Spokane Valley man dies in N. Idaho

PLUMMER, Idaho — Authorities say a Washington state man is dead and a northern Idaho man has been taken into custody.

The Coeur d’Alene Press reported that Thomas Richard Schoolcraft, 39, was found dead Friday in a trailer home on the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Reservation. Police say he was a Spokane Valley resident.

Authorities said 28-year-old Joseph L. James of Plummer has been charged under Tribal code with homicide, burglary and aggravated battery. He is being held in the Kootenai County Jail without bail.

The FBI is also investigating the death. FBI spokesman Todd Palmer said the agency for now is calling the death suspicious.

Benewah County Coroner Ronald Hodge said an autopsy was performed Friday in Spokane.

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