Northwest briefly
Published 10:09 pm Friday, September 17, 2010
Teacher pleads not guilty to sex charges
YAKIMA — East Valley High School teacher Michele Taylor pleaded not guilty to second-degree sexual misconduct and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
In a court filing the 31-year-old Yakima woman requested a jury trial.
Taylor is accused of having sexual contact with a 16-year-old student. She’s also accused of sending a suggestive photo of herself to a 15-year-old boy.
The Yakima Herald- Republic reported she remains free awaiting trial because she does not have a criminal record. She is scheduled in court Oct. 16.
Fort Lewis: Soldier dies in Germany
Army officials said a Stryker Brigade soldier who fell ill in Afghanistan has died at a military hospital in Germany.
According to an Army statement, 22-year-old Sgt. Robert David Gordon II of River Falls, Ala., got sick last Friday and died Wednesday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. His illness was not disclosed but is described as not related to combat.
Gordon enlisted in the Army more than four years ago. He was assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was sent to Afghanistan in July.
Spokane: Killer flees institution
A killer committed to a mental institution has escaped during a field trip to the Spokane County Interstate Fair.
Spokane County sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said 57-year-old Phillip Arnold Paul was last seen Thursday morning in the northeast part of the fairgrounds. A store clerk told authorities she saw someone matching Paul’s description later in the morning, and Reagan says investigators believe he has gotten outside the fairgrounds. It’s not his first escape.
Paul slashed an elderly woman’s throat in Sunnyside in 1987 and buried the remains in her flower garden. He was acquitted by reason of insanity but committed to Eastern State Hospital indefinitely.
Seattle: Suspects arrested in string of muggings
Police have arrested three people for investigation in a string of street muggings in Seattle, and a fourth is being sought. Police Officer Jeffery R. Kappel said a 20-year-old man turned himself in on Thursday and was booked into jail for investigation of robbery. On Wednesday, bail was set at $500,000 for 23-year-old Jarvis Gibbs, who was arrested in Federal Way, and $75,000 for 24-year-old Sheena Blackburn, who was arrested in Auburn.
Police blame the group for a string of armed robberies in Seattle. Investigators believe Blackburn was the getaway driver.
More porn found in sex offender center
More residents of Washington’s Special Commitment Center for sex offenders have been indicted on federal charges of child pornography.
The seven indictments were unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The documents don’t specify how the men supposedly obtained the child porn.
It’s been an ongoing mystery at the center on McNeil Island, which blocks residents from the Internet. At least four other sex offenders have faced child porn charges before, and officials have said they don’t know about the source.
Several of the charges date to 2007, but some are more recent. The men were all committed involuntarily for treatment after they served their prison terms.
If convicted, they could be sent back to prison.
Rosellini recovering from fall
Former Washington Gov. Albert D. Rosellini is recovering from surgery after breaking his hip in a fall over the weekend.
His son-in-law, John Campbell of Bellevue, says the 99-year-old had surgery Thursday morning at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is doing fine.
Leavenworth: Amtrak train will stop in in town
The Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth will be a stop for the Amtrak train running between Seattle and Chicago.
The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce is planning a celebration to welcome the first train stopping on Sept. 25.
The chamber says Leavenworth officials have been working more than eight years with Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe and others to have the Empire Builder stop in the city in the Cascades foothills.
Okanogan: Help sought in fugitive search
Sheriff’s offices in two counties say they are asking the public for any tips that may lead to the whereabouts of a Seattle man accused of fatally shooting a prominent Seattle-area sound engineer.
Kino Michael Gomez, 51, of Seattle is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Tom Pfaeffle, 49, who worked on sound engineering for musicians such as B.B. King, Alice Cooper, Nirvana, and others.
Gomez disappeared after posting bail of $100,000, leaving behind a note saying he would rather die than lose his freedom.
Police say Gomez shot Pfaeffle through a motel room door in Twisp, Wash., on July 17 because the 51-year-old mistakenly thought someone was trying to break in. Police say Pfaeffle put his key in wrong room door.
Sheriff’s offices in King and Okanogan counties say they are asking the public for tips on Gomez’s whereabouts. Gomez lived in King county and the shooting happened in Okanogan.
Okanogan County sheriff Frank Rogers said Thursday that investigators don’t have place to key on yet and that they’re just getting the word out. Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County sheriff’s office said his department will follow any credible tip from the public.
La Center: Schools jump ahead on school reform
School officials in La Center aren’t waiting for the state of Washington to finish reforming high school graduation requirements. The small Southwest Washington school district has decided to adopt a version of a 24-credit high school diploma while implementation is still being discussed by the State Board of Education and the state Legislature.
Board member Eric Liu said at the panel’s meeting Thursday in Renton that La Center is not alone in its desire to “get ahead of the curve” on education reform. He says school officials around the state are watching the process and figuring out how to adopt the changes that seem inevitable.
Among the other topics on the agenda at the State Board of Education meeting are federal government school reform initiatives, online learning and the state’s new assessment system.
Olympia: Tribal police can pursue beyond reservation, court rules
The Washington state Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that tribal police can pursue non-Indian motorists outside a reservation if they see a traffic infraction on tribal lands.
Thursday’s ruling says that under state law, tribal police can go beyond their jurisdiction if they’re in a “fresh pursuit,” or if there’s an immediate threat to life or property.
The case stems from an August 2005 incident, when a Lummi Nation officer pursued a suspected drunken driver but didn’t stop her until they were outside reservation boundaries.
