The Gonzaga University School of Law and the Integrity of Justice Project are hosting the co-author of a book about the rape she endured and the man she erroneously identified as her attacker.

Jennifer Thompson- Cannino will speak on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. about the case, which she helped write about in “Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption.”

In 1984, Thompson-Cannino was raped at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment. She escaped and later identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker. He was convicted of the crime. But after 11 years in prison, a DNA test exonerated him.

Thompson-Cannino and Cotton met two years later, became friends and worked together to write the book about their experiences.

She will speak at the Barbieri Moot Court Room on Gonzaga’s campus. The event is free and open to the public, said Theresa Connor, director of the Integrity of Justice Project.

Reward offered in motel robbery

Three men robbed a west Spokane motel after forcing an employee into a back room Thursday morning, and Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information that helps identify them.

Two men stole cash from two registers and a safe at Motel 6, 1508 S. Rustle Road, about 2:15 a.m. as the other held the employee at knifepoint, according to Crime Stoppers.

A manager in another room awoke to see the three leaving in a light-colored Honda. The men had thrown a rock at a locked office door and jumped through the broken glass, Crime Stoppers said.

The men were wearing black hooded sweatshirts, dark gloves and blue jeans and their faces were covered. They were described as about 5 foot 11 and 150 to 160 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (509) 327-5111 or submit tips at crimestoppersinlandnorth west.org. Tipsters do not have to give a name but should leave a code name or number.

Spokane County

Sex offender moves to area

A level 3 sex offender has moved to west Spokane County, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Travis R. Keene, 29, will be living in the 5300 block of West Sunset Highway.

He was released from prison in November 2006 after serving three years for third-degree rape, according to the Sheriff’s Office. His victim was a 23-year-old woman he’d met at a party.

When he was 14, Keene was convicted of lewd conduct with an 11-year-old girl, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Keene is under Department of Corrections supervision until 2013.

Level 3 sex offenders are the classification considered the most likely to reoffend.

From staff reports