In brief: Man gets 14 years for killing girlfriend, dumping body in acid

A Spokane County man will spend 14 years in prison for strangling his girlfriend and disposing of her body in a tub of acid in June 2013.

Jason M. Hart’s second-degree murder sentence for killing Regan Jolley followed a September guilty plea.

The murder elicited images from the popular television series “Breaking Bad” in which the leading characters attempted to dissolve a body in acid. Investigators found a DVD copy of the show in Hart’s home.

Jolley and Hart had been dating for a few weeks – a relationship fraught with arguments, according to testimony from friends.

Her body was discovered by a man who shared a home with the couple.

Hart had severe post-traumatic stress disorder due to childhood sexual abuse, according to court documents. He was discharged from the Army with a permanent disability because of his PTSD and began using methamphetamine to cope with his mental illness. He had no criminal history.

Rachel Alexander

Suspect arrested in shooting near Arena

Spokane police arrested a woman suspected in a Monday morning shooting near the Spokane Arena. The victim went to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Karen R. Eide, 40, was arrested near Ritzville on investigation of first-degree assault.

Police received a call after shots were fired around 8:25 a.m. at the Value Village parking lot in the 700 block of West Boone Avenue. They identified Eide as a suspect based on information gathered by detectives.

“We don’t believe it’s completely random at this point. It’s likely victim and suspect were known to one another,” police spokeswoman Monique Cotton said.

Rachel Alexander

Woman allegedly breaks into Valley post office

A 28-year-old woman faces a federal criminal charge after authorities said she broke into a Spokane Valley post office early Sunday and stole uniforms and mail from the locked facility.

Jackie A. Hayes was booked into Spokane County Jail just after 5:30 a.m. Sunday, four hours after an alarm was triggered at the Veradale Post Office at 15202 E. Sprague Ave. A federal postal services investigator spotted Hayes through a window rummaging through posted mail, according to court records.

Hayes told deputies she climbed through a cubby into the workroom, which she said looked “like a movie set,” according to court records. She said she was “playing house” with the uniforms and mail and did not intend to steal anything, according to court records.

Kip Hill