Bulletin Column: Aug. 31, 2017

Aug 31, 20170

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.

BOMB THREATS

SUSPECT ARRESTED

Jose Andres Tecuatl, 19, was booked into jail in Colfax at 10:40 p.m. Monday on three probable charges of threatening to bomb. According to the court warrant issued for his arrest, Tecuatl was residing in Stimson Hall on the WSU campus. An alternate address was listed as Tustin, Calif.

Tecuatl was also booked on a probable charge of felony harassment with a threat to kill.

Stimson Hall was the scene of bomb threats last week during the first week of classes at Washington State University.

COLFAX

DRIVER HURT

IN HWY. 195

COLLISION

Austin Neu, Colfax, was injured Sunday in a rear-end collision at 2:12 p.m. on Highway 195 three miles south of Colfax. He was transported by Colfax ambulance to Whitman Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

According to the Washington State Patrol report, Neu was driving a 1997 Ford Thunderbird northbound behind a 2001 Dodge Ram pickup truck being driven by Austin Snegoskey, Moses Lake.

Snegoskey slowed the pickup for another northbound vehicle which was attempting to make a left turn off the highway, and Neu collided with the back of the truck.

FAIR TO OFFER WI-FI CARDS

The Palouse Empire Fair will offer cards for Wi-Fi connections during this year's edition of the fair. The cards offer internet access to fair goers with smart phones, laptops and other devices.

Fair Manager Bob Reynolds said the system is being installed on the grounds with the anticipated service area to stretch from the stock market sale area on one side of the grounds across to the rodeo on the other side.

He anticipates between six and eight of the antenna devices will be installed on the grounds.

Wi-Fi access has been sought in recent years at the fair. Reynolds noted vendors and commercial exhibitors have requested the service. The fair's Wi-Fi charges will be five dollars per day for up to five devices or up to $12 for a week for five devices.

Reynolds said the fair will be billed by the provider, St. John Telephone Company, for the service, and any excess revenue will go into the fair’s general fund.

Fair board members also approved a surcharge on credit card transactions to cover convenience fee charges for use of the cards. The fee will be 2.5 percent on sales done with a charge card.

Attendees who use cards for admission at the gate will be charged one dollar for any total below $50 and two dollars for a total above $50.

Monday night’s meeting, which included fair department supervisors, was the last session prior to the start of the fair's four-day run next week.

--Stan Riebold reported the Pro-West Rodeo organization, which administers the Palouse Empire Fair Rodeo, will allow competitors two entries in the rough stock events. The change in policy is expected to increase the rodeo's entry count in those events.

--Barb Kinzer reported members of Gentlemen on Horseback and the Back Country Riders have shown interest in joining the Whitman County Sheriff's Posse and the WSU Equestrian Club in patrolling the fair's parking areas during the run of the fair.

DRUG ARREST AT PULLMAN BAR

Clark Irwin, 27, was booked into jail Tuesday on probable charges after he was arrested by Pullman Police at Stubblefield's Bar on College Hill. The arrest report said police received a report that Irwin had been attempting to sell drugs at Stubblefield's. He was located in the bathroom of the bar, and two bags of white powder were allegedly found on his person when he was searched. The bags were believed to contain cocaine, and patrons in the bar alleged Irwin was offering to sell cocaine.

According to the arrest report, Irwin told officers he was an active duty member of the U.S. Army and had just returned from assignment in Afghanistan. The defense department was notified of his arrest.

CORPS ISSUES DUNES

ADVISORY

With the Labor Day holiday approaching and the semester underway at Washington State University, the Army Corps of Engineers has issued an advance advisory on the Illia Dunes in Garfield County. Located three miles downstream from Lower Granite Dam, the Dunes was the scene of weekend bashes in 2012 and 2014. After those episodes, the Dunes were closed and WSU volunteers helped clean up the mess.

The advisory notes Corps rangers, Garfield and Whitman County sheriffs, the State Patrol and Washington Fish and Wildlife will work under agreements on contracts to help patrol popular party spots on the river, particularly the Dunes and Granite Point.

Among other points, the advisory noted parking at the Dunes is limited to two Corps parking lots which hold a total of 120 cars. Public parking along Almota Ferry Road adjacent to the Dunes is posted with a "no parking" sign.

Glass containers are prohibited on the Dunes, and visitors are encouraged to use trash bags which are provided by the Corps to remove their litter. Under-age drinking of alcoholic beverages is illegal, and use of sound equipment that annoys others is prohibited.

NEW SIGNS AT BEST WESTERN

A crew from Eagle Signs in Yakima Thursday installed new signs at Best Western on north Main Street. The pole sign in front of the building now stands at 50 feet, and a variance was required for the height of the installation.

Caleb Cox, marketing director for Best Western, said the sign change here was part of a move by Best Western to change its sign color scheme. The new colors feature a blue tone.

The two crew members from Eagle Aug. 24 worked to get the sign up before a predicted increase in wind. The surface area of the pole sign is approximately 125 square feet.

In addition to the high sign, a second entry sign with lettering was installed. Work started at the site Aug. 23 to put the metal base pole in a poured concrete base. Other segments with smaller diameters were subsequently mounted.

