OLYMPIA – A man who had been picked up for investigation of drunken driving was found dead, hanging from a telephone cord at the Thurston County jail, officials said.
Steven Spears, 55, could not be revived by paramedics after he was found unconscious by guards, said Karen Daniels, chief corrections deputy in the sheriff’s office.
Spears had been checked as a matter of routine about an hour earlier, Daniels said.
He was arrested by the Washington State Patrol following a two-car crash Saturday night and was taken briefly to Providence St. Peter Hospital for observation before being transported to the jail, arriving about 10 p.m.
Spears was not booked into custody and was told he could be picked up by friend or relative after he sobered up, Daniels said.
Associated Press
Vancouver, Wash.: Mother and son killed
A woman and her son were stabbed to death, and a man who reported the killing was arrested for investigation of first-degree murder, police said.
Dylon R. Peterson, 25, who is believed to have placed a 911 call that led to the discovery of the bodies Sunday morning, was jailed pending a court hearing, police spokeswoman Kimberly Anne Kapp said.
Officers found the bodies of a 45-year-old woman and her 15-year-old son in a duplex after receiving the call in which a man said he had stabbed two people, Kapp said.
Peterson was at the scene also and was arrested after being questioned by police.
Associated Press
Spokane: Fake bomb found, student arrested
A 14-year-old Lewis and Clark High School student has been arrested for allegedly placing a fake bomb in a restroom.
A security guard took the imitation bomb to an outside courtyard after it was discovered Monday, and a bomb squad later blew it up.
The student was booked into juvenile detention for investigation of felony malicious placement of an imitation device.
Spokane police blocked nearby streets but a district spokeswoman said the school was not locked down or evacuated.
Associated Press
Renton: Thieves target water meter covers
First it was copper wiring. Now it’s the aluminum covers on water meters.
In the last few weeks, thieves have stolen the lids from about 50 meters in downtown Renton. The prize is the aluminum, which the city estimates is worth about $5 a lid as scrap.
There has been a rash of copper-wire thefts across the suburbs because of its value as scrap.
Once the lid is gone, a hazard remains. The meters are embedded in sidewalks and leave a hole in the walkways once their covers are removed.
To fight back, the city is replacing the covers with ones made of cast iron, which are heavier and have less value as scrap.
King County Journal
Forks: Bill for rental car settles at $871
A Florida couple who had been staring down a mighty rental car bill breathed a sigh of relief last week when the total bill came in at $871.
“I think they treated us fairly,” said Pat Hite, the wife of a man whose rental car was stranded near the Hoh Visitor Center in Olympic National Park. “Free would be better, but fair is good.”
Claude Hite of Tampa Bay had been camping in the Hoh Rainforest on Nov. 6 when a powerful storm washed away a giant chuck on the Hoh River Road, leaving him and a friend, and his rented Chrysler PT Cruiser, stuck.
Instead of charging the Hites the daily rate for the time the car spent deserted up the road, Thrifty Car Rental offered $12 a day, and the Hites jumped at it.
Peninsula Daily News
Oregon: Police say man missing at accident site
An Idaho city official who stopped to help at a traffic accident scene was missing Monday, and he may have fallen or jumped into the John Day River to avoid a second accident, the Oregon State Police said.
The police said John Dickinson, 62, of Moscow stopped his car Sunday evening behind another car that had swerved to avoid debris on an Interstate 84 bridge east of The Dalles, struck a center divider and come to rest in the driving lane.
Dickinson got out of his car, which a third car then struck from behind, the police said.
Troopers said Dickinson couldn’t be found at the scene of the accidents, and said he may have fallen off the bridge or jumped the concrete railing, which is 31/2 feet high.
Associated Press
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