In brief: Man sentenced to 39 years denies murder

A man repeatedly denied his involvement in the crime Wednesday as he was sentenced to 39 years in prison for murder. He had previously been convicted for the crime, but the conviction had been overturned because of a procedural error.

 ”I admit I am a criminal, but a murderer I am not,” said Michael Duke Coombes, 34.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Annette Plese cited his lack of remorse when agreeing to the maximum sentence recommended by deputy prosecutors Steve Garvin and Kyle Treece.

“How can you have remorse for something you didn’t do?” asked Coombes, who had previously been sentenced to 27 years. “I can’t show remorse, because I wasn’t there.”

Plese also cited Coombes’ criminal history and the fact that he illegally possessed a firearm when he was arrested for the Aug. 31, 2007, shooting death of William “Red” Nichols, 53, in Hillyard.

Nichols’ niece read a statement on behalf of her mother that condemned Coombes and said the family does not forgive him.

State’s chief economist to return to private sector

OLYMPIA – Dr. Arun Raha, the state’s chief economist who delivered some of the worst financial news in more than a half-century but managed a quip or a laugh to help ease the pain, is stepping down.

“I’m going back to the private sector, and anonymity, hopefully,” he said Wednesday. He’s taking a job as director of corporate economics for a company in Ohio.

Appointed in 2008, Raha’s tenure has been marked by the worst economic downturn in the state since the Great Depression: “It was a challenge. Any job I have after this is going to be a piece of cake.”

Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, the chairman of the Economic Forecasting Council, said the state will conduct a nationwide search for Raha’s replacement that may take six or seven months.

Police ask for help to find Chevron robbers

Spokane police are asking for help identifying two men who assaulted a store clerk and stole a 20-pack of beer early Monday.

The men assaulted the clerk at Chevron Food Mart, 1703 E. Francis Ave., after he confronted them for stealing the beer at about 12:25 a.m., police said.

The robbers ran west on Francis. The men are described as possibly Hispanic, in their late teens, with slight builds. One wore a red jacket, black baseball hat and jeans; the other wore a dark jacket, a gray, hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

Police released surveillance images and video of the heist Wednesday. View them online at spokesman.com/blogs/sirens.

Anyone with information on the men’s identities is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.