In brief: Couple accused of assaulting man
A fight over sexual assault allegations led to the arrest of a couple on kidnapping and attempted murder charges in Airway Heights early Thursday, police said.
Elijah J. Boxley, 33, and Molly E. Foote, 37, are accused of assaulting a man inside a car at a gas station at 220 S. Hayford Road at 3:07 a.m.
A knife, ax and machete were involved, but the victim suffered only minor injuries and refused treatment, said Sgt. Robert Swan of the Airway Heights Police Department.
Boxley and Foote had accused the victim of committing a sex offense, which Swan said is under investigation.
Boxley and Foote were booked into the Spokane County Jail.
Trail users are urged to jog in pairs
Authorities investigating reports of women being assaulted by a bicyclist while jogging continue to urge caution but say law enforcement “is addressing this issue.”
Spokane County sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said Thursday that he couldn’t provide further details regarding police efforts but said trail users are urged to jog in pairs and not to wear headphones that block noise.
The assailant has targeted women on the Centennial Trail as well as residential areas; authorities urge women to be particularly cautious “in nearby residential areas north of the river and east of Mission to Argonne Road,” Reagan said in a news release.
Another woman reported being assaulted July 26 about 10 a.m. on the Centennial Trail near Greene Street and Upriver Drive, Reagan said. The woman said she was running when a white man about 25 to 30 years old, brown hair, 5-foot-7 with a medium build, slapped her bottom. She swore at him and he rode away, Reagan said.
Witnesses should report suspicious activity or incidents to Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
Man will begin new trial Aug. 29
A North Idaho man whose conviction of second-degree murder was overturned will stand trial again on the charge this month.
The Coeur d’Alene Press reports that 50-year-old Jonathan W. Ellington’s three-week jury trial is expected to start Aug. 29 in front of 1st District Judge John Luster.
Ellington, of Hayden, was convicted in August 2006 after prosecutors said he was involved in a road-rage incident that turned deadly when 41-year-old Vonette Lee Larsen was run over.
But earlier this year, a unanimous Idaho Supreme Court threw out his convictions and granted him a new trial. The high court cited prosecutorial misconduct and the likelihood that an Idaho State Police officer committed perjury.
Police seek two robbers in stabbing
Spokane police are asking for help identifying two robbers who stabbed a man at the Comfort Inn last week.
The victim suffered a non-life-threatening stab wound after reportedly bragging “about how much money and dope he had in his car” about 1 a.m. on July 25, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, spokeswoman for the Spokane Police Department.
Police on Wednesday released surveillance photos from the hotel at 923 E. 3rd Ave. that show two men who are believed to be the assailants.
Anyone with information on their identities is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233. View the photos online at www.spokesman.com/ blogs/sirens.