Northwest Briefly: Seattle cop killing suspect out of hospital

Seattle cop killing suspect out of hospital

SEATTLE— The man accused of killing Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton is out of the hospital.

Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg Hanson said Christopher Monfort was released to law enforcement custody Wednesday. He’d been there since he was shot and paralyzed by police on Nov. 6.

Prosecutors said Monfort waged a “one-man war” against the Seattle Police Department, first firebombing several cruisers in what they described as an unsuccessful assasination attempt, and then opening fire after he drove alongside Brenton’s cruiser on Halloween night.

Monfort’s arraignment on charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and arson is set for for Dec. 14.

Frigid cold hits new low in Seattle

The temperature dropped to 18 degrees before dawn Wednesday at Sea-Tac Airport, setting a new record low for the date.

Meteorologist Chris Burke at the National Weather Service office in Seattle said the previous record low for the date was 21, set in 1972.

Burke said Olympia also set a record low of 7, breaking the 1972 record of 10. And the 18 degrees at Quillayute broke the 1972 record of 20.

Bainbridge Island: Police buy riot helmets from LA

Bainbridge Island Police Chief Jon Fehlman says he got a bargain on 75 surplus riot helmets from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The department for the Puget Sound island paid just a dollar apiece, plus shipping and handling.

Fehlman told The Kitsap Sun he plans to swap out deteriorating helmets in the department’s 26 riot kits and donate others to Poulsbo Police and the Suquamish Tribal Police Department.

Fehlman doesn’t expect a riot, although Bainbridge Island officers went to Seattle 10 years ago for the World Trade Organization protests. Officers also use the riot gear in conducting high risk raids.

Olympia: All truck scales open

The Washington State Patrol staffed all 54 truck scales in the state Wednesday to crack down on trucks with unsecured loads.

This is the fourth “open scale” day in the state this year. Previous days of emphasis resulted in 1,642 inspections with 168 vehicles and 42 drivers taken off the highways.

Only state port of entry scales are open every day. Zeller said other scales are operated depending on traffic and staffing.

Aberdeen: Police car in third accident

For the third time in a month, an Aberdeen patrol car has been struck by a car running a stop sign or stop light.

The latest accident sent an officer to Community Hospital with injuries that were not consideredlife threatening.

Capt. Dave Johnson said three patrol cars are out of service.

Colfax: Man accused of hitting pedestrians

The Idaho motorist accused of striking down two pedestrians on the Washington State University campus may be suffering from “caffeine psychosis,” his lawyer said.

The lawyer for Dan Noble, 31, of Moscow, said Tuesday that his client was known to consume large amounts of energy drinks and Starbucks coffee. Attorney Mark Moorer described Noble as a financial analyst in the University of Idaho Trust and Investment Office who worked long hours.

Attorney Mark Moorer told Whitman County Superior Judge David Frazier that the caffeine could have accounted for Noble’s strange behavior. Frazier ordered Noble held without bail until his mental state can be evaluated.

Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy planned to file charges of vehicular assault, felony hit-and-run, and resisting arrest against Noble. He said Noble posed a risk to the community.

D.C.: McCain blasts Hanford spending

Sen. John McCain put four projects in Washington on his list of 100 he sees wasting federal stimulus money.

The list prepared by the Arizona Republican with Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma ranks the $1.9 billion for Hanford nuclear reservation cleanup at No. 10. It says Hanford work has been plagued by cost overruns and delays.

Also on the list: