Bulletin Column: May 3, 2018

KAYAKERS FIND FALLS VICTIM

Franklin County coroner has identified the victim of the April 21 death at Palouse Falls as Issac Engell, 23, Spokane. Franklin Coroner Dan Blasdel determined the cause of death was asphyxiation caused by drowning and the manner of death was accidental.

Engell vanished April 21 when he was pulled down by currents while swimming with two other males in the pool beneath Palouse Falls.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s office Monday also reported that Engell was located by kayakers in the Lyons Ferry area where the Palouse River flows into the Snake River downstream from Palouse Falls.

WARRANT FOR DRUG COURT APPLICANT

A warrant was issued Monday for the arrest of Abigail A. Carter, 21, Lewiston, after she failed to appear in court for the second consecutive Friday. Carter faces two drug charges following arrests in Colfax last year and earlier this year.

She was listed on the docket Friday for consideration for possible admission into drug court. Carter failed to appear in court two weeks ago, and she was ordered to appear in court last Friday, April 27, to show cause why she failed to appear the previous week.

An order for the arrest warrant was issued after her second failure to appear.

Carter was charged with possession of heroin Nov. 18 after the Toyota pickup truck she was driving was stopped in Colfax by Deputy Michael Jordan.

Separate charges of possession of heroin and methamphetamine were filed against her Jan. 17 after she was stopped Jan. 13 at mile 45 on Highway 195.

Deputy Jordan also made the second arrest, and during the process he recognized the defendant from the arrest made two months earlier.

RACING DATES AT ST. JOHN

Sprint boat tune-ups were conducted at Webb's Slough in St. John over the weekend as part of the St. John Community Fair. Race crews also had their boats in the Saturday parade at St. John.

Racing dates at the Slough this year have been scheduled for June 16 and Aug. 25.

The sprint boat racing circuit sustained a setback last year when Extreme Sports Park at Port Angeles shut down. Dan Morrison of Wicked Racing Team was a partner in the group which owned the race park, but the other partners opted to shut the course down and sell the property, according to an account in the newspaper at Sequim last July.

Two race meets a year had been conducted at the Extreme Sports Park since 2011. Race stops which had been booked at Port Angeles last year were cancelled, and the slough at St. John was the lone race site for the season.

ALLEGED

BOTTLE ASSAULT

Frances Quinn Erickson, 22, Pullman, has been summoned to appear in court May 11 after two charges of assault were filed against her April 25. She is charged with hitting a roommate on the head with a Smirnoff Ice bottle. The alleged assault April 22 reportedly evolved out of an argument which started at a sorority function. According to the arrest report by Pullman Officer Doug Anderson, Erickson struck the victim on the back of the head when she was walking away from a confrontation.

The second assault charge alleges Erickson hit a second victim with her fist. That victim allegedly had attempted to get between Erickson and the other victim during the confrontation.

Pullman Attorney John Hart filed a notice of appearance with the court that he will represent Erickson in the case.

CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING OFFICER

Duane Finley, Pullman, was charged in superior court with assaulting a Pullman Police officer April 25. The assault allegedly took place when officers responded to a report of alleged domestic violence April 24 at 10:27 p.m.

The report by Officer Brock Germer said officers responded to the apartment in the 1100 block of Nye Street. It said occupants of the apartment initially refused to open the door of the apartment after officers identified themselves. It said one of the officers kicked the door in an attempt to force entry.

One female suspect came out of the apartment and had to be taken to the ground and handcuffed after she resisted.

The report said officers gained entry to the apartment, and alleged Finley struck Officer Aaron Breshears in the back of the head. It said Breshears and Officer Shane Emerson then wrestled Finley to the ground. During the struggle, the three of them fell out of the apartment and down the front steps.

Finley was booked into the jail here. Bail for pre-trial release was set at $10,000 surety. The court also ordered that, as a condition for pre-trial release, all firearms must be removed from the apartment before he returns there.

LESTER

SENTENCED

TO FIVE YEARS

Julian Lester, 35, was sentenced in superior court Friday to 60 months in the state prison system. Lester is the Pullman area resident who was convicted by a jury after a one-day trial April 17 of being in physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated. The jury also returned a special finding that he has had three or more offenses in the past 10 years.

