacific storm system.
Sustained winds of 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph or more are expected in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas starting about midday. The wind is expected to be ushered into the region by strong rain and a mountain snowstorm today.
Forecasters have issued a mountain winter storm watch for 5 to 9 inches of new snow at elevations of 3,500 feet and higher through Wednesday morning.
Forecasters said after Wednesday’s storm the region could see a period of calm weather, leading to the possibility of rising air pollution levels caused by stagnant air on Friday. Dense fog could also accompany the stagnant air. A storm system passing into British Columbia on Saturday may not be strong enough over the Inland Northwest to scour out any stagnant air conditions.
Driscoll has slight lead over Ahern
Democratic challenger John Driscoll continued to hold a slim lead over Republican Rep. John Ahern in Spokane’s 6th Legislative District, after another batch of ballots was counted Monday. But the race, which is the closest legislative race in the state, seems headed for a recount.
Spokane County elections officials said Driscoll leads by 63 votes out of more than 69,000 cast in the race, or a lead of one-tenth of 1 percent. A hand recount is required by state law when the difference is less than one-fourth of 1 percent.
Driscoll’s lead, which had been shrinking in vote counts since last Wednesday, grew slightly in the most recent count. As of Monday evening, more votes were cast in the Driscoll-Ahern race than any other legislative contest in the state.
Young man died of hypothermia
A man found in the Spokane River on Saturday appears to have died of hypothermia, police said Monday. Foul play is not suspected.
The man has not been positively identified, but police think they know who he is. The man is believed to be in his late teens to early 20s, and possibly new to the area, said Spokane Police Sgt. Joe Peterson.
His body was found in the Spokane River near Upriver Dam on Saturday, authorities said.
A man walking on the north side of the river at Frederick and Upriver Drive reported seeing the body about 3 p.m.
Police seek 21-year-old woman
Police are seeking the public’s help in finding 21-year-old Candice Watkins, authorities announced Monday morning.
Watkins came to Spokane from Las Vegas, police said. She is believed to be working as a nanny here. Her family has not heard from her since early October.
Watkins may be driving a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse – Nevada plate: SW2942 with expired tabs. The two-door car is silver or grey with a sunroof, police said. It has a dent on the driver’s side.
Spokane Valley
Man with hammer arrested in burglary
Maybe he should have bought a calculator first.
Spokane Valley Police arrested a 31-year-old man late Sunday after he used a new hammer to smash a window at the Washington State Liquor Store and steal a bottle of wine, according to a news release.
Muoi Van Nguyen, of Veradale, told officers he’d bought the hammer that day for $10.99 in order to grab the $8.99 bottle of wine when they arrested him about 11:50 p.m.
He’d unsuccessfully tried breaking the window with a rock hours earlier, according to police. He was booked into Spokane County Jail on two charges of second-degree burglary and single counts of second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree theft and possession of burglary tools. He remained in jail Monday on $1,550 bond.
Unregistered sex offender sought
Authorities want people to be aware of two Spokane sex offenders – one who hasn’t registered with the sheriff’s office and another who recently moved.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of Leonard W. Richardson, 36, last known to be living in the 1900 block of West Gardner, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Richardson was convicted of first-degree child molestation and is a level 3 sex offender, according to Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information on Richardson is asked to call (800) 222-8477.
Patrick J. Sovereign, 26, is not wanted by authorities, but he recently moved and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office wants people to be aware.
Sovereign is a level 3 sex offender, the group most likely to reoffend, and recently registered as a transient living in Spokane Valley.
He was convicted in 1995 of first-degree child molestation involving a 6-year-old girl and he was convicted in 1997 of indecent liberties involving an adult female.
In 2002, he was convicted of third-degree assault on a firefighter.