Fourth teen held in GU-area robberies

A final suspect in a string of violent robberies around Gonzaga University is sitting in the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center on seven counts of first-degree robbery.

Police arrested the 16-year-old when he showed up for classes at Lewis and Clark High School on Monday. The teen is expected to appear in court later this week, where a judge will determine whether he should be charged as an adult.

Two 15-year-olds and another 16-year-old also have been arrested in connection with the robberies. They remain at Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center, authorities say.

One of the 15-year-olds is charged with first-degree attempted murder for shooting at a man through his door in August, said Spokane police Sgt. Joe Peterson. The robberies near Gonzaga that began last summer have stopped, Peterson said.

“They were on their own crime wave, burglarizing homes, strong-armed robberies of high school kids, robbing people up at gunpoint and beating up high school kids,” Peterson said. “These are violent young teenagers.”

Jody Lawrence-Turner

Firefighters douse blaze in vacant house

A fire at a vacant house in northwest Spokane was doused by firefighters Tuesday night.

Twenty-three members of the Spokane Fire Department responded to an illegal burn in the yard of 3121 N. Ash Street about 8 p.m. Fire crews attacked the blaze from the inside and outside of the house. No injuries were reported.

The fire appears to have started near a heating and cooling unit located inside a wall, according to the fire department.

Staff report

Inland Northwest

Wind advisory issued for region

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the Inland Northwest today with potentially damaging wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

The blast of wind is expected to begin about 10 a.m. and become the strongest in valley areas south of Interstate 90. The advisory includes metropolitan Spokane and Coeur d’Alene as well as the east slopes of the Cascades near Wenatchee and Waterville.

Winds are expected to reach 25 to 35 mph with frequent higher gusts. The storm should start to subside by 10 p.m., according to the advisory. The weather service warned drivers of high-profile vehicles to use caution.

Rainfall amounts in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday were relatively light. Spokane had 0.18 inch of rain through nightfall while Coeur d’Alene reported 0.15 inch, with similar amounts elsewhere in the area.

Mike Prager

Spokane Valley

Fire lawsuit drops teenager, parents

A 16-year-old boy who fire officials say started a campfire that ignited the Valley View fire was recently dropped from a lawsuit.

Spokane architect Glen Cloninger sued the boy, his parents and surgeon Tracy Berg after the Spokane Valley Fire Department said the blaze that destroyed 13 homes began with a campfire started by the boy and approved by Berg. The campfire was in a fire pit on what Berg said she thought was her property but turned out to be undeveloped land owned by Cloninger.

The boy and his parents were included under the statute that allows parents to be held liable for their children’s actions. Cloninger was required to show the boy acted maliciously when he and two friends started a fire to roast marshmallows July 7, three days before the Valley View blaze.

Cloninger’s attorney, Joe Delay, agreed to dismiss the case against the boy and his parents, said Tim Cronin, the family’s lawyer. A judge signed the dismissal Friday.

The suit against Berg is on hold pending an investigation into the origin of the fire by the state Department of Natural Resources. The probe is under review in Olympia.

Meghann M. Cuniff