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

In brief: Spokane City Council considers immigrant status law

From Staff Reports

Emotional, sometimes heated debate stretched late into the night Monday as the Spokane City Council considered an initiative to repeal a city law prohibiting the immigration status of an individual being used as “the sole basis for a contact, detention or arrest.”

Nearly 200 people converged on Spokane City Hall on Monday night to voice both support and concern with a police department policy that has been on the books for a decade and was  reaffirmed by the Spokane City Council last fall in a city ordinance.

It has come under attack by people who argue it turns Spokane into a “sanctuary city” and encourages lawlessness. Detractors have gathered enough signatures to place a repeal of the immigration law on an upcoming city ballot.

Female inmate dies in Spokane County Jail

Another inmate has died in Spokane County Jail, the fourth in 10 weeks.

Authorities said a female inmate alone in her cell was found unresponsive about 4:30 p.m. Monday. Jail staff “immediately called for medical assistance and began life-saving efforts,” according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Paramedics arrived within minutes but were unable to revive the inmate, the department said.

The woman, whose name was being withheld, was the fourth inmate to die in the jail since May 4, when John Everitt, 46, was found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide after an arrest on a 2-year-old theft warrant. On May 13, Lorenzo Hayes, 37, died of apparent cardiac arrest while wrestling with Spokane police officers in the jail’s booking area, according to authorities. And on June 12, Scott M. Stevens, 53, was found unresponsive by a corrections officer conducting a routine cell check.

Spokane County Jail Director John McGrath has said one inmate died in the jail in 2014. Another died in January.

Couple kidnapped, robbed; man charged

A suspected gunman is facing kidnapping and robbery charges after he allegedly forced his way into a couple’s car at a parking lot along North Division Street in Spokane, stole several hundred dollars and locked one of his victims in the trunk.

Deric Burton, 28, was arrested Sunday evening by Spokane police following the confrontation and was identified by the victims as the robber, though he insisted he knew nothing about the incident, according to Spokane County Superior Court documents. He’s being held at the Spokane County Jail.

The couple told police the gunman confronted them in the parking lot, saying “do not move or I will blow your head off.” He got into the car and ordered them to follow a gold Pontiac Grand Prix, then stole $500 to $600 from their wallets, documents show. Later, the gunman locked the male victim in the trunk before jumping into the Pontiac and driving away.

Driver in fatal collision faces homicide counts

The man accused of  causing a wreck Saturday night that killed two women is facing two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Gary Groves, 48, of Nampa, Idaho, was driving his 2004 GMC Denali east on state Highway 2 about 4 miles east of Reardan, Washington, when his vehicle drifted, authorities said. Groves overcorrected and collided with a car traveling in the westbound lane, according to court documents.

Both Shirley M. Wadkins, 63, of Reardan, and Viola Harrison, 80, of Okanogan, Washington, died at the scene of the crash. The driver of their vehicle, Jerry E. Wadkins, 71, of Reardan, was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. As of Monday, Wadkins was in satisfactory condition.

According to court documents, Groves also was taken to Sacred Heart and later to Spokane County Jail. His bond was set at $250,000.