Bulletin Column

These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated.

GRANGEVILLE WOMEN INJURED

Two Grangeville women were hospitalized Monday night after a collision on Highway 195 near mile marker 15 south of Pullman. Mary A. High, 58, was taken by ambulance to Pullman Memorial Hospital, and Helen A. Litchfield, 85, a passenger in the 1999 Toyota Rav 4 driven by High, was taken to Pullman and then to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

According to the Washington State Patrol report, the two Grangeville women were headed northbound at 6:39 p.m. when a 1991 Ford Bronco driven southbound by Gracie Senter, 68, Pullman, crossed the centerline and collided with the Toyota in the northbound lane. Senter was not injured.

ENTER PLEA ON TASER CASE

Zachary Sebastion Imperial Fox, 19, Vancouver, pleaded not guilty in superior court Friday to a charge of second degree theft. He has been charged with taking a Taser gun which was lost by a Pullman Police officer who was chasing a suspect last August on College Hill. The police report said the Taser gun was recovered from the Delta Chi fraternity where the suspect resides. According to the police report, the fraternity president informed officers he had come into possession of the gun and returned it.

Fox had been summoned to court for arraignment Friday. A May 14 trial date was slated for the case.

DRIVER LANDS

IN FIELD

Brenda G. Ramirez, 22, Yakima, was unhurt Monday morning when she lost control of a 1999 Honda Accord while driving on Highway 26 near mile marker 123. According to the Washington State Patrol report, she was driving eastbound at 9 a.m. when the Honda drifted onto the shoulder of the highway, and she lost control of the car in the slush. The Honda went across the centerline, then returned to the eastbound lane, went into the ditch and came to a halt in a field.

TRIAL DATE SET ON METH CHARGE

A May 14 trial date was slated for Robert D. McBride, 42, Oakesdale, after he pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge of possession of methamphetamine. According to the arrest report which was filed with the charge Jan. 31, a small blue pill container containing a powder was found on McBride after he was taken to jail following a Nov. 10 court hearing on his failure to pay child support. The powder subsequently tested positive as methamphetamine, the report alleged. McBride at the time said the blue container did not belong to him.

TWO HURT IN CHAIN ACCIDENT

Frances M. Bakke, 33, and Nathan Bakke, 35, both Kennewick, sustained cuts and bruises Saturday morning in an accident involving five vehicles on Highway 195 four miles south of Pullman. The Bakkes were in a 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck that was the last of three vehicles that had been stopped behind a Pullman School bus driven by Leah G. Jordan, 23, Pullman. According to the Washington State Patrol report, the bus driver had stopped in the southbound lane of 195 because blowing snow had cut visibility.

A 1995 Jeep Cherokee, a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Scott Keller, 25, Colton, and the Ranger pickup driven by Frances Bakke were stopped behind the bus.

Sydney Bebee, 44, Spokane, was unable to stop the 2004 Ford Van he was driving, and it struck the Ranger which was pushed across the highway into the northbound ditch. The van then struck the Tahoe and the Cherokee which went into the bus. The van then crossed the highway and came to a stop up against the Ranger.

A series of slideoff accidents during the Saturday morning storm led to highway closures. Southbound traffic was stopped at the southbound exit from Colfax as conditions worsened after 10 a.m. The highway was officially opened at 11:20.

THREE HURT IN Colfax CRASH

Three people were taken by ambulance to Whitman Hospital early Saturday morning from the scene of a one-car accident on Highway 195 near the north entrance to Colfax. Colfax police responded to a report of a 2010 Toyota Corolla which was in the southbound ditch of the highway. The Corolla had struck a state highway sign after going into the ditch.

Two ambulances were dispatched to the scene. Transported were the driver, Shawn Olson, 40, Colfax, and two passengers, Jazmyn Card, 19, Colfax, and Heath Smith, 30, Fort Wayne, Ind.

ONE HURT IN 3-CAR ACCIDENT

Brittany R. Ripollone, 22, Bonney Lake, sustained cuts and bruises in a three-vehicle accident in snowstorm conditions 13 miles north of Colfax Sunday at 4 p.m. She was a passenger in a 2001 Honda Accord driven by Nathaniel Nyman, 22, Kelso. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Nyman was driving north at 4 p.m. when he lost control of the Honda on the ice and slush covered highway. It crossed the highway and struck a southbound 2011 International truck driven by Jessie J. Taylor, 37, Priest River, Idaho. The truck slid across the northbound lane and collided with a 1996 Subaru Impreza being driven northbound by Christopher Cleman, Tonasket.

