In brief: Unpaid state administrator, Otter aide Gwartney retires

BOISE – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s top aide and close friend Mike Gwartney retired from Idaho state government on Friday, stepping down as the unpaid head of the state Department of Administration.

Gwartney’s chief deputy, Teresa Luna, will take over the department as interim director on Monday.

Otter’s spokesman, Jon Hanian, said, “This has been in the works for quite a while.”

Gwartney, 69, a retired corporate executive, has been something of a lightning rod for controversy during Otter’s term, attracting the ire of state workers for proposing cuts to health benefits and clashing with lawmakers on everything from activities in the newly renovated state Capitol – a project he oversaw – to plans for a statewide broadband network connecting Idaho schools.

Osburn, Idaho, woman assaulted walking home

A 32-year-old woman in Osburn, Idaho, was sexually assaulted while walking home around 2 a.m. Friday, the latest in a series of attacks in Shoshone County since May.

The Osburn Police Department said she was alone at the time, and she is a resident of the area, but released no other details.

The police formed a task force of area police departments and some citizen groups to address what is the fourth reported assault since the end of May. At this time, police don’t believe the assaults are related, according to a news release.

Police seek man in two OxyContin robberies

One man is responsible for two gunpoint OxyContin robberies at different Albertsons pharmacies in Spokane County this month, police said Wednesday.

Detectives released photos of the robber pulling a gun near a young girl July 23 at the store at 57th Avenue and Regal Street and pointing the firearm at a store employee before he ran out the front doors and was picked up by someone in a white SUV “virtually identical to a 2007 or older Toyota Sequoia,” according to a Crime Stoppers news release.

Photos showing a hooded Hurley sweatshirt and makeshift mask worn in a July 9 armed robbery at the Albertsons at Trent and Argonne in Millwood, then discarded in a trash bin behind a nearby school district building, already are available. The outfit is similar to that worn during last week’s robbery.

Purdue Pharma, the company that makes the powerful prescription drug, is offering a $1,000 reward through Crime Stoppers for tips that lead to an arrest. The robber is described as a white man in his 20s, 6 feet to 6-foot-4, and thin.

Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 222-TIPS or submit tips online at www. crimestoppersinlandnorthwest.org. Tipsters don’t have to leave their name to collect a reward but should leave a code name or number.

Man sentenced to eight years for string of sexual assaults

A man cleared of rape charges in 2009 after a Spokane County jury couldn’t reach a verdict was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for a string of sexual assaults last year.

Justin L. Dehn, 23, was arrested last August after three women said Dehn assaulted them at a home in the 6700 block of North Standard.

Dehn pleaded guilty in June to two counts of third-degree assault and one count of indecent liberties. He was originally charged with second-degree rape and two counts of indecent liberties.

Dehn was charged in June 2008 with second-degree rape for an incident a woman said happened in December 2006. A jury couldn’t reach a verdict after a two-day trial in March 2009, and prosecutors dropped the charge the next month.

Now Dehn will register as a sex offender for life after he’s released from prison for his recent convictions.

The sentencing recommendation approved in Superior Court on Tuesday ordered him to serve 84 months.

Rathdrum couple sentenced for drug trafficking

A Rathdrum couple will serve time in prison for trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine, and using their underage children to purchase supplies to produce meth.

Gregory R. Klundt, 42, and Marjory A. Barnes, 46, were sentenced Monday, according to Idaho state case records.

In September 2009, police searched their home after Klundt’s child alerted them about the couple’s activities, according to Barry McHugh, the Kootenai County prosecuting attorney. During the search, police found cold allergy medicine and equipment used to produce meth. The investigation also led to the discovery that the couple used their children to purchase the ingredients to make meth.

Both Klundt and Barnes had prior records of DUIs, and Klundt additionally had previous charges for possession of a dangerous drug, according to the county prosecutor.