Bulletin Column: March 7, 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.

McNANNAY HEARING SET FOR JULY 29

A July 29 date for the civil service appeal of former Colfax Police Chief Rick McNannay was scheduled in a noon meeting of the city commission Tuesday. The hearing is expected to last three or four days.

Leslie Cloaninger, retired Colfax attorney, presided at the noon-time session with commissioners Rob Aucutt and John Kehne present.

Spokane Attorney Ronald Van Wert was seated in front of the council table with Mayor Todd Vanek seated next to him. McNannay's attorney, Robert Dunn of Spokane, appeared by telephone.

After checking schedules for June and July, the parties agreed on a July 22 hearing date.

McNannay, who was also on the telephone, reported one of their sons has scheduled a July 19 wedding with a family trip to follow, so the parties decided to move the hearing back a week to July 29.

Commissioner Kehne questioned whether the hearing could be accomplished earlier, possibly in May, because of how much time has passed since McNannay was dismissed as chief Jan. 17. Schedules for listing witnesses and exhibits were also set.

Both sides agreed to follow civil trial rules during the hearing.

ANOTHER RECORD DAY

Monday morning's minus-nine degree reading at the Pullman-Moscow Airport set another record for the date. The minus-nine bumped a minus-five which was recorded in 1955. It was logged at 6:24 p.m.

Sunday's low at the Pullman-Moscow Airport was reported as minus five degrees, logged just before midnight. That was a record for the date. Prior record for the date was eight degrees, recorded in 1976. Normal minimum for the date is 30.

TEKOAN SENTENCED TO 3 MONTHS

Daniel S. Thomas, 55, Tekoa, was sentenced to three months in jail Friday after he entered a plea of guilty to one charge of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. Three other charges were dismissed as part of a plea bargain.

Thomas was also ordered to pay $800 in fines and fees. The charge involved contact with a juvenile girl over a three-week period in June and July of 2017. Thomas was initially charged with two counts of child molestation and two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

The three-month term was the maximum he could have been sentenced on the one count under the state's standard sentencing guidelines.

He was also ordered to refrain from drinking and to have no contact with the victim for three years.

Letters in support of Thomas from his mother, an aunt and uncle and a daughter were entered into the record. They noted the behavior listed in the charge was out of character for Thomas and two suggested his drinking could have contributed to his actions.

COLFAX MAN CHARGED

Two charges of assault of law officers and one of resisting arrest were filed in superior court Tuesday morning against Vladimir Borisov, 35, Colfax. He was arrested last Thursday at an apartment in the 500 block of West Street. The arrest report by Colfax Officer Cory Alcantar said he went to the apartment building in response to a report of a domestic dispute and first saw the defendant on the front porch. The report said Borisov went into his apartment and made threats against the officer. Alcantar called in Officer Joe Handley and Borisov allegedly came out of the apartment with a bottle in one hand and swung it at Handley. The report said a porch rail deflected the defendant's swing with the bottle.

A struggle ensued and Deputy Chris Olin arrived on the scene to assist. The report said the three officers struggled to get Borisov into the back of the deputy's patrol car, and after he was placed in the car he struggled to get back out and allegedly kicked Deputy Olin. Borisov eventually was forced back into the squad car. He also cut his head in the struggle and bled in the back of the deputy's car. Bond for pre-trial release was set at $50,000 in a first appearance in court Friday.

WOMAN INJURED AT REST STOP

Trooper Jim Retzer responded Sunday to a report of an elderly woman who was injured in the parking lot at the Horn School rest stop on Highway 195 south of Rosalia. The woman had been among a group who were traveling in a van. Initial reports said she had been struck by a vehicle that was backing out, but the investigation could not confirm that account.

She was transported by a Rosalia ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

ANNEXATION UNDER STUDY

Justin Morgan of Palouse River Rock attended Monday's city council session to get information on possible annexation of land located along the Palouse River into the City of Colfax. The parcel would be the portion of the company's land between the Colfax Trail and the river.

Morgan was introduced by Steve Bretveld, city building inspector.

Councilman Jim Kackman explained the process requires filing of a notice of intent to annex followed by a petition signed by at least 60 percent of the property owners in the area proposed to be annexed. Also involved would be a determination of how the area would be zoned.

The annexation would not involve the company's quarry area on the face of the hill on the south side of the trail.

HART SERVICES PENDING

Emily A. Hart, 94, died Monday, March 4, 2019, at Whitman Health and Rehab in Colfax. She is the mother of Dan Hart of Colfax.

She and her husband, Paul, moved to Colfax in 2000 from Sandpoint, Idaho, and made their home at Hill-Ray Plaza. He preceded her in death.

She was a member of Peace Lutheran Church.

Mrs. Hart is also survived by a daughter, Polly Jones, Kenmore, and three grandchildren.

Bruning Funeral Home will be making arrangements for a service.

UTILITY TRACTOR BURNS

District fire crews from Colfax responded to a report of a structure fire on Hofer Road off Highway 195 at 11:03 a.m. Monday.