The Best Western sign is believed to be the tallest independently mounted pole sign in Colfax. Cox said he expects the sign to be visible for potential customers from a long distance in either direction on Main.

The previous Best Western sign, which was mounted on a base in front of the business, will be removed.

Cox said the sign changes in this area are among the last to be changed in the company-wide conversion. He said it was his understanding the overall conversion process is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Palouse REPORTS 878 PHONE SCAM

Palouse City Deputy Clerk Ann Thompson reported a local variation of a telephone scam in which the caller claims to be selling gift certificates to local businesses in Palouse. Residents are being called from a phone number which appears to have the local 878 prefix for Palouse, but it does not.

Thompson said Friday that no local businesses in Palouse are selling gift certificates by telephone or asking for credit or debit card numbers or other personal information over the telephone.

GUN ARREST

AT SLOUGH

Ricky Bakko, 42, Granite Falls, was arrested at Webb's Slough and booked into the county jail Saturday on probable charges of first degree assault and indecent exposure. According to the report from Sheriff Brett Myers, Bakko had been exposing himself outside of his trailer in the RV area of the slough during Saturday's races. Several people confronted him about his behavior and an altercation followed.

The report said Bakko went back into his trailer and came out with a loaded handgun. He allegedly pointed the handgun at several people and threatened them and at one point had put the gun to the head of one of the alleged victims.

Deputy Jim Pellisier, who was on foot patrol at the races, responded to the scene. People reported they had run away from the scene after Bakko came out with the gun, but reports of the confrontation were relayed via 911.

Pellisier's report said Bakko was found sitting in a chair, and the man standing next to him turned out to be the person who allegedly had the gun pointed to his head by Bakko. The victim said he has been employed as a bouncer in a bar, and his reaction was to talk Bakko out of shooting the gun. Bakko reportedly gave the gun to the victim who put it in his father's trailer at the RV park. The victim said he managed to get Bakko to calm down and offered him a cigarette to cool off before deputies arrived on the scene, according to the probable cause report.

Deputies later secured the 9mm handgun which was determined to be loaded.

Bail for pre-trial release was set at $100,000 in a first court appearance Monday.

The court ordered Bakko to have no contact with the four victims listed in the arrest report. Bakko told the court he planned to hire his own attorney.

FIELD FIRE

NEAR ROSALIA

Volunteers from seven stations Sunday responded to a field fire off Highway 271 near the File Road intersection about 2.5 miles south of Rosalia. Chief Bill Tensfeld said the fire started off a combine, but the combine was not destroyed.

The fire was just north of the wind generators in the area between Highways 195 and 271. It covered approximately 100 acres of some standing grain and mostly stubble. Volunteers had to deal with steep hills and ditches while fighting the blaze, Tensfeld said.

Fire crews from Oakesdale, Tekoa, Garfield, Colfax, Steptoe and Spangle assisted.

PAYMENTS ORDERED IN ARSON CASE

Brothers Raymond and Darien Rhoades, who were convicted in May for their part in the torching of a Tekoa house last Sept. 19, were each ordered to pay $20,898 in restitution to State Farm Insurance Friday in Whitman County Superior Court. The restitution amount was determined Aug. 9 after Diane Galler, former Tekoa resident who owned the house, was sentenced for second degree arson.

Darien Rhoades pleaded guilty to second-degree arson May 19, and Raymond Rhoades pleaded guilty the same day to a reduced charge of reckless burning. Darien was sentenced to four months in jail, and Raymond was sentenced to 60 days. Both were allowed work release while serving their sentences.

Court Commissioner Howard Neill, who presided at the May court session, noted they would eventually have to pay restitution to the insurer when an amount was determined.

Galler was sentenced to six months in jail, also with work release, Aug. 9. When she pleaded guilty to second degree arson June 16, she paid $141,000 in restitution to State Farm, the firm which had made the insurance payment on the house.

The $20,898 balance remaining due the insurer was ordered paid "jointly and severally" by the three defendants.

Raymond Rhoades appeared in court Friday with his attorney, John Hart. Darien Rhoades did not appear, but he was represented Friday by Defense Attorney Steve Martonick. Each was ordered to make $25 monthly payments.

Galler was ordered to make $100 monthly payments when she was sentenced.

CAMPUS MICROWAVE FIRE

A fire extingisher was used to extinguish a microwave fire on the fourth floor of WSU's Orton Hall at about 2:30 p.m. Friday. The microwave started to smoke and burst into flames when it was being used to warm up Pop-Tarts, according to a report from Pullman Chief Mike Heston.

Fire investigator Tony Nuttman is attempting to determine how the microwave malfunctioned, and if it could be related to another microwave fire at Orton Hall in recent weeks.

Colfax SCHOOL COUNT IN 580 RANGE

Colfax schools opened Tuesday with approximately 580 students in the classrooms. Enrollment for the high school and junior high totals 290 for the six grades now in the building.

Approximately the same number was expected at Jennings Elementary, which has seven grade levels including kindergarten. The Jennings count is expected to be about eight students down from last year's count, although the exact figures will not be known until the end of next week.

HEADLINE

CAMPUS MICROWAVE FIRE

A fire extinguisher was used to exting

HEADLINE

CAMPUS MICROWAVE FIRE

A fire extinguisher was used to exting