In brief: Estranged spouse breaks in, stabbed

A Spokane man was stabbed by his wife’s new lover early Tuesday in what police believe may be a case of self-defense.

Police found Robert D. McQueen, 35, with a stab wound to his chest outside a home at 2415 E. First Ave. about 2 a.m. They say he went to the home to confront his estranged wife, Alicia McQueen, 28, and her new boyfriend, Dumont P. Whitt, 35, who were in bed together, according to a search warrant.

The McQueens are married but separated, and Robert McQueen has not lived at the home since late last month, Alicia McQueen told police.

Alicia McQueen also told police that her husband broke in through a bedroom window and attacked her before fighting with Whitt, according to the search warrant.

She keeps a steak knife by her bed for protection but didn’t see Whitt stab McQueen, she told officers.

Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, police spokeswoman, said detectives believe the stabbing may have been self-defense and have not arrested anyone.

Sex offender, 51, accused of abuse

A convicted sex offender with a lengthy criminal history in Oregon is accused of molesting a Post Falls girl.

Roy L. Goldsborough, 51, is in Kootenai County Jail on $500,000 bond for one charge of lewd conduct with a minor.

He’s accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old-girl, who told her mother about the alleged abuse last week.

Post Falls police recorded a phone call between the girl and Goldsborough in which he confessed to the abuse, according to court documents.

Goldsborough was arrested Dec. 22.

Goldsborough moved to Post Falls about two months ago. His criminal history in Oregon includes several sex abuse convictions, police said.

Sheriff transfers office spokesman

The longtime spokesman for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Dave Reagan, is being transferred to the department’s internal affairs staff, Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Tuesday.

Knezovich said he wants to hire a civilian to handle spokesman duties because he needs to fill a sergeant’s position in the division that typically undertakes internal investigations into deputy actions.

Reagan’s transfer won’t be completed until the sheriff hires someone to replace him. The position is being advertised as having an annual salary of $55,000, Knezovich said.

The sheriff hopes to have the move completed by mid-February to mid-March, he said.

Reagan could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bank robbery suspect arrested

Patrol officers arrested a suspected bank robber Monday night after detectives in the Tri-Cities tracked him to northwest Spokane.

John T. Walker, 22, was arrested as he fled from a home at 2733 W. Wellesley Ave. about 9:45 p.m., police said.

Police believe Walker robbed a Sterling Savings Bank in Kennewick of about $1,800 Monday afternoon, then paid two friends to drive him to Spokane under the guise that he’d inherited a large sum of money.

A state probation officer recognized Walker from surveillance photos and notified detectives, who learned from the suspect’s roommate that he was headed to Spokane.

Detectives tracked Walker’s cell phone to the area of the Walmart at 2301 W. Wellesley Ave. They also used vehicle records to connect Walker’s friends to a 1991 Honda Accord, which Spokane police officers spotted outside the home from which Walker soon fled, police said.

Walker was arrested on a Department of Corrections warrant and appeared in Spokane County Superior Court Tuesday on a drug charge.

Highway 3 closed after culvert fails

High runoff caused a culvert beneath Idaho Highway 3 to collapse Tuesday, forcing the closure of the road near Rose Lake, southeast of Coeur d’Alene, the Idaho Transportation Department reported.

The road closure likely will last a few days while a new culvert is installed, said ITD spokeswoman Barbara Babic.

Motorists are being asked to find alternate routes. Commercial truck traffic will be rerouted from Interstate 90 to U.S. Highway 95 and to state Highway 5.

Man, 92, uses teeth to get free

SHORELINE, Wash. – The King County sheriff’s office said a 92-year-old Shoreline man chewed through restraints to free himself after two men robbed his house.

Sgt. John Urquhart said that on Monday two men knocked on Lester Matteson’s door and asked to use his phone, claiming their car was broken down. But once they entered, the men grabbed the victim’s arms and held them while they used masking tape to tape him to a chair.

Urquhart said the men ransacked the house, eventually taking off with more than $400 in cash and the victim’s 2000 Ford pickup truck.

It took Matteson two hours to chew through the masking tape. Other than bruises, he was not injured.

Matteson told KOMO-TV he wasn’t frightened, but that at his age, “you don’t wrestle two young men.”

And he said he learned his lesson: “Watch out who you let in.”

The robbers were still at large.