In brief: Homeowner stops burglary suspect
A teenager suspected of carrying a machete during a Spokane Valley burglary early Tuesday was confronted by a shotgun-wielding homeowner.
By the time police arrived, a warning shot had been fired and the 17-year-old had been bound with zip ties, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The teen and accomplices were trying to find a rumored stash of marijuana at the house, police said.
The residents in the 8000 block of East South Riverway Avenue said their garage had been burglarized several times in recent days. The homeowners said they hadn’t reported the incidents because nothing of value had been taken. They believed the burglars might return, so they installed motion lights and armed themselves with bear spray and a shotgun, police said.
The homeowners saw the motion lights come on around 1:50 a.m. and heard sounds in the garage. They stepped out and emptied the can of bear spray into the garage. The burglars broke out a window and ran from the garage.
However, the 17-year-old was confronted in the front yard.The homeowner said he yelled at the suspect twice to stop, but the teenager moved toward him. The resident then fired his shotgun toward the fence as a warning, the release said. The boy immediately dropped the weapon and backpack he was carrying and laid down on the ground.
On Tuesday night investigators arrested a second burglary suspect, Raynee D. Moore, 19.
Cheney man accused of rape
Police arrested a 46-year-old Cheney man accused of raping a 17-year-old girl who has developmental disabilities.
The girl told police that Joe D. Rivera molested and sexually assaulted her. The two were acquaintances.
Her mother implored a Superior Court judge to set high bail to protect her daughter. Rivera was held on $50,000 bond.
Court records indicate that Rivera was accused of molesting two young girls in 2008, but was not charged with a crime.
Furthermore, the police investigation uncovered separate allegations that Rivera sexually assaulted another teen.
Lochsa River on endangered list
American Rivers included the Lochsa and Middle Fork of the Clearwater on its 2014 list of most endangered American rivers, saying shipments of massive mining equipment bound for the Canadian tar sands threaten the rivers’ wild and scenic character.
The shipments, also known as megaloads, are transported eastward along Highway 12, a national scenic byway. American Rivers officials said the megaloads are a visual blight in the federally designated Wild and Scenic River corridor, create safety and traffic problems in the narrow canyon and degrade visitor experiences.
They called on the Forest Service to ban megaload shipments along the river corridor.