Bulletin column - June 17, 2010

Colfax school buses vandalized

Windows on nine Colfax School buses were broken out sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The buses were parked inside the bus compound east of the Schmuck Park playfields. Officer Perry Tate said the buses that were hit were along the east side fence of the bus compound along the railroad track. Several of the buses had multiple windows broken out.

Rocks were found inside the buses along with the shattered glass. Tate said the vandalism was reported about 1 p.m. Sunday. Supt. Michael Morgan was in the shop area Saturday and departed about 4:30 p.m.

Supt. Morgan said damaged buses amounted to half of the Colfax fleet. He said in some cases buses were entered and fire extinguishers were used from the inside to break out windshields.

The district uses 14 buses on routes and has four spares. Had the vandalism hit earlier last week when school was in session, the school would have had to scramble to serve all the routes, Morgan said

The district has a $1,000 deductible insurance coverage on the buses. Morgan said the total damage is expected to exceed that amount.

Chief Bill Hickman said investigation of the bus vandalism has turned up blood evidence which indicates somebody could have been cut during the vandalism. Hickman urged parents and others who might have noticed unexplained bandaids on juveniles or other possible suspects to get in contact the police office.

Hickman said he anticipates the amount of damage will exceed the felony level.

The chief and Officer Tate, investigating officer, urged anyone with information on the vandalism to contact the police department.

Meth deal nets 68 months

Derrick G. Bonato, 27, Pullman, was sentenced to 68 months in prison Friday on a conviction of distributing methamphetamine to a minor. Bonato had been ordered to undergo an evaluation for treatment under a drug offender sentencing option, but the court opted to send him to prison because the meth case involved a 16-year-old.

The 68 month sentence was the maximum. Bonato also has two prior convictions in 2006 and that meant an offender’s score of two at the Friday sentencing. He was also ordered to pay $2,800 in fines and fees.

Bonato was arrested at Colfax Feb. 24 after drug agents set up a drug purchase with the use of an informant. The suspect told the informant he planned to make a trip to Moses Lake to purchase drugs. Quad Cities Drug Task Force Agents provided buy money for Bonato to make the purchase in Moses Lake, and he was intercepted at Colfax on the return trip. Officers obtained a warrant to search his car.

Two hurt at Shawnee Road

Both drivers were hurt in a two-car collision June 10 on Highway 195 3.8 miles south of Colfax. Patrick Thompson, 29, Colfax, and Terri L. Wagar, 49, Cheney, each sustained head, neck and chest injuries.

According to the Washington State Patrol report, Thompson was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Impala south at 6:38 p.m. and attempted a left turn onto Shawnee Road in front a 2008 Nissan Rogue driven by Wagar, 49, Cheney. The vehicles collided in the northbound lane.

Ambulance crews responded from Albion and Colfax. One of the victims was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital and the other was taken to Whitman Hospital in Colfax.

Police find pistol at Paul’s Place

Roy E. O’Neill, 59, Colfax was booked into jail Saturday night on a probable charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. The Colfax police report filed with the case said they had received a tip that O’Neill had caught a cab to Spokane Saturday and purchased a pistol at the Spokane Gun Show.

O’Neill resides at Paul’s Place, a group home in Colfax where possession of firearms is prohibited. Officer Perry Tate said he and Administrator Dennis McDonald went to O’Neill’s room, and he admitted he had the gun, a Taurus .44 magnum. They took possession of the gun and a box of ammunition.

O’Neill was taken to jail after a records check allegedly indicated he had a past felony conviction. He was scheduled for a first appearance in court Monday.

A $25,000 bond for pre-trial release was set Monday in a first appearance in superior court.

O’Neill’s brother appeared in court and said he will make an effort to find a caretaker for his brother, who is handicapped. O’Neill, who rolls around town in an electric wheelchair, last year made requests for the city to upgrade handicap access on the South Main bridge. His brother yesterday told the court he would bring O’Neill’s chair from Paul’s Place to the jail.

Vandalism at Rosalia School

Two 12-year-olds face charges of burglary, malicious mischief and vehicle prowling for vandalism at Rosalia over Battle Days weekend last week. Sheriff Brett Myers said the vandalism primarily involved vehicles and buildings at the Rosalia school where the suspects attended school. The duo allegedly admitted their involvement in the vandalism.

Amount of the damage has been estimated at nearly $5,000, the sheriff reported. A case report has been forwarded to the Whitman County Juvenile Department.

Charge Colfax assault

David Orlandi, 29, Colfax, was charged June 10 with second degree assault and summoned to appear in court Friday, June 18. A Colfax police report said Orlandi’s spouse drove to the police station late June 5 and reported she had been assaulted in an argument with the suspect. She was treated by EMTs at the fire station.

Child abandoment charges

Jessica K. Frunz, 27, Pullman, was allowed release on her own recognizance June 9 after being booked into jail on two charges of child abandonment and one charge of taking a motor vehicle without permission. According to the Pullman police report, Frunz had been sought for three days after a man called police early Saturday and said Frunz had left her two young children with him Friday and taken his 1994 pickup truck.

He told police he and Frunz had broken up and she contended he owed her money and took his truck. She left her two young children with him, and said she was going to visit friends in Moscow and return. She never returned.

The police report gives accounts of their attempts to locate Frunz through friends and relatives. The attempts included a search of her residence and a cell phone check.

Police eventually learned from a relative that she had contacted a cousin in Nez Perce, Idaho, to borrow gas money to get home. The police report said they placed her residence under surveillance, and she was eventually spotted walking across the lot of Living Faith Fellowship where she had parked her car.

Frunz allegedly told officers she had stayed with friends in Moscow and gone to the Clearwater River Casino in Lewiston. She said she assumed her children would be taken to her mother’s residence. They had been placed with Child Protective Services.

Tekoan sentenced to five months

Denny B. Chain, 20, Tekoa, was sentenced to five months in jail Friday morning after pleading guilty to charges of trafficking in stolen property and possession of less than 40 grams of marijuana. Chain was charged after deputies were tipped off that he was attempting to sell a generator/welder. The sheriff’s office arrested him after conducting a controlled purchase of the generator/welder by the informant.

The generator/welder was determined to be stolen from a shop in the Spangle area. Chain reportedly told the informant during the sale that it was stolen.

The judge allowed Chain to convert one month of the sentence to public service work. Chain was also ordered to pay a minimum of $800 in fines and fees. He also faces a $475 fine on the misdemeanor marijuana conviction, and the court allowed him to work that off while serving jail time.

Chain made a tearful apology to the court. His attorney, Mark Moorer, said he conducted the sale of the stolen property for a friend in an effort to raise money for his family.