Northwest briefly: Two teenagers trapped by snow and ice rescued

SNOQUALMIE PASS — An ice cave collapsed on two teenage boys Thursday, trapping them for hours until rescuers with chain saws managed to cut through large chunks of compact snow and ice to free them.

The Seattle teens, 17-year-old Alec Corbett and 14-year-old Allesandro Gelmini, were both suffering from hypothermia, King County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.

Gelmini, rescued first, also suffered serious injuries, Urquhart said, adding Corbett’s injuries were being evaluated Thursday.

A Navy helicopter was called to fly the boys to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The teens were hiking with their mothers and their sisters when they were trapped about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. They spent more than five hours trapped underneath the ice.

Tacoma: Court frees McNeil sex felon

A convicted sex offender released from the McNeil Island Special Commitment Center is now living in Tacoma.

A Pierce County Superior Court judge ordered 56-year-old John Henry Mathers released because he has completed a treatment program. He was convicted of rape and sexual assaults in the 1970s and ’80s and has registered with Tacoma police as a Level 3 offender.

Bainbridge Island: Man dies on ferry

The Kitsap County coroner’s office says there was no trauma or other obvious cause of death for a Kingston man who died on a state ferry at Bainbridge Island.

The office said Thursday the final autopsy report is awaiting blood toxicology tests.

The 24-year-old man, Nicholas Thompson, was found by ferry workers Tuesday afternoon as the ferry from Seattle was unloading.

California: ‘Ponytail bandit’ pleads guilty

A Texas woman dubbed the “ponytail bandit” has pleaded guilty to robbing banks in three states.

Morgan Michelle Hoke admitted robbing banks in her hometown of Austin, in Roseville, Calif. and in Lynnwood. Federal prosecutors say the robberies netted her $15,000 last year.

The 21-year-old’s nickname is from surveillance photos showing her wearing a University of Texas baseball cap with her ponytail hanging down her back.

She was extradited from Thailand in February. She pleaded guilty to the three robberies Thursday in Sacramento federal court. Each count could bring 20 years in prison at her Oct. 30 sentencing.

Associated Press

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