Elevator mishap injures deputy

A corrections deputy suffered minor injuries when an elevator at the Spokane County Jail malfunctioned. Janice A. Bauer was treated and released at a Spokane hospital Sunday after the elevator suddenly dropped, then abruptly stopped, throwing her to the floor. The elevator’s control operator saw Bauer on her knees and asked if she was OK, but she didn’t respond for several seconds. The elevator was stuck between the jail annex and the second floor. Deputies pried open the doors and pulled Bauer to the second-floor annex. Jail staff report that malfunctions with the elevators have become an ongoing problem in the aging facility. One jailer recently was trapped with inmates in the elevator for several minutes, officials said.