In Brief: Coeur d’Alene narrows search for new police chief to two candidates
Coeur d’Alene has narrowed its search for a new police chief to two candidates: Gary Jensen, chief of police in Logan, Utah, and Lee White, assistant police chief in Mesa, Arizona.
The two will be interviewed later this month by a selection committee formed by Mayor Steve Widmyer.
White oversees the Mesa Police Department’s $157 million budget and is responsible for the investigations bureau. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Arizona State University and a master’s in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.
As Logan’s chief, Jensen is responsible for budgets of more than $10 million and oversees a department of 116 people. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Weber State University.
Residents will have a chance to meet the candidates during their visits. The city hopes to have the position filled in September.
Wayne Longo retired as Coeur d’Alene’s police chief last fall.
The city named Capt. Ron Clark as interim chief.
Unconscious child found in pool OK
Spokane Valley police officers and Spokane Valley Fire Department firefighters saved the life of a 2-year-old found unconscious in a backyard pool Wednesday evening.
The mother found the boy in the pool just after 7:30 p.m. at the family’s home in the 1300 block of North Park Road, said Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford. The child’s father began CPR, which was taken over by police officers when they arrived.
The child began breathing on his own shortly after firefighters arrived, Clifford said.
The parents were unsure how long the boy had been in the pool, Clifford said.
“They found him in time and they knew what to do,” he said.
Investigation focuses on Athol finances
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the possible theft of money from the city of Athol by an employee. The embezzlement investigation began on June 12.
Athol Councilman Lewis Miller confirmed that the council voted unanimously last week to fire City Clerk Sally Hansen but said he could not comment further until the Sheriff’s Office completes its investigation. “They confiscated our computer and all that kind of stuff,” he said.
No charges had been filed in the case as of Thursday.
Man electrocuted while cutting tree
A man was electrocuted while cutting firewood on a power line easement off Calispel Trail Loop Road in Pend Oreille County just before noon Wednesday.
A crew from the Pend Oreille Public Utility District found the man’s body when they responded to a report of a tree leaning on a power line, the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release. The man has been identified as Walter Richard Rohrer III, 59.
Rohrer apparently cut down the tree that was leaning on the power line. When he attempted to cut it free of the line he accidentally cut the live wire with his chain saw, the sheriff’s office said.
Rohrer was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two sisters hide during burglary
A 13-year-old girl and her 9-year-old sister home alone reportedly hid in a basement crawl space while two men broke into their home near Whitworth University early Wednesday evening, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The girls told deputies that someone knocked on their door in the 200 block of East Elcliff Drive. They looked outside and saw two men in a small shiny gray car in the driveway. They said they hid in the crawl space when they saw both men approaching the front door again and heard the men kick in the front door, the news release said.
The 13-year-old called 911. When deputies arrived they found the front door damaged, but no one was in the area. The girl’s mother told deputies that nothing appeared to be missing.
The driver of the car is described as white, bald and with a medium build. He was wearing a blue T-shirt. The passenger was described as white, skinny, about 20 to 30 years old and wearing a black T-shirt.
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 222-TIPS or visit www.crimestoppers inlandnorthwest.org.
Woman shot by police identified
The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office has identified the woman shot by police outside the Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint on Tuesday as former Priest River resident Jeanetta Marie (Maddox) Riley, 35.
Sandpoint police officers were called to the hospital around 9:15 p.m. after someone reported a woman armed with a knife. The hospital went into lockdown as police responded. Riley refused to drop the knife and was aggressive toward officers, according to the Sheriff’s Office.