In brief: Missing man’s body found

The body of a Rathdrum man missing since April 30 was discovered Friday evening.

Grant C. Hoyt, 49, was last seen at One Eye’s, a tavern in Rathdrum. His body was located in a dry ravine behind a gas station off state Highway 53, said Sgt. Mark Sherman of the Rathdrum Police Department.

It appeared Hoyt had been at the location for some time, Sherman said. While the cause of death is still under investigation, police don’t believe Hoyt was the victim of foul play.

“He still had all his belongings with him,” Sherman said.

An autopsy will be performed by the Spokane County medical examiner.

Police seek victim of purse-snatching

Spokane police caught an alleged purse-snatcher with help from a federal marshal, but the victim got away.

Now police are asking for help in locating the victim so they can pursue charges against the suspect.

The incident occurred about 9 a.m. Friday near the corner of North Monroe Street and West Chelan Avenue. A U.S. marshal in plain clothes saw a man on a bicycle snatch a pedestrian’s purse and ride off with it.

Police said the marshal identified himself and attempted to stop the thief, but the thief fled. Police officers said the man shed clothing and dropped the woman’s purse, but they found him in a shed at Cleveland Avenue and Walnut Street.

Meanwhile, the victim retrieved her purse and left before police could interview her. They described her as a middle-age, possibly Southeast Asian woman who had been in the vicinity of a convenience store at Monroe Street and Frederick Avenue.

Police are asking anyone with information about the crime or the woman to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

1,300 runners join benefit marathon

Spokane runner Mike Bresson finished first in the second annual Windermere Marathon on Saturday, with a time of 2:24:28.

Roughly 1,300 runners hit the Centennial Trail in both the full marathon and the half-marathon. The full race started in Post Falls and followed the Spokane River into Riverfront Park. The half marathon began in Mirabeau Park; Jim Rucker was the winning man, finishing in 1:07:37, while Alyssa Shaw was the winning woman, finishing in 1:21:29.

The race is a benefit for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

For more information, visit http://winderthon.com.

Town sees rash of dog poisonings

SALMON, Idaho – A poison called Compound 1080 that’s intended to kill predators is behind a rash of dog poisonings that have killed 13 pets in the central Idaho town of Salmon since January, a toxicologist says.

Veterinary diagnostic toxicologist Patricia Talcott with the Washington State University laboratory examined four of the dead dogs poisoned within a two-block area in the city’s main residential section.

Compound 1080 is restricted to collars worn by livestock and is intended to kill attacking predators such as wolves and coyotes. It is distributed by the Wildlife Services agency, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mark Collinge, the Idaho director for Wildlife Services, said Compound 1080 has not been deployed in Idaho in five years.