In brief: Moses Lake teenagers hurt in crash

EPHRATA, Wash. – A car with three teenagers inside crashed on State Route 17 near Ephrata just after 1 p.m. Friday after the 14-year-old driver lost control.

The 1991 Nissan Maxima was traveling north and attempting to merge into the left lane when the car went out of control, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver overcorrected to the right, overcorrected back to the left, then crossed into the southbound lane before the car rolled and came to rest on its side.

One passenger was 14 years old and the other was 15. All three teens, who are from Moses Lake, were injured and taken to Samaritan Hospital for treatment.

Recall papers filed on state auditor

OLYMPIA – A former state legislator has filed recall paperwork against embattled state Auditor Troy Kelley, who is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation.

Documents filed late Friday afternoon by Will Knedlik, of Kirkland, accuse Kelley of several violations of his terms of office, from inadequate auditing to several abuses of power, including a failure to fully vet a new hire.

Under state elections procedure, the Secretary of State’s office will send copies of the charges to Kelley and Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday to set the recall election process in motion.

Knedlik will need to collect more than 700,000 signatures to put Kelley’s recall before voters. No statewide official has been recalled in Washington history. Kelley has not returned a call seeking comment.

Official’s son dies of gunshot wound

BELLINGHAM – Authorities say a 21-year-old Bellingham man has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, accused in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old friend who was the son of city Councilman Terry Bornemann.

The Bellingham Herald reported Masen Potter made an initial appearance Friday in Superior Court. Bail was set at $100,000.

Police Lt. Bob Vander Yacht said Aaron Bornemann and Potter were hanging out and handling a handgun together at a home Thursday night. He said the two were “engaging in horseplay” when Potter grabbed the handgun, pointed it at Bornemann’s head and pulled the trigger.

According to police, Potter said he thought the gun was not loaded.

Bornemann was taken to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, where he died early Friday.

Elk herd plunges into icy reservoir

JACKSON, Wyo. – Wildlife officials say more than 30 elk died after they fell through the ice on Palisades Reservoir, which straddles the Wyoming-Idaho border.

Tim Fuchs, a regional supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide the elk crashed through the ice March 21 near where the Snake and Greys rivers meet at the southeast corner of the reservoir. The elk were later pulled to the shore.

Fuchs said a warden counted 31 dead elk – 25 on the Idaho side and the rest on the Wyoming side. But he noted there were likely more dead elk that drifted off.

Elk and other ungulates occasionally break through ice-capped waters and drown, but rarely in such large numbers.

Highway Patrol settles race lawsuit

HELENA – The Montana Highway Patrol reached a settlement Friday with plaintiffs in a lawsuit claiming the patrol improperly detained Hispanic drivers over unfounded concerns they were in the country illegally.

Attorney General Tim Fox, state Highway Patrol Col. Tom Butler and attorneys for the plaintiffs reached the agreement. The patrol acknowledges no wrongdoing, but the parties agree that traffic stop policies the patrol adopted since the lawsuit was filed address the plaintiffs’ concerns.

A group of plaintiffs led by Jose Rios-Diaz and the Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance filed the federal lawsuit against the Highway Patrol in October 2013. It said the patrol had detained Hispanic drivers and passengers to check their immigration status.

Under the settlement, the patrol will comply with a policy that says troopers may not stop someone or prolong a stop solely for the purpose of verifying a person’s immigration status, and they cannot stop a person based on race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or economic status except under certain conditions.