In brief: Multiple counts sought in prostitute’s death

Spokane police are recommending murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping charges be filed against a sex offender suspected of killing a Spokane woman who was working as a prostitute last August.

Major crimes detectives have submitted the charging request for Derrick Ross Vargas, 24, to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, police said Wednesday.

Vargas, who has long been a suspect, is accused of raping and murdering Evon M. Moore, 48, whose body was found in an alley near North Ralph Street and East Riverside Avenue on Aug. 13.

Detectives were looking for clues from cars seen on surveillance video in the area when a Washington State Patrol trooper contacted Vargas during a traffic stop Sept. 23.

When they did, a woman jumped out of his truck and said Vargas had raped her. Detectives found a pair of shoes with blood on them in Vargas’ East Trent Avenue apartment that matched the shoe tread pattern found near Moore’s body. They also found a purse believed to belong to Moore, who was a student at Spokane Community College.

Vargas has been in jail since Sept. 23 on a rape charge for the alleged incident with another prostitute. He has not been formally charged in Moore’s death.

Meghann C. Cuniff

Woman faces felonies in death of pedestrian

A 21-year-old woman accused of leaving the scene of fatal drunken crash has been charged with two felonies.

Hannah K. Hahn, 21, remains in jail on $50,000 bond after appearing in Spokane County Superior Court Wednesday on charges of vehicular homicide and failure to remain at the scene of an accident in connection with the crash early Saturday that killed pedestrian Dennis Burgess, 47.

Police say Hahn smelled of alcohol and had “some small bottles of alcohol” on her when they stopped her 1999 Dodge Durango as it sped north on Market Street near Hawthorne Road about 2:17 a.m. Saturday.

Officers seized three cans of Mike’s Harder Blueberry Lemonade and a bag suspected to contain marijuana from the Durango, according to a search warrant filed Tuesday.

Burgess was struck on Market near East Providence Avenue.

Meghann C. Cuniff

Traffic to be limited on section of Grand

Grand Boulevard from 20th to 21st avenues will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction today.

Spokane wastewater workers will be doing repairs to a sewer line there. Work will start as early as 6 a.m.

Staff report