Briefs

THUNDER STORM HITS

A sustained lightning and thunder storm hit Colfax at about 6 p.m. Sunday. The storm was preceded by thunder, and the rain actually started while parts of the town were under sunshine. Rainfall built up to heavy density and then backed off for a short time before increasing again.

Monday morning’s reading for precipitation at the NRCS gauge at Colfax totaled .2 of an inch.

At Pullman, a large pine tree located next to the flagpole at the city playfield was hit by lightning. The lightning strike knocked bark off the tree, but it appeared to be structurally sound when checked out.

Colfax RESIDENT SENTENCED

Trisha A. Sims, 30, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison Friday in superior court on a conviction for two charges of possession of methamphetamine. The conviction dated back to May 9, 2017, when members of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force conducted a warrant search of a house on Fairview where the defendant, then known as Trisha Zimmerman, was residing.

Deputies obtained the search warrant after learning Sims was making trips to Spokane to purchase methamphetamine and returning to Colfax to sell the drug here. The arrest report alleged the officers conducted controlled purchases of the drug before applying for the warrant.

The report said they found a quarter-ounce of methamphetamine and .75 grams of heroin in the May 9 search. Sims was initially charged with drug possession and later the charges were amended to three charges of delivery of methamphetamine.

Sims applied to participate in drug court and was admitted to the program on Dec. 8 of last year. She was later removed from the drug court on a petition filed Feb. 23.

The petition to remove her alleged task force officers discovered a Facebook entry in which Sims was allegedly negotiating for the purchase of methamphetamine from a Pullman resident. Officers discovered the exchange while investigating the Pullman resident on another case.

Sims was arrested and booked into jail after she failed to appear in court Feb. 28 for a hearing on a failure to comply with the requirements of drug court. She was later released prior to Friday’s sentencing.

Sims was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison Friday for two charges of possession of methamphetamine. The sentence was the minimum under the state’s standard range. She was sentenced by District Court Judge Doug Robinson, who was serving Friday as court commissioner for superior court.

COLLISION ON MAIN STREET

Colfax police responded to a report of a collision involving a pickup truck and a car at 7:45 p.m. Saturday night on North Main Street in front of Zip’s. According to the City Police report, Frank Salazer, 28, Seattle, was driving a 2009 Mini Cooper northbound and attempted a left turn onto the Highway 26 bridge.

The Mini was hit by a 2004 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck which was being driven southbound by Tanner Krieg, 23, Pullman.

PULLMAN CUTS STREET PARKING TIME

Pullman city council May 29 approved an ordinance which reduces the time a vehicle can be parked along city streets from seven days to four days. The code violation is aimed at vehicles, boats, RVs and utility trailers which are parked along city streets. According to a report from Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins, the object of the stricter code is to prohibit abuse of long-term storage of vehicles on public streets.

The new code went into effect Thursday, today. Vehicles left along the street for more than four days will be subject to a fine of $25, which will be hiked to $45 after July 1.

BAIL SET AT $200,000

A $200,000 bail for pre-trial release was set May 31 for Abigail Carter, 31, Lewiston, after she was booked into the jail. Carter was arrested on two warrants which were issued on two separate drug cases which were filed against her in November of last year and January of this year.

Carter was arrested Jan. 13 north of Colfax by Deputy Michael Jordan, who allegedly found three packets of heroin after she allowed him to search the truck she was driving. After he began talking with the suspect, Jordan realized he had arrested her Nov. 19. That arrest was made after Jordan stopped the Toyota pickup she was driving on Main Street in Colfax.

In a Jan. 19 court appearance after her second arrest, Carter’s attorney told the court they planned to consolidate the two charges into one case. At that session, Carter was denied a request for a reduction of the $50,000 bail because she had violated the “no additional pre-trial criminal activity” condition which was included in her release after the first charge in November.

Carter was later allowed release on her own recognizance March 2, but bench warrants were issued for her arrest April 30 after she failed to appear for pre-trial hearings in court. Both charges are for possession of heroin.

She was arrested May 30 in Nez Perce County and later booked into jail here.

TRIAL DATE SET FOR BRESHEARS

Chad Breshears, 41, the Albion resident who was arrested May 23 on charges that he broke into a residence in Albion, pleaded not guilty to four charges in superior court Friday morning. His trial date was slated for July 23.

His bond for pre-trial release was reduced to $50,000 surety or $5,000 cash. In objecting to the bail reduction, Prosecutor Denis Tracy said Breshears had a record of prior charges which involved issue of 13 warrants.