Bulletin column - Sept. 17, 2009

Tolan sentenced

Anthony S. Tolan, 31, Colfax, was sentenced to a year and a day in jail, a term which will send him to the state prison system, after pleading guilty to taking a guitar from a residence on Morton Street last July.

Tolan entered the plea after an amended charge of second degree burglary was filed. He originally faced charges of burglary and theft.

Tolan, who was listed with four prior felony convictions, had an offender score of four. Under the state standard, he could have received a sentence up to 16 months.

He was charged with taking a guitar and related equipment from a residence on Morton Street in Colfax. According to the police report, the owner of the guitar showed it to Tolan at the residence. The owner then asked Tolan to leave the residence because he planned to go out for dinner. When he returned, the guitar and related equipment was missing.

In investigating the case, Colfax Officer Robert Wride contacted a neighbor of the victim who saw Tolan leaving the residence with the guitar and other equipment after the owner had departed.

Tolan was also ordered to pay $1,800 in fines and fees.

Chastain found hurt after search

Jerry Chastain, 57, former LaCrosse grocer, was taken by Medstar helicopter early Friday morning after being found at the scene of a motorcycle accident in the bottom of a ditch south of Winona. Chastain had been the object of a search after he was reported missing according to a report from the sheriff’s office.

He had sustained back and shoulder injuries in the accident and was unable to move.

Deputies were informed about 7 p.m. Thursday that Chastain was missing. He had departed LaCrosse at about 2 p.m. on a 2005 Honda FSC600 for a ride to Cheney.

The family learned that he had not arrived at his destination.

Searchers and deputies followed Chastain’s presumed route of travel north from LaCrosse and at about 11:30 p.m. a family member checked out what looked like a motorcycle tire mark on the shoulder of the Winona South Road near mile marker 3. Chastain and the motorcycle were found in the bottom of the ditch which was overgrown by high grass. Neither Chastain nor the cycle were visible from the roadway.

He was taken by Colfax ambulance to the football field at Endicott and transferred to the helicopter for the flight to Spokane.

‘Green River’ ordinance on hold

Adoption of the Green River ordinance to register door-to-door sales in Colfax was postponed last Tuesday night, Sept. 8, after city attorney Bruce Ensley said the city needed to develop a foundation for establishing the ordinance.

Ensley advised the proposed ordinance could be subject to constitutional challenges in court. He said a challenge of a Pasco ordinance went to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled in favor of Pasco because the city had established a need for passing the ordinance before doing so.

Ensley suggested Colfax develop a fact finding report to establish a foundation for putting such an ordinance in place here.

Councilwoman Jeannette Solimine said she recalled the topic surfaced at a prior city council session because of the appearance of a taco stand along N. Main Street. City officials noted they had no idea of who was operating the stand.

The city had also received reports of an aggressive magazine sales team from Pittsburgh which had worked the town and in some cases were ringing door bells late at night.

Mayor Becker also related an account of a Colfax resident who was asked by a magazine sales duo to make payments in cash.

Ensley also advised the council Tuesday to check whether the proposed ordinance could include more restrictions than the council might want to put in place.

Theft Nets 60 Days

Victoria Roberts, 24, former Colfax resident now of Pullman, was sentenced to a month in jail last Friday after pleading guilty to a charge of second-degree theft involving use of an ATM machine. She was also ordered to pay $1,886 in fines and fees, including $586 in restitution to the owner of the access card.

Roberts was arrested after surveillance videos at Rosauers in Colfax showed her using the card April 21 on the ATM to make withdrawals.

She will be allowed to work off the fines with community service at a rate of $10 per hour.