In brief: 11-year-old checks wallet, gets mugged on way to school

An 11-year-old boy was robbed on his way to school Thursday when he pulled out his wallet to check for money, police said.

The boy was walking near Second Avenue and Ralph Street around 8:45 a.m., said Spokane police Officer Teresa Fuller. He took out his wallet as he approached a convenience store at Second and Thor Street.

He told police the thief struck him in the head and took his wallet and keys.

The robber, described as about 19 with scruffy brown hair and a dark shirt, took out a knife and tried to stab the boy, Fuller said.

The boy ran to Sheridan Elementary School, where he’s a student.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Jurors find man not quilty of burglary, robbery charges

A Spokane jury has acquitted Robert E. Larson of first-degree burglary and robbery charges related to a Spokane Valley incident last April.

The jury returned its verdict Wednesday in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor.

Larson’s co-defendant, Anthony Kongchunji, took a plea deal before the trial started and is serving a 14-year prison sentence.

Larson and two other defendants were found guilty last month of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and drive-by shooting in a related trial that led to $8,000 in sanctions from Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen against the county prosecutors’ office for “careless handling” of the case.

Jurors who heard that case before Superior Court Judge Michael Price declined to meet with defense lawyers afterward to explain their verdict, as is customary.

Anna Nordtvedt, Larson’s public defender, has asked Price to set aside that verdict for insufficient evidence and order a new trial.

If that doesn’t happen at an April 16 hearing, Larson will be sentenced April 21.

S-R seeks summer camp information, memories

There may still be snow on the ground, but summer will be here before we know it – and so will summer camp.

The Spokesman-Review is putting together a summer camp guide, which will appear in the paper April 15. This year, we’re asking two things from our readers:

•If you have a camp that you would like listed, please send the information to summercamps@spokesman.com; fax to (509) 459-5098; or mail to Summer Camp Guide, The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane, WA 99201.

Include a description of the camp, location, dates, times, recommended ages, cost and contact information.

•If you ever went to summer camp, we’d like to hear your favorite memory – good or bad, whether you’re an adult or a kid. Send to the same addresses listed above.

We’ll print as many responses as we can in the camp guide.

All submissions must be received by the end of business March 31. Questions? Call (509) 459-5485.