In brief: ATV driver found dead after accident in woods
A 68-year-old farmer was found dead Tuesday morning in southeast Spokane County after leaving his home on an all-terrain vehicle more than 12 hours earlier, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was located by helicopter just before 5 a.m. Tuesday. Sheriff’s deputies were called in at midnight after family and friends reported the man missing since 4 p.m. Monday. He was found in a heavily wooded area southeast of Fairfield near the Idaho border.
Search and rescue teams said it appeared the man had driven over an embankment on his ATV. The death is not suspicious and is being called “a tragic accident” by sheriff’s deputies. An autopsy will be performed.
Examiner identifies victims of car crash
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified two victims in a fatal car crash on West Seven Mile Road on Friday.
Mikhail Y. Vasyukhnevich, 25, died from blunt trauma on his head, neck, chest and limbs, according to a news release. Victor Babakov, 20, died from brain damage.
Vasyukhnevich, Babakov and one other person were traveling near 9500 W. Seven Mile Road when the driver crossed the centerline, striking a pickup truck, according to the release.
Vasyukhnevich died at the scene. Babakov was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition but later died, according to the release.
The driver, who has not been identified, sustained serious injuries and is still in the hospital.
The three people in the pickup truck suffered minor injuries, according to the release.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident’s cause but said impairment did not appear to be a factor.
Unattended campfire burns acre in Mirabeau
An illegal campfire burned brush and timber in Mirabeau Point Park for two hours Tuesday afternoon.
Spokane Valley firefighters were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m., according to a news release. They found an unattended fire that an adult man and girl swimming nearby in the Spokane River admitted to setting. The Spokane Valley Fire Department has responded to several fires in the area this summer, according to the release.
The fire burned one acre of grass and pines. The land is within the county’s burn ban area instituted July 22 because of dry weather.
Violating the county’s burn ban carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine or 90 days in prison.
Judge orders prison in veterans travel fraud
SEATTLE – Two former Seattle Veteran Affairs employees who skimmed money from inflated travel reimbursement claims were sentenced to prison Tuesday, prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge James L. Robart sentenced Nick Hall, 47, to nearly four years in prison, while 33-year-old Keishjuan Daniels is facing just over three years behind bars.
The pair operated their scheme under a program that allows reimbursement for driven miles for medical visits.