Bulletin Column: January 16, 2020

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.

UNDERSHERIFF CHARGED

Whitman County Undersheriff Ron Rockness has been summoned to appear in court Friday, after a charge of assault in the second degree with domestic violence was filed against him Friday in superior court.

He has been charged with assaulting Barbara Rockness, Dec. 12, at Rosalia and causing substantial bodily harm.

According to a report in the Lewiston Tribune, Sheriff Brett Myers requested Asotin County to investigate the case after learning allegations involved a member of his staff. The case was investigated by the Clarkston Police Department, and the charge was filed here by the Asotin County prosecutor's office.

The Tribune report said the victim sustained a broken finger in the course of a dispute in which Rockness allegedly attempted to block her from leaving the residence. It added she believes Rockness did not intend to injure her finger, but did attempt to restrict her from leaving.

She drove to Whitman Hospital for treatment. The report said she notified Sheriff Myers by email and he subsequently asked Asotin County officers to take over the case.

SNOW DELAYS SCHOOLS

Colfax schools were among seven districts which opened two hours late Tuesday morning because of the overnight snow. Other districts opening two hours late were Steptoe, Pullman, Rosalia, LaCrosse, St. John/Endicott and Tekoa.

St. John/Endicott issued an auto telephone notice Tuesday morning that the Eagle basketball games slated at Ritzville and all other after-school activities will be be cancelled because of the weather.

SJEL varsity basketball teams Monday traveled to Colton to make up league games which were snowed out at Colton last Friday.

DUO ARRESTED IN ST. JOHN

Two men were arrested Sunday in St. John and jailed on charges of possession of methamphetamine. Deputy Cory Alcantar in his arrest report said he responded to St. John after a resident reported one of the suspects had visited her residence and appeared to be under the influence of drugs. She reported they left the residence in a square-like brown vehicle with one flat tire.

Deputy Alcantar said when he arrived in St. John he observed two men at Highway 23 Auto Repair. One of the suspects was reported to be in the back of a truck and apparently attempting to dismount a tire from a rim.

Alcantar said the man appeared to be the man who had appeared earlier at the residence, and he was arrested. During a search of the suspect, identified as Jason Tad Bright, 39, Moscow, a packet of methamphetamine was discovered in his front pant pocket.

The other suspect was identified as Anthony M. Ball, 50, Joshua, Texas. The report said he was in the brown vehicle which was parked near where Bright was arrested.

Ball allowed the deputy to search the vehicle and he allegedly found a baggie of meth on the seat next to where Ball had been sitting in the truck.

Bail for pre-trial release was set at $10,000 surety or $1,000 cash in a first appearance in court Saturday.

GREEN-NOEL SENTENCED

Ashley Green-Noel, 26, Pullman, was ordered to undergo a three to five-month chemical dependency training program Friday at a sentencing session in Whitman County Superior Court. Green-Noel, was listed on the court docket for sentencing in three different cases from last year. She has been in jail awaiting resolution of the three cases.

The sentence Friday will place her under 24 months of community custody when she will be under the supervision of the Department of Corrections once she completes the treatment program. The treatment program is expected to take between three to five months.

Green-Noel faced charges of trafficking in stolen property, possession of heroin and delivery of heroin. The latest charge alleged she had left heroin residue with another female inmate at the Whitman County jail after she was in the process of checking out.

The investigation report in that case noted the inmate who wound up with the heroin posted a "help" notice in a cell door window because she feared she would relapse into drug use with what Green-Noel had left with her.

She was also ordered to pay $278 restitution to one of the victims in the trafficking charge which alleged Green-Noel sold jewelry items which had been stolen by a Moscow resident.

A charge of possession of heroin was ordered dismissed.

BAD WEEKEND FOR DRIVING

The Washington State Patrol reported troopers between Friday and 8 p.m. Sunday responded to 46 calls for assistance from motorists on area highways. Of the 46 calls, eight turned out to be actual accidents with reportable damage.

Troopers responded to another eight accidents where the vehicles were no longer on the scene, probably because they were able to get out of the predicament on their own or with volunteer assistance.

The other 30 accidents involved vehicles that did not sustain damage that is considered reportable damage.

Troopers Sunday night shut down traffic on Highway 195 between mile marker 23 and mile marker 27 due to numerous slide-offs that were reported in the Round Barn Hill area.

Highway 23 from I-90 at Sprague was closed down Friday at about 6:30 p.m. and remained closed overnight until about 6:30 Saturday morning.

Poor vision caused by blowing snow, and lack of resources to keep the route open were the reasons for the overnight shutdown.

STATE DROPS CHARGES AGAINST HARTHILL

Charges of possession of child pornography which had been filed against Phillip Harthill, 72, Rosalia, were dismissed last Wednesday, Jan. 8, in Whitman County Superior Court. Harthill had been charged with five counts of depiction of children engaged in sexually explicit context.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau asked the court to drop the charges because the same charges have been filed in Federal Court against Harthill.

In addition, the initial investigation against Harthill was done by federal agents with Homeland Security.

Harthill was arrested after officers obtained a warrant to search his residence in Rosalia.

Harthill at one time was scheduled for a trial here beginning Nov. 12.

He remained in jail here while the state charges were pending.

LAST CHANCE IN DRUG COURT

Miles Stohler, 25, a WSU student who has been a participant in the drug court program here, was sentenced to 30 days in jail Friday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment. Stohler was arrested Oct. 21 at Walmart in Pullman on a charge of theft. The harassment charge alleged he had made threats against the Walmart security officer who had arrested him.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Wendy Lierman noted Stohler also faced a theft charge in the incident and had failed a series of monthly urine analysis tests which are required of drug court participants to insure they have not been using drugs.

Stohler will be required to start the two-year drug court program over again. Lierman said the theft charge will be rolled in with the other original charges which will be in limbo while Stohler attempts to complete the program.

Charges pending against drug court participants are dropped if they successfully complete the program.

Strohler told the court he has enrolled for classes this semester and made arrangements with professors to do the course work while serving time on the harassment conviction. He said he expects this semester will be the last he needs to conclude requirements for a degree in marketing.

Judge Gary Libey said the newly assigned drug court will be Stohler's last chance to complete the program. If he again fails to meet the requirements he will be sentenced to the charges now pending.