In brief: Officials identify man found dead

A St. Maries man found dead at his home early Tuesday has been identified as Robert Dean Marek, 43.

Marek’s niece, Melisa Renee Bates, 26, is being held at the Benewah County Jail on a murder charge. She was arrested in Bayview on Tuesday.

Bates told investigators she shot Marek, then burned his body in a fire pit to try to cover up the crime, Benewah County Coroner Ronald Hodge said Wednesday.

The body was badly burned, and no cause of death has been determined, Hodge said. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting the autopsy.

Hodge said a motive for the slaying is unclear. Bates was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in September 2009 and pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace. She served a day in jail and completed a 60-hour life skills course.

A Kootenai County jury in 2007 convicted her of trespassing, and she completed a year of unsupervised probation and served four days in jail.

Federal agents raid dispensaries

Federal drug enforcement agents raided more marijuana dispensaries in Spokane on Wednesday following similar raids last month.

One of the dispensaries hit was Medical Herb Providers, 322 N. Freya St.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice said several other dispensaries were raided but declined to say how many or where. “I can’t say more than that because the operations are ongoing.”

Federal agents also hit seven dispensaries on April 29, but no charges have been filed, Rice said.

Steve Sarich, executive director for the Seattle-based CannaCare, expressed dismay that federal officials would continue to target dispensaries.

“Our legislature has to start sticking up for us,” he said. “The voters voted for this. They are treating marijuana as a law enforcement issue. It’s not. It’s a medical issue.”

CdA elects new school trustees

Two new trustees were elected Tuesday to the five-member board overseeing the Coeur d’Alene School District.

Tom Hamilton, a self-described conservative, beat two candidates to win one of the five zoned seats on the board.

Hamilton supports “back to basics” education, believes trustees should diligently review school administration suggestions, and believes student safety should be a top priority, according to his bio.

He is a general manager at Empire Aerospace in Hayden. Hamilton and his wife, Katie, have three daughters in the Coeur d’Alene School District.

Terri Seymour received 58 percent of the vote to win over candidate Gregory Rod.

Seymour, manager of Great Floors corporate office in Coeur d’Alene, is a “conservative” mother with two children in the district.

She says her 35 years of business experience will help her be a good leader.