In brief: Arrest made in robberies
Police say a man who stole a pair of shoes at knifepoint from the NorthTown Mall on Wednesday had asked the store employee for help with his car just before the robbery.
The employee helped the man push his red Dodge Ram pickup, which was out of gas, into a parking spot, only to be threatened 30 minutes later after confronting the robber for stealing a pair of shoes from Champs Sports, police said.
Police identified Jason M. Giles, 33, as a suspect on Thursday after he was arrested in a similar robbery at Costco, 7619 N. Division St.
A Costco employee confronted Giles about 4:45 p.m. after seeing him hide merchandise in his coat and try to leave the store. Giles punched the employee and bit another before pulling a knife and trying to stab a third, according to court documents prepared by police.
Giles was arrested on charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and possession of methamphetamine following the Costco robbery. Detectives met with him at the jail and booked him on an additional robbery charge for the Champs Sports incident.
Giles appeared in Spokane County Superior Court via video from the jail, where he remains on $50,000 bond and a probation hold. He has a previous conviction for second-degree assault for a shooting in 2009.
Woman to pay restitution
A North Idaho woman who embezzled from the bank she worked at for more than a decade has been ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution.
Mary A. Head, 58, pleaded guilty Wednesday to making false entries in the books and records of a federally insured financial institution.
Head faces up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine and five years of probation when she’s sentenced Feb. 27 by U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge in Coeur d’Alene. She is not in custody. Head worked at Bank of America, 162 W. Hayden Ave. in Hayden Lake, from 1993 to 2009 and was the assistant branch manager and banking center manager.
In 1997 she was given control of the ATM and charged with balancing the machine on a regular basis. That’s when she started taking money from the ATM and using it “for a variety of purposes,” according to a grand jury indictment filed in March.
In September 2009, Head’s control over the ATM changed because the bank installed a new imaging machine. Three months later, she was confronted about discrepancies in the books, records and ATM statements and admitted embezzling money, documents say.
Error forces recall refiling
A recall petition against Prosecuting Attorney Steve Tucker was refiled on Wednesday after problems were found in an initial petition filed last week.
Shannon Sullivan, the recall sponsor, failed to include a postal address as required by state law, county officials said. As a result, she refiled the petition with the Spokane County Elections Office. She accuses Tucker of misfeasance, malfeasance and violation of his oath office.
Free dental care for teens
Teens from low-income families are eligible for free dental screenings on Thursday at Panhandle Health District in Hayden.
Health district hygienists also will provide teens with free fluoride varnish, dental sealants, referrals and education at the second annual Teen Dental Party. The package of services has a value of $400.
Local businesses have donated door prizes for participants, and the health district has asked local dentists to provide vouchers for follow-up cleanings and restorative care, a health district news release said.
Appointments are necessary. Call (208) 415-5143 by 5 p.m. Wednesday. A signature of consent from a parent or guardian also is required. The health district is at 8500 N. Atlas Road in Hayden.
Wood smoke level spikes
Air pollution inspectors were sent to Spokane Valley near Broadway Elementary School on Thursday after an air quality monitor there showed a spike in wood smoke pollution.
The high level recorded in the early morning hours threatened to cause a violation of federal air quality standards, officials said.
The level by morning reached 111 on the air quality index and subsided to 96 by afternoon.
A reading of 100 or more is considered unhealthy for people with health problems.
The inspectors were sent to see if wood burning violations in the neighborhood caused the problem. Monitors in Spokane were registering pollution at the low end of the moderate range. An air stagnation advisory for the region was extended to Monday afternoon, and wood burning restrictions were expected to remain in place.
EWU student found
An Eastern Washington University student reported missing earlier this week has been found.
The Spokane Police Department said in a brief statement that Jonathon Potapenko had been located and has been in touch with his family. No information was released regarding where Potapenko was found. The 20-year-old had been missing since Sunday.