Bulletin Column: Jan. 3, 2019

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.

LEWISTON-SPOKANE SPEED CHASE

A high-speed chase which started in Lewiston ended southwest of Cheney early Friday, Dec. 28, after going through Colfax and continuing north on Highway 195 and into Spokane.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the suspect crashed the vehicle he was driving on Highway 904 south of Cheney near the Tyler interchange with I-90. The driver attempted a U-turn to avoid a spike strip and was blocked by a trooper's car.

Sheriff Brett Myers said the driver entered Whitman County and traveled north after he turned onto Highway 195 from Idaho Highway 95 at the top of the Lewiston grade.

An 11-year-old juvenile was in the car, which was identified as a blue Honda CRV in the Nez Perce County report. The driver of the car was identified as Christopher McNeill.

Spokane accounts listed the car as a Toyota Rav 4.

Two Whitman County deputies began pursuit after the driver entered Whitman County, but backed off because of the high speeds and dangerous road conditions in the early morning hours.

The sheriff said Colfax Police were alerted of the driver's approach and worked to get out a spike strip to intercept him, but the driver made it through town here before the strip could be deployed.

Troopers had been notified the car was believed to have been stolen, according to Trooper Jeff Sevigney, WSP communications officer.

Accounts from Spokane said the driver actually drove into Spokane on I-90, got off the highway at the Hamilton exit and the chase continued through downtown intersections. The driver then managed to return to I-90 and drove westbound before leaving I-90 at the Highway 904 intersection. The pursuit continued through Cheney and the car was stopped at the Tyler end of 904.

The Nez Perce County report said the car was stopped for a traffic violation at 11:42 p.m. Dec. 27 at the intersection of Frontage Road and Highway 195.

After deputies went back to their patrol car to check with dispatch, McNeill drove off from the arrest scene southbound on Highway 95 at a high rate of speed.

Near mile 311, the car went across the median strip of the highway and headed north on 95. Nez Perce deputies pursued the Honda to the top of the Lewiston grade. After the Honda turned onto 195, the Nez Perce deputies pursued it approximately two miles into Washington State.

Nez Perce deputies later learned the car, which was registered in Washington, had been reported stolen in Clarkston.

SIX ‘ELECTEDS’ TAKE OATH

Judge Gary Libey administered the oath of office to six county elected officials Dec. 27 morning. Incumbent Commissioner Michael Largent and Sandy Jamison of Garfield, the newly elected auditor, took the oath after winning races in the general election. Also taking the oath were Sheriff Brett Myers, Coroner Annie Pillers, Prosecutor Denis Tracy and Assessor Robin Jones. All ran unopposed.

Pillers and Jones were initially appointed to office and are now beginning their first full terms.

John Hart, who was elected as the county's new district court judge after a campaign which began with three candidates in the primary election, was to be sworn in Dec. 27 at 1:30 p.m. in superior court.

Treasurer-elect Christina Nelson was administered the oath of office the next morning.

911 FAILURE HITS WHITCOM

A 911 shutdown Dec. 28 took out the Whitcom emergency system which serves the area. Calls from Whitman County, City of Pullman and the City of Moscow were knocked out.

National reports said the outage was caused by a failure in the CenturyLink system.

Sheriff Brett Myers said Dec. 28 the 911 system had been restored for this area. He said the problems were encountered around the state and seemed to involve a problem with data input.

The system came back in service in increments, and Myers noted there could be specific locations which are still out.

FILES $1.2 MILLION SALE REPORT

Sale of a five-acre land parcel on SE Bishop Boulevard in Pullman for $1.2 million was recorded Dec. 20 in the treasurer's office. The parcel was sold by Komodo Estate Development, LLC, to Nelson Partners, Inc., Aiso Viejo, Calif. Komodo was listed as an Idaho corporation based in the Cataldo area.

The parcel is located on the east end of Bishop in the area of the SE Bleasner Drive intersection.

ST. JOHN MAN CHARGED

A charge of possession of heroin was filed Dec. 26 in superior court against Anthony Staples, 23, St. John. Staples was arrested in Colfax Dec. 21 and jailed here after his arrest.

Deputy Sgt. Keith Cooper reported he observed Staples walk out of Cougar Food Mart on Main Street in Colfax at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21. He said he observed Staples get into a Chevrolet van and proceeded to stop Staples because he knows Staples’ driver's license has been suspended.

The report said Staples pulled the van to a stop at the Corner Chevron and admitted he had items in the van. The report said Cooper located a needle and .2 grams of heroin when he searched the van.

Bond for pre-trial release was set at $10,000 surety or $1,000 cash.

BUILD GRANT OUT FOR COLFAX

An application for a BUILD grant to help fund a rebuild of the intersection of highways 26 and 195 in north Colfax failed to make the list of recipients which were announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation approximately two weeks ago. Mayor Todd Vanek Friday confirmed he had checked out the listing of grant recipients and determined the proposed Colfax project was not on the list.

The grant application for the Colfax project was submitted by the state Department of Transportation.

