Missing 3-year-old sibling of beaten toddler found; suspect in custody
FIRCREST, Washington — A 3-year-old Fircrest boy who was reported missing after his 18-month-old sibling was found severely beaten Thursday was found and had also suffered injuries, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said. Police said the 3-year-old turned up at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma and was taken to the emergency room. The suspect in [...]
School bus driver, a former teacher, arrested in child porn sting
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — A former teacher who is now a substitute bus driver for the Issaquah School District was arrested by Homeland Security agents on Thursday on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. Undercover agents said they caught Andrew Rekdahl, 30, downloading and sharing child pornography under the screenname “Hboyandy.” When he [...]
Police seek 2 armed-white-men who robbed Bothell business
BOTHELL, Wash. — Two armed men robbed a produce market Sunday evening, and the Bothell Police Department are looking for them. According to police, the incident happened at 8:41 p.m. at the Yakima Fruit Market at 17321 State Route 522. Police said the men went inside of the business during closing hours and [...]
Mom ‘repeatedly poured bleach into her toddler’s EYES until her sight was permanently damaged’
A mother from Washington has been charged with assault after it was alleged she repeatedly put bleach into her young daughter’s eyes. Jennifer Mothershead, 29 from Bonney Lake, is thought to have caused permanent vision loss in her 15-month-old daughter’s right eye. Authorities became suspicious in May last year when the little girl was airlifted [...]
Sex offender posing in park arrested
A Spokane sex offender is in jail after police say he posed for sexually explicit photos in Riverfront Park Tuesday afternoon. James Ray Febus, 36, told police that “there was really no full nudity” involved, but Spokane police Officer Shawn Pegram showed him photos to the contrary, and Febus asked for a warning and said [...]
Pic shows possible child luring suspect
Spokane police are trying to identity a person of interest in an attempted child luring. The incident occurred April 11 at the Shadle Park WalMart on West Wellesley Avenue, police said today. Anyone with information on the man’s identity is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
Bearded woman asks for new trial
A woman who wears a beard as a symbol of her activism and lives as a man is asking for a new trial following her conviction earlier this month for grabbing a Spokane Police officer’s genitals in 2009 during an arrest. Joseph Ali Bin Muhammad, 45, formerly Paula K. Reynolds-Eblacas, represented himself at trial in [...]
Attack suspect to undergo mental exam
A man accused of a bizarre attack in downtown Spokane earlier this month is to undergo a mental health examination. Justin T. Betts, 29, is due back in Spokane County Superior Court next month to determine if he’s competent to stand trial. An arraignment scheduled for last Thursday was cancelled. Police say Betts, who had [...]
Prints on knife lead to hit-and-run arrest
Fingerprints on a knife left at the scene of a hit-and-run crash last September recently led police to identify a suspect. Michael L. Bridges, who was released from prison last year for another hit-and-run crash, is accused of crashing a Chevrolet Malibu into a vehicle at the intersection of Wellesley Avenue and Belt Street Sept. [...]
‘Doomed’ man admits to cop gun theft
A Spokane man who stole a handgun from Spokane County sheriff’s detective’s squad car has been sentenced to about three years in prison. A judge recommended James Warren Peterschick, 30, undergo drug treatment and be placed in a federal prison with a medical facility in hopes of addressing what his lawyer described as a lifetime [...]
Gas theft helps cops bust burglary ring
A fuel theft at a Spokane Valley gas station this week led police to uncover a suspected burglary ring, officials said Friday. Bojan Derzic, 30, told police he’d committed 10 to 15 burglaries in recent months after he was arrested for allegedly stealing fuel at 411 N. Pines Road on Tuesday, according to the Spokane [...]
Uncle in kidnapping jailed on high bond
A longtime Spokane felon accused of kidnapping his 14-year-old niece will remain jailed on $350,000 bond, a judge ruled Friday. Steven Norton Tofte, 53, told police he was trying to keep the girl from her abusive family members, but police continue to investigate the circumstances of her disappearance. “I just wanted to make sure she was [...]