In brief: Coffee stand robberies suspect nabbed after scuffle

Police arrested a man suspected of robbing two coffee stands Wednesday night, following a struggle with the armed suspect.

Joseph G.W. Layman, 28, is suspected of robbing the Bare Beans Espresso and Walnut Street Perk last Friday and Saturday. According to a police report, he entered the Walnut Street Perk and told an employee that the owner had angered him. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he is alleged to have said. “Give me half of the money.”

His attorney challenged probable cause on the Walnut Street Perk robbery charge Thursday, saying Layman did not use or threaten to use force. But a judge ruled a reasonable person in that situation would have taken his statement as a threat.

When officers entered Layman’s apartment Wednesday to serve a search warrant, they found Layman armed with a knife in his pocket. Layman fought violently and attempted to retrieve the knife during his arrest, according to a news release from the police department.

He is being held in the Spokane County jail in lieu of $50,000 bond.

Didier drops suit against volunteer

Congressional hopeful and retired NFL tight end Clint Didier has dismissed his lawsuit against a volunteer for his opponent’s campaign alleging misuse of state resources.

Didier sued Dan Newhouse, the former head of the state’s Agriculture Department and his foe for Washington’s 4th District U.S. Congress seat, last month in federal court. He also sued Newhouse’s campaign and volunteer Christopher Voigt, who is the executive director of the state’s Potato Commission.

Newhouse and his campaign were dropped from the lawsuit on Oct. 16. Didier’s attorney, Stephen Pidgeon, notified the court Thursday he was dropping the lawsuit against Voigt and the commission.

Dispute with officer lands man in jail

A Spokane man has been jailed for allegedly threatening a Spokane County Animal Protection Services officer. Gabriel L. Bighouse, 26, was arrested Wednesday after a conversation with a SCRAPS officer who was trying to make arrangements to return his dog.

The officer reported that after she offered to drop the dog off where Bighouse works, he told her “if you come here, I will hurt you,” court records said.

Bighouse allegedly told the officer that he would break into the SCRAPS office after they were closed to retrieve his dog, if needed, and used several expletives to refer to the officer, court records said.

The SCRAPS officer reported that she has “been threatened by many people during the course of her job and thought nothing of it,” but said Bighouse’s threats made her afraid for her safety and the safety of other employees.

Bighouse is being held in jail on investigation of intimidating a public servant. Bond was set Thursday at $10,000.