Colfax council members July 16 approved a resolution which authorized the state DOT to seek a BUILD grant for $6 million which would be combined with state funds of $2.7 million for the project which would include a new span across the North Fork of the Palouse River.

The DOT project for the north end of Colfax was also submitted two years ago for a federal TIGER grant, a program which was a predecessor of what is now the BUILD program. It also failed to land a grant.

BUILD stands for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development. State DOT officials at the July 2 session at city hall noted the DOT would need "outside" funding for an extensive rebuild of the intersection. One of the factors would be whether or not the department would pursue building a new bridge vs. making repairs to the two bridges now on the site.

Larry Larson, assistant DOT regional administrator, noted cost of repairs of the two bridges would be in the range of $2.7 million.

The DOT staffers then pointed out the Colfax application for BUILD funds could be considered in competition with a Spokane County application for improving access to I-90 from the Airway Heights area where Amazon is now building an order fulfillment center.

The Spokane Geiger Boulevard project received a BUILD grant for $13.4 million.

Also among the 91 projects on the BUILD list of recipients was the state's PCC railroad system for $5.7 million to upgrade the lines, including the link between the mainline at Marshall to the McCoy Loader south of Rosalia.

Mayor Vanek said DOT district officials in Spokane told him their next move for funding the Colfax project will be to submit a proposal to the upcoming session of the legislature for special funding.

JAIL CONTRABAND ARREST

Tia Ann Gilpatrick, 40, Garfield, was booked into jail here Dec. 23 on probable charges of bringing contraband into the jail and drug possession. According to the arrest report, Gilpatrick arrived at the jail to deliver a pair of sweatpants for a male inmate. During a standard inspection of the clothing item, a jailer became suspicious of the waistband of the pants and allegedly discovered methamphetamine inside the band.

Gilpatrick by then had departed the visitors' area of the jail, but she was stopped at the intersection of Mill and Harrison streets and booked into the jail.

According to the report, Gilpatrick told deputies the inmate who was supposed to get the pants conceived of the alleged smuggling attempt. The inmate, Shawn Nelson, refused to talk with the deputies.

Nelson is in jail on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and methamphetamine. He is now scheduled for a Jan. 14 trial.

Gilpatrick was allowed release from jail on her own recognizance Monday.

SPEED CHASE NETS 30 DAYS

Brian Wignall, the Lewiston resident who led a Colfax officer on a speed chase Nov. 2 at speeds of up to 90 mph, was sentenced to 30 days in jail Dec. 21 after he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempting to elude a police officer. Wignall, 28, was credited with time already served in jail.

The chase started at the parking lot of Zips on the north end of Main Street. Officer Joe Handley had stopped the Honda Civic Wignall was driving because it lacked a front license plate.

The arrest report said Wignall backed the Honda into the front of the Colfax squad car and departed Zips northbound at a high rate of speed on Highway 195.

The chase ended where a deputy was able to put out a spike strip ahead of Wignall near the south end of Cashup Flat.

Wignall remained in jail after his bail for pre-trial release was set at $200,000 after his arrest. The court declined to reduce the bail after ruling Wignall posed a danger to the public.

Wignall was also ordered to pay a $500 fee.

MOBILE HOME FIRE IN PULLMAN

Six people were displaced the morning of Dec. 22 when the mobile home in which they were residing sustained extensive fire damage. A Pullman fire crew responded to the electrical fire at 10 a.m. at space 20 in the mobile home park at 605 NW Fisk Street. Three adults and three children resided in the mobile home; no one was injured.

When fire crews arrived, smoke and flames were coming out of an air conditioner near the front of the mobile home.

Firefighters were able to keep the fire confined to the one mobile home and a rear storage shed. Homes on either side were not damaged.

Fire Capt. Mark Johnson said they were able to buy some food for the family and provided a $200 Walmart gift card. The money was raised from the Pullman Firefighters' Charitable Foundation.

The occupant of the mobile home said they planned to stay temporarily with relatives who reside in the area.

The charity was also used the previous week to provide warm clothing for a man who had fallen into a creek.

FACES DRUG COURT SANCTIONS

Miles A. Stohler, 24, Pullman, was ordered to serve 48 hours in jail Dec. 21 for a drug court violation. He was ordered to report to jail at 9 a.m. Jan. 4 to begin serving the term.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Wendy Lierman reported Stohler's urine analysis tests for Nov. 6 and Oct. 24 indicated the presence of drugs. She also charged him with associating with people who were drug users.

Stohler admitted one of the tests was positive, but said he believed the second test was positive only because he was with people who had been using drugs.

Stohler was admitted to drug court last February after he was charged with drug possession and three charges of malicious mischief for slashing tires in May of 2017.

After Stohler told the court he was majoring in marketing and business at Washington State University, Judge Pro Tem David Frazier suggested he check out how potential employers respond to job applicants who have a felony drug conviction on their record.

In another drug court matter, Evan Couch, 27, Pullman, Friday was scheduled for a sanction hearing Jan. 11 after he was reported to not be in compliance. Couch was booked into jail Nov. 21 on a probable charge of being in possession of heroin after being arrested in Colfax.