A small utility tractor was destroyed in a shed behind a shop building. Albion fire crews responded to the scene. The fire spread to the shed which was also damaged. Cause of the fire was believed to be an electrical failure.

COLFAX MAN SENTENCED

Mikale N. Pinson, 62, Colfax, was sentenced to 30 days in jail Friday after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine in superior court. Pinson was charged after officers conducted a warrant search of his residence in the S. 1000 block of Main Street in Colfax April 5.

He was originally charged with possession of methamphetamine and delivery of hydrocodone. The delivery charge was dismissed.

Pinson after his arrest was allowed release on his own recognizance, but was later arrested on warrants after he failed to appear for court dates. He was ordered held on $10,000 bail after his most recent arrest Feb. 7.

Pinson had already served 22 days in jail since his last arrest and was allowed release after being credited with good time while in jail.

SENTENCED TO A YEAR IN JAIL

Antonio Abonza, 23, was sentenced to 364 days in jail Friday after an extended sentencing hearing in Whitman County Superior Court. Abonza, who has been in jail here since Sept. 21, was convicted by a jury of rape in the third degree Dec. 17 and pleaded guilty to a second charge of criminal trespass.

Abonza, a former WSU student from Grandview, was arrested after officers responded to a report of a suspected burglary at a Pullman apartment May 2.

He was not present at the apartment, but was arrested outside the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity where he was a member at the time. He was originally arrested on a charge of burglary and allowed pre-trial release on his own recognizance, but violated a no-contact order involving the victim and was arrested on a bench warrant and jailed Sept. 21.

Friday's sentencing hearing was conducted after a pre-sentence investigation report by the State Department of Corrections was submitted to the court. Abonza had undergone sentencing Jan. 9, but that session was dropped after the prosecutor reported a state Department of Corrections report had to be submitted to the court prior to sentencing.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Daniel LeBeau began Friday's sentencing by reading a statement from the victim who said she remains terrified and anxious after the rape and will not feel safe once he is out of confinement.

LeBeau said the victim opted to submit the letter because she didn't want to be in the courtroom with the defendant.

Abonza's mother, step-father, uncle and two sisters all testified for the defendant. They noted the defendant was the first member of the family to undertake a college education. They said the crimes involved do not reflect his normal character.

Abonza's mother and two sisters testified amid tears, and the three older family members testified with the use of a Spanish interpreter.

Abonza told the court he, during the time he has been in jail, has undergone counseling and taken up Bible study. He said he wanted to go home to his family and pledged to stay out of trouble. Judge Gary Libey noted alcohol was involved in the investigation.

He also said another factor that weighed against Abonza was that he returned to the victim's residence in violation of the court's order for his initial pre-trial release.

The judge ordered Abonza to also undergo alcohol evaluation and treatment. The defendant was also placed on one year of community custody.

He was allowed to serve the sentence concurrently with a district court conviction for driving under the influence.

With credit for good time since he has been jailed, Abonza's release date from jail will be May 21.

Defense Attorney Steve Martonick filed a notice of appeal in the case Friday after the sentencing.

SENTENCED FOR CAC THEFT

Broderick Cobbs, 37, Pullman, was sentenced to 14 days in jail and ordered to pay $5,003 in restitution to Community Action Center in Pullman. Cobbs pleaded guilty to the theft charge Jan. 25, and was ordered to return to court for sentencing.

The theft involved taking cash payments which had been made to the CAC office between May 4 and July 17 of last year. The investigation report said a review indicated 19 different thefts were made which totaled $5,003. The report noted receipts were made out by Cobbs for the cash payments when he worked in the CAC office, but the actual cash came up short.

The 14-day sentence was recommended by Senior Deputy Prosecutor Merritt Decker as part of a plea bargain. Judge Gary Libey allowed Cobbs to serve the sentence on weekends so he could remain employed and make the restitution payments.

Cobbs told the court he has never stolen before. He said he took the funds in an attempt to deal with something he faced in his personal life.

He said he is now working two jobs and expects to pay the restitution. Cobbs was also ordered to pay $800 in fines and fees. A May 8 court compliance date was set to determine if Cobbs completes the jail time.

EINSTEIN BAGELS CASE

Isaac Thomas Hannum, 22, Spokane, was charged Monday in superior court with burglary, malicious mischief and theft for an alleged entry last Nov. 18 at the Einstein Bagles store on NE Cougar Way on the WSU campus.

According to the WSU Police investigation report, Hannum is suspected of going into the store and discharging a fire extinguisher which activated a fire alarm and response by a Pullman fire crew. The report said a review of surveillance videos showed an intoxicated male entering the store, discharging the fire extinguisher, departing and then entering again and taking food items.

Additional review of videos showed the alleged suspect getting picked up by a car, and the license on the car had been recorded by Pullman Police. The report said the licensed owner of the car was determined and photos of Facebook friends of the car's owner led to identification of Hannum as the suspect.

The report said Hannum was interviewed at his residence in Spokane and admitted he drank too much after the WSU-Arizona game and was intoxicated when he went into the bagel shop. A followup report from the manager of Einsteins said chemicals from the fire extinguisher damaged products for sale in the store and the damage estimate was $1,105.