In brief: Wrong-way driver crashes; one dead

A Post Falls man died Friday morning after a collision involving a wrong-way driver on Interstate 90 at Barker Road. The freeway was closed for several hours while Washington State Patrol troopers investigated.

Kenneth J. Hardin, 27, died at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center following the 3:10 a.m. crash in the eastbound lanes under the Barker Road overpass.

Hardin was headed east in a 1989 Mazda MX6 when his vehicle collided head-on with a westbound Toyota 4Runner driven by Teri Marie Scheele, 29, of Spokane, also in the eastbound lanes.

Scheele was taken to Sacred Heart, troopers said. Hospital officials were unable to update her condition. While being treated, she was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, troopers said.

Investigators were investigating whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident, said Trooper Troy Briggs, spokesman for the WSP in Spokane.

A third vehicle, driven by Andrew R. Samek, 36, of Hayden, avoided the collision by crossing a cable barrier in the median. He was not injured.

Transient pleads guilty in Dishman Hills death

A Spokane transient pleaded guilty Friday in the slaying of a man found beaten to death in the Dishman Hills Natural Area last year.

Roland E. Benton II pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a deadly weapon in the bludgeoning death of Douglas J. Klages, 46. Klages’ badly beaten body was discovered by hikers April 30 in a small cave at Camp Caro Community Park at Dishman Hills.

Detectives retracing Klages’ final hours found surveillance video of Klages leaving a Spokane Valley Rosauers store with Benton the day his body was discovered. Benton was arrested May 5.

Benton, who appeared in Spokane County Superior Court before Judge Sam Cozza, was initially charged with first-degree murder. The lesser charge to which he pleaded guilty carries a sentencing range of 102 to 126 months.

The deadly weapon adds two years to the sentencing range, and Benton will not be eligible for an early release based on good behavior. His sentencing is set for April 25.

“The victim’s family members were present and were satisfied,” Deputy Prosecutor Jim Kaufman said.

Verner asks residents to join Earth Hour

People around the world will turn off their lights during the annual Earth Hour to call attention to climate change, energy consumption and sustainability.

Mayor Mary Verner is encouraging Spokane residents to join in. The hour begins at 8:30 p.m. today.

“Earth Hour is about demonstrating how small actions by many people can make a big difference,” Verner said in a news release.

The lights will be turned off at the top of the Riverfront Park Pavilion as part of the event.

Avista also will participate.

“We are putting out the lights on the Post Street substation downtown,” Communication Manager Jessie Wuerst said. “We’re … wanting to cooperate with the city and demonstrate that we are absolutely supporting renewable energy.”

The Faith & Environment Network will hold an Earth Hour event at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 127 E. 12th Ave., on Spokane’s South Hill. The event will feature speakers, music, a presentation on preserving the night sky through responsible outdoor lighting, and a light supper. A $15 donation is suggested, but all are welcome, regardless of donation.

Man dies after vehicle hits utility pole, tree

A driver died in a fiery accident early Friday on Nine Mile Road just north of Spokane.

The male driver was headed north when he went off the highway and crashed into a utility pole and a tree at Pine Meadows Road, according to Washington State Patrol troopers.

The first fire crews to arrive reported that the 1993 Volvo 940 was engulfed in flames and that the victim could not be rescued. Emergency vehicles partly blocked the roadway, also known as state Highway 291.

The victim’s name was withheld pending notification of his family.

Senate OKs looser concealed carry law

HELENA – A measure to allow people to carry a concealed gun without a permit from law enforcement is closer to becoming law.

The Senate endorsed the measure late Friday in a 29-21 vote. The gun-rights proposal has already cleared the House.

Currently in Montana, a permit and background check from authorities are needed to carry a concealed gun into cities and towns. There are also old restrictions on carrying without a permit into logging, mining and railroad camps.

The new proposal would let people carry concealed guns into those areas as long as they have taken a class from a certified trainer or state agency. No criminal background check would be required, nor would the state be issuing a formal permit.

New case filed against convicted child rapist

SEATTLE – A lawsuit filed in Seattle accuses a former Oak Harbor swimming coach of sexually abusing a girl from 1994 to 1997 when she was 11-to-14.

The coach, Andrew King, is serving a 40-year prison sentence for molesting a 14-year-old San Jose girl and three other California women he coached in the late 1980s and ’90s. The latest complaint arises from his work with the North Whidbey Aquatics Club where he worked before moving to San Jose.