Northwest briefly: Investigation clears Rossi in finance case
Published 11:24 pm Thursday, November 29, 2007
OLYMPIA — State campaign watchdogs on Thursday recommended dismissal of potentially damaging campaign finance complaints lodged by state Democrats against Gov. Chris Gregoire’s GOP challenger, Dino Rossi.
In June, the state party asked the state Public Disclosure Commission to look into whether Rossi illegally used his nonprofit group, the Forward Washington Foundation, to finance an undeclared shadow campaign and evade the state’s strict reporting and gift-limit requirements.
Rossi has since left the foundation, which had paid him an annual salary of $75,000.
After an extensive probe by two full-time investigators, the PDC enforcement staff has recommended that the complaint be dismissed by the full commission next Thursday.
A 150-page report released Thursday clears Rossi and says there is no apparent violation.
Tacoma: Two DUI arrests in two hours
A Pierce County sheriff’s deputy has been suspended after being arrested twice in two hours for investigation of drunken driving west of Wenatchee.
Robert Glen Carpenter, 37, a 14-year veteran, will remain off duty pending an internal investigation, Sheriff Paul Pastor said Tuesday.
Carpenter pleaded innocent Monday to drunken driving in Chelan County District Court.
According to the Washington State Patrol, he was stopped the first time on U.S. 2 at 12:30 a.m. Saturday after being clocked at 95 mph.
A large can of beer was found in his truck, Carpenter had his loaded .40-caliber Glock service pistol in a holster under his coat and at 1:54 a.m. his blood alcohol level registered .21, more than twice the legal limit of .08, trooper Albert Arrey wrote.
Carpenter was released into the custody of his girlfriend, who came to pick up Carpenter’s truck and dog, according to the report, but he was stopped again by a Chelan County deputy for investigation of speeding at 2:44 a.m.
State Patrol Sgt. Arthur Nelson also responded to the scene, and this time Carpenter was booked into jail. At 4:22 a.m. a second test showed his blood alcohol level at nearly .17, Nelson wrote.
Seattle: Obama plans Seattle fundraiser
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama is scheduled to hold a fundraising event in Seattle on Dec. 11. Tickets are $100, according to his campaign Web site.
Obama was last in Seattle on June 1 and drew 3,500 to an event at Qwest Field Events Center.
Seafair Pirates’ cannons recovered
The Seafair Pirates are fully armed again.
The group known for its Seattle Seafair Parade float, the Moby Duck, says six cannons that were stolen in October have been located.
They were turned over to Seattle police, slightly damaged, and will be remounted on the pirate ship, a World War II amphibious landing craft.
The cannons are gold-plated pipes that would cost about $3,500 each to replace. They had disappeared from the warehouse where the Moby Duck is stored.
Newport: Charges in dragging death
A prosecutor has filed charges against a man accused of tying a rope around the neck of a college student who was fatally dragged 13 miles behind a pickup truck.
Pend Oreille County deputy prosecutor Tony Koures said Thursday he filed documents charging Wendell C. Sinn Jr. with second-degree murder, or first-degree manslaughter, in the Nov. 24 dragging death of Jerid Sturman-Camyn.
According to witnesses, Sturman-Camyn, a 20-year-old martial arts enthusiast, became violent and out of control at a northeastern Washington hunting camp.
Court documents allege Sinn, 45, of Newman Lake near Spokane, tied a rope to the truck’s trailer hitch and placed a noose around Sturman-Camyn’s neck when the young man was distracted.
Sinn yelled to his 17-year-old son, Justin D. Sinn, to drive away, the court documents allege. An autopsy concluded Sturman-Camyn died of strangulation.
Yakima: Chinook and Cayuse passes closed
The Transportation Department has closed Chinook and Cayuse passes because of snow.
Chinook, on Highway 410, and Cayuse, on Highway 123 near Mount Rainier, are closed each winter and opened in the spring.
Alaska: Oil spill leads to guilty plea, fines
The Alaska subsidiary of oil giant BP PLC pleaded guilty on Thursday to a federal environmental crime for failing to prevent a crude spill across a swath of delicate tundra in America’s largest oil field.
The guilty plea by BP Exploration Alaska Inc. is part of a settlement with the government over a 200,000-gallon spill at the Prudhoe Bay field in March 2006.
Under the agreement, BP pleaded guilty to one violation of the Clean Water Act, a misdemeanor, and will pay $20 million in fines for allowing the pipeline to corrode. The company will also be under probation for a maximum of three years.
