Briefs: October 3, 2019

CONVICTION ON DRUG COURT EXIT

Jessica Reudink, 34, Maple Valley, pleaded guilty in superior court Friday morning to charges of identification theft and possession of methamphetamine in a case dating back to Oct. 19, 2018. Reudink was arraigned on the charges after she was removed from drug court.

The charges related to a Pullman case where she was apprehended while attempting to rent a car at Enterprise with identification and a credit card that were not hers.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Wendy Lierman told the court the victim in the credit card case reported her credit standing had been “trashed” as a result of Reudink’s actions.

Reudink has two prior convictions and was assigned an offender score of three for Friday’s sentencing.

The defendant was credited with time already served in jail plus good time. Lierman reported Reudink also faces charges in King County involving alleged purchase of a car with false identification.

She was ordered to report to King County after her release here to resolve the charges pending there.

Reudink Friday morning waived her right to a hearing on removal from drug court which led to reinstatement of the charges.

She was placed on community custody for a year and ordered to pay fees and restitution to the victim.

CASHUP DAVIS ITEMS ON DISPLAY

Artifacts which once belonged to James “Cashup” Davis are now on display in the lobby of Hulbert Hall on the WSU campus. Davis was in the news last week because the first named endowed deanship at WSU will carry his name.

Announced last week, the endowment was made possible with a donation from Gordon Davis, a WSU grad and great-grandson of Cashup Davis who constructed a hotel on the top of Steptoe Butte in 1888 where it stood until 1911 when it was destroyed by fire.

Among items in the display case are Davis’ historic telescope and his top hat.

A picture of the hotel when it was operating in its prime is among the library’s Heritage Collection photo display in the first floor hallway at the courthouse.

Gordon Davis, who never had an opportunity to meet his great-grandfather, credits Cashup Davis with having an incredible sense of vision and believes he serves as a mentor to present members of the family.

RITZVILLE TRAIN HORN NOISE

Thursday’s edition of the Adams County Journal reported Ritzville’s city council is considering an ordinance for installation of a quiet zone under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Train Horn Rules.

The council member making the proposal noted he has measured the railroad horn noise level on a train going through downtown Ritzville at 100 decibels.

The federal Train Horn Rule provides cities and towns with a quiet zone option if they undertake additional measures to reduce hazards at rail crossings.

The BNSF main line crosses four streets when it goes through downtown Ritzville, one block east of Main Street.

The Ritzville council member suggesting the change said he checked with Connell and learned that town spent approximately $7,000 per crossing to improve safety as a means of qualifying for a quiet zone allowing reduced use of train horns.

Connell is also located on the same BNSF main line to Pasco.

SENTENCE

REDUCTION

DENIED

A motion by Evan Couch, 28, Oakesdale, to have 22 days of his sentence dismissed was denied Friday morning in superior court. Couch in his motion noted he expected to have completed 200 hours of public service credit as of Friday morning’s hearing on his petition.

Couch was booked into jail Aug. 19 to begin serving a sentence for possession of methamphetamine. He was convicted of the charge after being removed from the drug court program and sentenced to three months in jail.

Couch was admitted to drug court in April of 2018, but was removed for failure to meet conditions of the program.

His conviction dates back to Jan. 17, 2017, when a deputy located Couch near to a disabled vehicle and offered to give him a ride into Colfax. The drug evidence was discovered when the deputy made a routine search of Couch prior to allowing him to ride in the patrol car.

ELBERTON ROAD FIRE

Fire District 11 trucks from Colfax responded at 6:04 p.m. Sept. 24 to assist Garfield Fire Department with a grass and brush fire along the Elberton Road west of Garfield. The fire did get into a few trees in the area.

The rural district 11 units were on the scene for approximately two and a half hours.

The fire was in brush and grass along the south side of the road between the rock pit and the Lange Road intersection. Crews from here logged back into the station at 8:34 p.m.

CORONER’S 26 FATALITY REPORT

County Coroner Annie Pillars issued a report Sept. 24 after investigating the death of Brittney Lee Rooney who died at the scene of a one-car accident early Friday near mile marker 102 on Highway 26, west of LaCrosse. The report said Rooney sustained massive head and chest injuries in the accident.

She was a passenger in a 1995 Chevrolet Blazer which was being driven by her father, Norman Rooney, 45, Longview.

The coroner’s report noted Brittney Rooney was ejected from the Chevrolet Blazer which rolled down an embankment after leaving the highway.

Brittney Rooney and her father were driving from Longview to Cambridge, Idaho, where she made her home.

Norman Rooney was released from jail last Tuesday after a formal charge was not filed against him within 72 hours. Rooney had been booked in jail on a probable charge of vehicular homicide.

The Washington State Patrol report alleged Norman Rooney had fallen asleep while driving eastbound on Highway 26 and drove off the highway. He was booked in jail after allegedly telling troopers he had ingested a prescription drug which contributed to his falling asleep at the wheel.

A formal charge, followed by a summons to appear in court, could still be filed against him. An order exonerating the bail requirement was filed with the court.