In brief: University High faces string of bomb threats
Authorities evacuated University High School following a bomb threat on Monday; it was the fourth time in two weeks.
A written threat arrived about 12:30 p.m. Students returned to classes after deputies searched the building and found nothing.
“The Sheriff’s Office is taking all the threats very seriously,” said Marla Nunberg, Central Valley School District spokeswoman. “The first threat came by email. The other three were written. They are all possibly unrelated, but they are all still under investigation.”
Investigators announced last weekend they are trying to determine who set up an email account created just minutes before using it to send a bomb threat to University High School administrators April 1.
Man charged with assault in bar shooting
Cameron J. Peterson, 47, faces first-degree assault charges in connection with a Sunday night shooting near the Special K Tavern in Spokane.
Peterson is accused of hitting the victim’s father over the head with a beer bottle, knocking him unconscious, according to court documents.
The shooting victim, Gregory Zielke, left the bar shortly after 8 p.m. to confront Peterson.
Zielke told officers Peterson pulled out a handgun and said, “Are you ready to die tonight?” Fearing for his life, Zielke said, he punched Peterson in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Peterson then shot at him about five times, striking him twice in the forearms, according to the documents. Peterson had a single gunshot wound, which officers believe was self-inflicted.
Three teens arrested after drive-by shooting
Police arrested three teens following a drive-by shooting at a party in East Central Spokane on April 10.
According to court documents, a witness told police a group of people he didn’t know showed up at the party with guns, which they stored in a recycling bin outside.
One of the group members demanded the guns back and started shooting at the witness before getting in a car. Another passenger in the car then shot at him, court documents say.
Police located the car just after midnight Friday and arrested Anthony O. Bratz, 18, and two teenagers, 16 and 17, in an investigation for drive-by shooting and assault.
Concrete slab falls from overpass, killing three
BONNEY LAKE, Wash. – A concrete slab fell from a construction site on a highway overpass on Monday, crushing a vehicle driving underneath the span and killing a young couple and a baby boy, police said.
When workers were finally able to reach the damaged pickup, they found the victims – a man and a woman in their mid-20s and an infant, Bonney Lake police said Monday night.
Fire officials initially said at least one person had been killed.
The couple were the parents of the infant, who was about 6 months old, the News Tribune reported. The victims were not immediately identified, but police said they were local residents.
Construction crews were installing a sidewalk on the state Route 410 overpass in Bonney Lake when a chunk of concrete fell to the roadway below around 10:30 a.m.
Bonney Lake is about 30 miles southeast of Seattle.
Legislature seeks ban on powdered alcohol
OLYMPIA – Federal regulators have legalized powdered alcohol, but some state lawmakers want to keep it out of Washington.
The House on Monday moved to ban the controversial product, a starchy powder that can be mixed with water to make rum, vodka or a fruit-flavored cocktail. Sold under the brand name Palcohol, it could become available as early as this summer, according to the company’s website.
Six states have already banned the product, while three, including Colorado, have opted to tax and regulate it under existing laws.
Made by the Arizona company Lipsmark LLC, the product is marketed as a convenient way for hikers to enjoy a stiff drink after a long hike, without carrying all the weight of a liquid. The industrial version could be used to clean wounds or power small engines, the company says.