BELLEVUE DRIVER HURT

Jenna A. Hamilton, 19, Bellevue, was taken by ambulance to Whitman Hospital Monday morning with possible head and neck injuries following a one-car accident on Highway 195 3.3 miles south of Colfax. According to the Washington State Patrol report, she lost control of a 2000 Chevrolet Trailblazer while driving southbound in snow and slush conditions at 7:10 a.m. The Trailblazer went off the right side of the highway, down the embankment and struck a fence.

PARK BOARD PLANS SURVEY

A survey of Colfax residents on use of city parks is expected to be issued around the first of April. Councilman Al Vorderbrueggen said the survey is part of the park board’s preparation of a comprehensive plan.

Vorderbrueggen, who is also chairman of the park board, told the city council Feb. 21 the park board at present appears to be steering away from a proposal for forming a parks and recreation district which would be funded in special levy proposals to the voters.

He noted that alternative would leave the parks program dependent on levy approval from year to year and include the overhead costs of a special levy election.

Vorderbrueggen said he didn’t believe the park district topic would be included in the upcoming parks survey because it wasn’t related to topics called for in preparation of the comprehensive plan. The city is required to have a current plan when it submits applications for grant funding.

ROSALIAN ARRESTED FOR CAR THEFT

David H. Kernkamp, 71, long-time resident of Rosalia, was allowed release on his own recognizance Friday morning in superior court after being arrested for car theft. Kernkamp was booked into the county jail early this morning on the probable charge.

According to the arrest report, Kernkamp is suspected of taking a 1968 Ford Mustang from in front of an unoccupied residence on S. Josephine Street in Rosalia. The owner of the house resides in Colfax and told officers he is remodeling the Rosalia residence and had the Mustang and another vehicle parked there. He discovered the Mustang was missing and filed a report Wednesday.

The investigation report said Kernkamp became a suspect when the deputy learned from a resident in the neighborhood that he had seen the suspect pull up to the S. Josephine residence with a truck and vehicle trailer and load up the Mustang and haul it away. The deputy said they interviewed Kernkamp and learned the car had been taken to a shop on E. Plaza Road in Spokane County. The owner of the shop showed the deputy the missing car but said he was not aware that it had been reported stolen. He said Kernkamp had arranged to bring in the Mustang to use as a parts car for another Mustang which he had brought to the shop a couple of weeks ago.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy asked the court to order Kernkamp to refrain from hauling any more Mustangs as a condition of pre-trial release. Formal charges have not been filed.

WARRANTS SERVED IN PORN CASE

Sheriff Brett Myers reported Whitman County Deputies last Thursday assisted Homeland Security Investigation agents in serving search warrants at two locations in the 100 block of Machin Street in Endicott as part of a child pornography investigation. The sheriff reported computer equipment and electronic storage devices were seized after the warrant searches, but no arrests were made.

An affidavit filed with US. District Court for Eastern Washington alleged that the IP address associated with one of the residences had been actively used to download and exchange images of child pornography, the sheriff said.

Colfax MAN SENTENCED

Jack C. Starks, 27, Colfax, was sentenced Friday to a year in jail with all but 30 days suspended after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of solicitation to possess a controlled substance. Starks was credited with time spent in jail after his arrest last Thanksgiving Day and allowed to convert the remainder of the 30 day sentence to public service work hours. He was originally charged with possession of methamphetamine.

Starks was arrested Nov. 24 after he had parked at the Colfax Golf Course. The Colfax officer’s report said a methamphetamine pipe was found in Starks’ possession during a search.

Judge David Frazier accepted the plea and pronounced sentence after offering to recuse himself because he has known the defendant, Starks, since he was a youngster. Both sides agreed to allow the judge to proceed. Starks was also ordered to pay $1,200 in fines and fees. A review date was set for next September to determine whether the public service work has been completed and the fines and fees paid.

FIRE

INVESTIGATION

STILL UNDERWAY

Colfax Fire Chief Ralph Walter told city council members Tuesday night investigation of the Feb. 8 storage building fire in the Walla Walla neighborhood continues. At present the cause of the fire officially remains “undetermined and under investigation.” The chief said representatives for the insurance company which had coverage on the storage building plan to work up models for their part of the investigation.

In response to council questions, he said part of the area along the Walla Walla highway is served by a two-inch water line but the area lacks a line to sustain hydrant flow. He said no major flaws were found in a review of the department’s response to the fire.

Chief Walter said owner Brad Persons carried insurance converge on the building. Owners of vehicles, boats and other items stored were responsible for insurance coverage, but not all items were covered, he added.