Lester was arrested Feb. 8 when he was found parked in his vehicle near the intersection of Albion Road and Pat Old Road. Among evidence was a blood alcohol test reading of .169 which is twice the legal limit.

The 60-month term was the maximum listed for Lester after he was assigned an offender score of eight in the pre-sentence report. It listed 10 convictions going back to 1993 with seven in Whitman County.

BROWN

PETITIONS FOR DRUG COURT

Kelly Brown, 35, filed a petition April 25 to participate in the Whitman County Drug Court program. Brown faces charges of burglary and theft in Rosalia. He also faces a second charge which alleges he took an ambulance out of the Rosalia fire station for about nine hours Easter morning. A former member of the Rosalia Fire Department, Brown allegedly entered the station using a button lock combination which Rosalia Fire Department members use to get into the locked station when they respond to calls.

In his petition to be in drug court, Brown admitted he had a drug addiction which led to the alleged crimes.

Brown, who had been held in jail here after his bail for pre-trial release was set at $100,000, was allowed release April 20 to undergo drug treatment at Sundown Ranch. His parents agreed to transport him to the treatment ranch.

Another pre-trial order allows alleged stolen items recovered in the burglary and theft case to be returned to their owners. Both sides agreed to substitute photos of the items as exhibits in the event the case goes to trial.

WIND

BLAST FIRE RESPONSE

A Colfax fire crew responded to a report of a fire Friday at about 8:15 p.m. at the Barney Buckley ranch along the S. Fork of the Palouse River. A strong blast of wind which hit the area Friday night activated a brush fire at the ranch and the volunteers were called to douse it before it spread. The fire was contained to the same area where it had been burning.

MAY FEST SET FOR MAY 10

Whitman Community Hospital Auxiliary's May Festival has been scheduled for May 10 at the First Baptist Church Recreation Center on Mill Street. Times will be from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

They will begin serving lunch at 11 a.m. with ham and turkey sandwiches, three kinds of soup and a variety of pies.

Bedding plants, perennials, house plants, hanging baskets, plus new and nearly new items will be offered for sale.

Proceeds will go to auxiliary projects to support the hospital.

CLARKSTON WOMAN ARRESTED

A drug arrest in Colfax early April 21 included a new element: Dust Off. Jolene R. Boyd, 38, Clarkston was booked into the county jail here at 3 a.m. Saturday on probable charges of possession of methamphetamine and hydrocodone. She was also detained on a warrant from Asotin County.

Deputy Michael Jordan's arrest report said he stopped the car on 195 near the intersection on Poplar Street in south Colfax because of inconsistency in the license. Boyd was a passenger in the car.

Jordan also detected a smell which was later determined to be Dust Off. Boyd reportedly told the deputy she was using the Dust Off to clean up the inside of the car, but it appeared to him that it had only been discharged in the area where she was sitting in the car.

Another occupant in the car reportedly told the deputy Boyd inhaled several cans of Dust Off a day.

The drugs involved in the charges were allegedly found in a bag during a search of the car.

The driver of the car was cited for driving with a suspended license.

Conditions for release against Boyd were lifted as formal charges had not been filed against her within 72 hours.

SQUEALING TIRES ARREST

Kolby Wheeler, 20, Tacoma, pleaded not guilty in superior court Frikday morning to charges of criminal impersonation, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. Wheeler was booked into jail here after he was arrested in Pullman early Saturday morning.

The arrest report by Pullman Officer Wade Winegardner said he began pursuing a Volkswagen after he heard the squealing tires of a car coming from the area of North Grand and Olsen streets in Pullman. His report said he heard additional squealing of tires until the Volkswagen stopped on Kamiaken Street. The report said after the car stopped, the driver was seen switching to the passenger seat in the car.

The officer's report said he asked Wheeler why he was squealing the tires on the car, and Wheeler replied he was having trouble operating a five-speed transmission.

The arrest report said Wheeler identified himself as Miles Powell. A check of the Volkswagen's contents led officers to believe the car had been operated by Wheeler, and a check of the state driver's license photo matched the appearance of the suspect. The state check also revealed Wheeler's license was suspended.

Wheeler's bail was set at $50,000 surety in a first appearance in court Monday. He was denied a request for a reduction of bail and his trial date was set for June 18.