In brief: Man pleads guilty to cyberstalking teen

SEATTLE – A man already convicted of cyberstalking in Snohomish County in 2008 has pleaded guilty in King County to stalking and threatening at least one young woman he met on the Internet.

William Thomas Pritchard will be sentenced March 4 for his Friday guilty pleas to first-degree cyberstalking with sexual motivation and first-degree extortion with sexual motivation.

According to court papers, the teenage King County victim told investigators that Pritchard met her through MySpace.com and demanded she send him nude photos, eventually threatening to kill her and her family if she didn’t. He was also able to find her home address and phone number. Investigators say he called the girl 269 times in roughly three months.

King County to pay woman hit by bus

SEATTLE – King County has agreed to pay $4.5 million to a Seattle woman struck by a Metro bus while she was in a crosswalk on Seattle’s Alaskan Way in 2008.

The settlement was reached two weeks before 45-year-old Ree Ah Bloedow’s lawsuit was set to go to trial.

County spokeswoman Rochelle Ogershok said the county deeply regrets the incident.

The woman’s lawyer, Jack Connelly, told the Seattle Times the settlement is important because Bloedow lost her career as a staff attorney for the state Department of Social and Health Services because of the brain injury she suffered in the accident.

She was struck by a mirror on the bus. Along with the brain injury, her arm was shattered.

Heart problem blamed for wrestler’s death

SILVERTON, Ore. – A heart problem has been blamed for the sudden death of a 17-year-old Oregon high school wrestler just after he won a match.

The Statesman Journal reports an autopsy found that Charley Engelfried suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle.

The Dallas High School junior collapsed and died after pinning his opponent in a Thursday night match at Silverton High School.

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Bill would form paramilitary group

HELENA – A Republican legislator from Havre wants to create an armed paramilitary group made up of volunteers called the home guard.

House Bill 278 sponsored by Rep. Wendy Warburton would allow citizens to organize military-like companies that would answer to the governor and sheriffs during emergencies.

Warburton says the home guard would provide fast response services not available during emergencies in the past.

The House State Administration committee held a hearing on the bill on Friday. The measure drew opposition from a Montana Human Rights Network representative who says it could be abused by anti-government extremists.

The home guard would not be subject to federal oversight and a company could only be recognized if certified by the governor.