Bank robber escapes during visit to doctor

SPOKANE – Federal authorities were embarrassed when a bank robber given a three-hour jail pass for a doctor’s appointment escaped while being escorted by two women, neither in law enforcement.

Dale D. Reed dashed out the back door of a Post Falls, Idaho, doctor’s office Monday after he was granted a furlough from the Spokane County Jail so he could be treated for chronic hand pain stemming from an old gunshot wound.

Reed was facing a possible 25-year sentence Nov. 26 after pleading guilty to armed robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank on Spokane’s South Hill in 1998. He was still at large Thursday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Pipeline blast pleas: Olympic Pipe Line Co. and Equilon Pipeline Co. pleaded innocent Thursday to federal charges stemming from the 1999 pipeline leak and fire that killed three people in Bellingham. Frank Hopf Jr., who was a vice president and manager with Olympic at the time, also pleaded innocent. An initial trial date was set for Nov. 9, said U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Lawrence Lincoln. A grand jury produced a seven-count federal indictment two weeks ago, naming Olympic Pipe Line, Equilon Pipeline and three of Olympic’s officers or employees.

Guilty plea in murder: A second Spokane man has pleaded guilty to helping beat and tie up another man who drowned after being tossed into a Stevens County lake. Frank J. McCauley, 31, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Stevens County Superior Court to first-degree rendering criminal assistance. He agreed to join Christopher W. Morlan in testifying against co-defendant Shonda R. Foster at her first-degree murder trial Nov. 13. Morlan and his sister-in-law, Foster, both 26 of Spokane, are accused of beating, binding and killing Neal E. Bowen, 34, last April.

Gas causes illness: A middle school in southwest Washington was evacuated and classes canceled Thursday after students fell ill from inhaling hydrogen sulfide gas, Skamania County sheriff’s officers said. Sixteen students and a teacher at Canyon Creek Middle School in Washougal, about 20 miles east of Vancouver, were taken to hospitals in the Vancouver-Portland area, Undersheriff Ed Powell said. A hazardous materials crew detected the gas inside one of the classrooms but was still trying to determine the source, Washougal firefighter Thomas O’Donohue said.

New Indian museum: A new museum focusing on the rich Indian legacy of the Inland Northwest, with additional galleries for modern and contemporary art, is rising in one of Spokane’s oldest neighborhoods. The $28 million Northwest Museum of Arts &Culture is scheduled to open Dec. 5 in Browne’s Addition, an area of old mansions and vintage apartment buildings along the Spokane River. The collection includes everything from fishing hooks to beadwork, as well as some contemporary items.

From The Herald’s news services

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Gold Bar in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Lynnwood man dies in fatal crash on US 2 near Gold Bar

The Washington State Patrol said the driver was street racing prior to the crash on Friday afternoon.

Thousands gather to watch fireworks over Lake Ballinger from Nile Shrine Golf Course and Lake Ballinger Park on Thursday, July 3, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Thousands ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at Mountlake Terrace fireworks show

The city hosts its Independence Day celebrations the day before the July 4 holiday.

Liam Shakya, 3, waves at a float passing by during the Fourth of July Parade on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett celebrates Fourth of July with traditional parade

Thousands celebrated Independence Day by going to the annual parade, which traveled through the the city’s downtown core.

Ian Saltzman
Everett Public Schools superintendent wins state award

A group of school administrators named Ian Saltzman as a top educational leader.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.