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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Women accused of stealing merchandise, abandoning children

From Staff Reports

A 31-year-old woman allegedly abandoned two children last week at a Home Depot in Spokane Valley after an employee caught her stealing inventory.

Amber M. Elliott is accused of trying to smuggle items out of the store, at 5617 E. Sprague Ave., by hiding them in a car seat under her 1-year-old baby, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said. The employee tried to detain Elliott outside, but she fled on foot, dropping off her baby near an SUV in the parking lot.

The employee stayed with the baby and called 911. Responding deputies found a man who was in the Suburban with Elliott’s other child, a 3-year-old. The man told deputies he was only getting a ride from Elliott, the children were not his, and he was not involved in the theft.

Elliott has not been arrested for Friday’s incident, but deputies have filed theft and abandonment charges against her. They turned over both of her children to Child Protective Services.

WSU chooses interim president

Washington State University Provost and Executive Vice President Daniel J. Bernardo was named interim president of the institution Tuesday during a special meeting of the Board of Regents.

Bernardo has been serving as acting president since last month following former university President Elson Floyd’s death from colon cancer.

In an announcement, WSU said Bernardo will continue to lead the university until a permanent replacement is selected.

Abused puppies thrown from truck

The Kootenai County sheriff is turning an animal abuse case over to Spokane County Sheriff’s Office after discovering two abused and abandoned puppies were found just over the Washington state line, west of Worley.

A witness saw someone throw a white pillowcase out the window of a black passenger-type truck, possibly diesel-powered, the Sheriff’s Office said. The witness found two puppies, a male and female, inside the tied pillowcase.

After investigating the incident, the Sheriff’s Office discovered the puppies were found in Washington. The person who found them brought them into Kootenai County and turned them over to law enforcement. Both dogs were covered in ticks. One had several cuts and appeared to have a broken leg. The dogs, about 3 months old, were treated by a veterinarian and vaccinated. They are brindle in color, possibly a shepherd mix. The puppy with the broken leg remained with the veterinarian in hopes of saving the leg.

Permit OK’d for temporary station

A Spokane city hearing examiner has approved a conditional-use permit to convert a single-family residence into a temporary fire station at the foot of southwest Spokane’s Eagle Ridge development.

The new Spokane Fire Department station will be at 115 W. Eagle Ridge Blvd., just off of U.S. Highway 195. It’s expected to cut in half emergency response times for the Latah Valley.

An engine with a two-person crew will work out of the station during the day, with round-the-clock staffing of two-person crews expected to start by late summer.

Newland Communities, the San Diego-based developer that built most of the Eagle Ridge community, sold the building and 12 adjacent acres of woodland property to the city for about $500,000.

The department hopes to build a permanent Station 5 closer to Cheney-Spokane Road by 2020.