The tribal officer held Loretta Eriksen until a Whatcom County sheriff’s deputy arrived to arrest her. Eriksen was later convicted of drunken driving, but challenged whether the tribal officer made a legal stop.
State closing four more licensing offices
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Department of Licensing is closing four more driver licensing offices.
Sept. 26 will be the last day of services at offices in Bothell, Bellevue, Kirkland and east Seattle.
Two other offices in Seattle and ones in Auburn, Olympia and Othello already have closed as part of a plan to close 10 offices and consolidate services. The department expects to save $2.6 million in the current budget.
The department is urging drivers to renew licenses online at www.dol.wa.gov.
Union has concerns over new agency head
A Washington state employees’ union questions the appointment of a Wisconsin woman to head the Children’s Administration.
The Washington Federation of State Employees says it has serious concerns about Wednesday’s appointment of Denise Revels Robinson.
The Olympian reported she left a job as head of the state Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare amid criticism after the beating death of a 13-month-old foster child.
Washington Department of Social and Health Services spokesman Thomas Shapley said Robinson’s 40-year-background in child services outweighs the controversy.
Now a policy adviser with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Robinson takes the Washington job Oct. 19. She replaces Cheryl Stephani who left in December.
Weevils deployed vs. milfoil
The state has tried pulling and poisoning milfoil to battle an infestation of the water weed in Olympia’s Capitol Lake.
Now it’s bringing weevils into the war.
About 12,000 eggs and beetle larvae were released in mid-August in a 3-acre lagoon next to the lake.
Scientists with the Stow, Ohio, based EnviroScience surveyed their bugs Wednesday and told The Olympian they’re making progress damaging the plants. Weevil larvae bore into the stems causing milfoil plants to sink to the bottom. Adult weevils eat milfoil leaves.
The biological control is a three-year $75,000 test financed by the state Ecology Department.
The 250-acre Capitol lake has been infested since 2001 with the weed.
Yakima: Man convicted for Grandview gang shootout
A man wounded in a gang shootout in Grandview has been convicted of assault, intimidating a witness and unlawful possession of a firearm.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports 27-year-old Juan Zepeda of Pasco faces more than five years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 9 in Yakima County Superior Court.
He took part in a shootout last May and threatened a man taking pictures. He has a previous conviction for a killing and was barred from possessing firearms. Zepeda was arrested after he was treated at a hospital for a leg wound.
Two other people have been charged with assault for the shootout in which as many as 25 shots were fired. A 17-year-old is awaiting trial and an arrest warrant has been issued for a 21-year-old.
Tacoma: City keeps $700,000 in Russell perks
Gov. Chris Gregoire said Tacoma will receive $700,000 in economic development money that had been intended to keep the Russell Investments company downtown.
She told the Tacoma City Club Wednesday she had taken the money from strategic reserves more than a year ago for Tacoma parking and streetscape improvements.
The News Tribune of Tacoma reported it was part of a package of incentives city officials hoped would persuade Russell to stay. Instead the financial company announced last week it will move it headquarters to Seattle in 2010, taking over the former Washington Mutual building.
The $700,000 comes from an account funded by unclaimed lottery winnings.
Aberdeen: Boy, 9, arrested in assault
Police arrested a 9-year-old boy in Aberdeen for investigation of assault and malicious mischief.
Police told KBKW the boy became hostile Wednesday night after seeing his mother with her boyfriend and hit her with a baseball bat.
Responding officers threatened him with a stun gun to force him to drop the bat. He’s held in Aberdeen’s Juvenile Detention Center.
Capt. John Green said the same boy had a run-in with officers earlier this summer when he attempted to chase his mother with a knife.
Longview: 9-year-old boy hanged
A 9-year-old boy was found dead, apparently by hanging, in the back yard of a home in Longview.
Cowlitz County Coroner Tim Davidson said the boy was found about 11 p.m. Tuesday by his family. An autopsy was scheduled Thursday.
The Daily News of Longview reports counselors were brought to St. Helens Elementary Wednesday to help classmates upset by his death.
Maple Valley: Kids say gum made them sick
A half-dozen kids at the Maple Valley Community Center say they were sickened by gum they accepted from a stranger.
King County sheriff’s spokesman John Urquhart said the kids — ages 10 to 18 — were at a skate park next to the center Wednesday night when a man in his 30s offered them gum.
One felt a scratch in the mouth and the others started feeling nauseous and dizzy.
Urquhart says fire department medics checked them out and released them to their parents.
There was nothing obvious in the gum from the boy who felt it scratch his mouth. Urquhart says it may be tested.
Richland: HUD critical of Richland rental assistance agency
The Richland Housing Authority is in danger of defaulting on its contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and may have to transfer management of a rental assistance program to another agency.
The Tri-City Herald reported a management review in June found the authority had misused money and couldn’t account for $500,000.
The chairwoman of the authority’s board of directors, Sheryl Williams, said it is asking for more time to address the situation and to keep funding for 400 clients.
Ocosta: Bear shot near Ocosta High School
The hunter had a bear tag for the small black bear killed near Ocosta High School.
But the state Fish and Wildlife Department said the hunter committed several violations in shooting the bear about 5 a.m. Thursday in a residential area.
Sgt. Matt Nixon told KXRO the case is being sent to the Grays Harbor County prosecutor. The bear meat is being donated to a needy family.
From Herald news services
