In brief: Bird flu found in backyard flock

OLYMPIA – Avian influenza has been found in a backyard poultry flock in southeast Washington after previously showing up in wild birds in the northwest part of the state, but state officials say there is no immediate public health concern.

State Agriculture Department officials said Friday the virus has not been found in commercial poultry in Washington or elsewhere in the United States. They say the virus poses no apparent threat to humans, but highly pathogenic strains can be deadly to domestic poultry and sometimes to wild birds.

Officials say the owner of the flock of about 150 birds near Benton City contacted the Agriculture Department after losing nearly 50 birds in the past week.

The virus confirmed in the flock is similar to the virus found in a Washington captive gyrfalcon last month, although additional testing is being conducted to identify the strain.

Driver in crash into ravine dies

BREMERTON – A 22-year-old driver whose crashed car was spotted in a ravine by a Bremerton police officer has died.

Officer JD Miller said he was driving down West Belfair Valley Road on New Year’s Day, watching for abandoned cars, poachers and illegal brush pickers. He spotted fresh orange scarring on an alder tree trunk and decided to investigate. That led him to the crashed car about 20 feet down a slope.

The driver was freed by a fire rescue crew and taken to a Tacoma hospital. The Kitsap Sun reported that police said he did not survive. The man was not immediately identified.

Police think the crash went undiscovered for about nine hours.

Passenger arrested after threats on bus

BOISE – An Oregon man police say yelled racial slurs on an eastbound Greyhound bus and threatened to kill a 6-year-old Hispanic boy has been taken into custody.

Idaho State Police arrested 45-year-old James Eoghan Brennan, of Portland, Thursday evening after the bus driver became concerned for the safety of passengers and pulled off Interstate 84 east of Boise.

Police said Brennan pushed the driver, whom he threatened to kill along with three adult passengers using a shotgun, pistol and ax.

Police didn’t recover any weapons but reported finding eight empty beer cans.

He was being held in the Ada County Jail in Boise on Friday.

Suspect in death of woman arrested

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – Idaho authorities are seeking to return from California a man suspected in the New Year’s Day shooting death of his girlfriend in southeast Idaho.

Kevin Michael McQuilliams, 26, was arrested in Truckee, California, about 6 p.m. Thursday without incident after Idaho officials issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter.

The shooting occurred at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, and AnnaRae Ponce, 34, of Pocatello, died at the scene, authorities in Idaho Falls said.

McQuilliams, who is from Idaho, is being held at a correctional facility in Nevada City, California, an official there said.

Bonneville County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Clark said he will seek to extradite McQuilliams if McQuilliams declines to return voluntarily.

McQuilliams’ 4-year-old son was with him unharmed when he was arrested, authorities said.