Serving Whitman County since 1877

Bulletin column - Sept. 23, 2010

These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated.

Defense files motions in Pasma case

Three motions to suppress evidence and two motions for discovery were filed in Superior Court Monday by Timothy Esser, Pullman attorney who represents Richard Pasma, 24, defendant in the Kristen Grindley case. Pasma, who has been charged with failure to report an injury accident, has been scheduled for a jury trial Nov. 15.

Grindley, then a recent WSU graduate, was found seriously injured in the early-morning hours of Nov. 11 last year. Filed July 1, the state’s case contends Grindley fell out of the truck Pasma was driving to Albion from Pullman that morning.

Esser had filed notice for hearings on his motions for the next two Fridays.

The motion said Pasma was called at his Pullman residence at 4:16 a.m. Nov. 11 and taken to a sheriff’s substation in Albion for an interview by Sheriff Brett Myers. It asks the court to suppress evidence, including telephone records, from a Nov. 12 warrant search of Pasma’s residence which followed the interview. Esser contends Pasma wasn’t advised of his rights until the end of that early morning interview at Albion. He also asks that any evidence from the interview be suppressed.

He also asks the court to suppress a video which allegedly shows Pasma driving through the accident scene where Grindley was found because no legible copy of the video has been provided to the defense.

Esser asks the court to also order the prosecutor to provide a list of expert witnesses along with copies of their opinions and documents and arrange for the defense to interview the expert witnesses.

Esser also asked the court to order the state to release Pasma’s truck. Esser contended the state has no evidence Grindley was ever in the truck on the night she was injured and therefore has no legal reason to keep possession of it.

Court declines Bickle motion

A motion for release or reduction of bail for Paul Scott Bickle, 32, who faces 21 charges connected with a string of burglaries in the county, was denied Friday in Whitman County Superior Court. Bickle has been ordered held on $200,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment Aug. 13.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy said he will seek an exceptional sentence in the event Bickle is convicted on any of the charges because of the defendant’s extensive criminal record.

Bickle and Nikki Kropp, 38, were arrested early Aug. 9 at the mobile home where they were living in LaCrosse. Alleged victims of the charges are Arrow Machinery, State Department of Transportation, Rite Aid and Ace Hardware in Pullman and contractors on the Wal Mart construction site where Bickle had been hired as a night watchman.

The court ruled it was “highly likely” that Bickle would fail to appear for trial or comply with any prior conditions if allowed release.

City okays scout projects

Two Eagle Scout projects for city improvement were approved Monday night by the Colfax city council. Brandon McAdams received approval to install horseshoe throwing pits at the former site, next to the Schmuck Park picnic shelter.

Daniel Thomas received approval to go ahead with a project to repair the city’s dog pound at the sewer plant. Thomas said three of the four doors for dogs at the pound need to be replaced. The fence at the pound also needs to be repaired. One wrecked segment of the fence has temporarily been repaired with a gate strapped to it.

Public Works Director Andy Rogers said the city might have fencing left over from other projects which could be used to repair the pound.

Police get prowl reports

Colfax police received reports of four car prowls last week. Chief Bill Hickman said the rear window of a student vehicle at the Colfax High School was broken out some time during the day last Tuesday, Sept. 14. An I-pod was taken from the vehicle.

That night a pickup truck and two cars in the E. Wawawai Street neighborhood were entered. A removable radio unit was taken from the pickup truck, and change was taken from a coin holder of one of the two cars which were in the driveway of a neighboring residence. All three of the vehicles were unlocked.

Speed chase nets 90 days

Alex Paul Mackenzie, the 23-year-old Toledo resident who crashed into a fence at the Palouse Empire Fairground after a chase Aug. 27, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay fees and fines totaling $1,800 after pleading guilty Friday in superior court to a charge of attempting to elude. The deputy who arrested Mackenzie reported Mackenzie’s eastbound car was clocked at 91 mph on the radar unit of the westbound patrol car. The deputy turned around and attempted to stop the speeding car which continued eastbound at a high rate of speed.

The car was discovered crashed into the fence at the fairground. The report said Mackenzie was not at the scene, but deputies later found him in a field.

A pre-sentence report said Mackenzie was convicted of drunken driving in January of 2009 in Lewis County.

Patrol car said kicked

Sarah Katharine Miller, 28, Oakesdale, was booked into jail early Sunday morning after a one-car rollover accident on Highway 271 north of Oakesdale late Saturday night. She was booked on probable charges of malicious mischief, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

A Washington State Patrol report said Miller was arrested at the scene of a one-car rollover accident at about 10 p.m. Saturday night. The report alleged Miller damaged a back window of Retzer’s state patrol car when she kicked it after being placed in the back of the car following a struggle. The suspect had sustained minor injuries in the one-car rollover accident.

Miller was released on her own recognizance Monday after an initial hearing in court.

Collision at Dusty

Bruce Carloye, 42, Seattle, complained of neck pains after a collision at the intersection of Highway 26 and the Walla Walla Highway at Dusty Saturday afternoon. He was a passenger in a 1995 Honda Civic driven by Kimberly Hollingsworth, 41, Seattle.

According to the Washington State Patrol report, Donald Meekhof, 77, Spokane, had stopped at the sign next to the northbound lane of the Walla Walla Highway at 2:25 p.m. and then started across the highway and struck the Civic which was eastbound on Highway 26.

Jailed for assault

Dylan J. Sparkman was booked into the county jail just after midnight Thursday on probable charges of second-degree assault and third degree malicious mischief. The Pullman Police report alleged Sparkman had assaulted his ex-girlfriend, knocked a door off its hinges and threw stuff around the apartment they had shared. They said he also put his hands around her throat and grabbed her arms. The alleged victim said Sparkman became upset when she told him she was ending the relationship.

Sparkman was released on his own recognizance after a first appearance in court.

State crews excavate hump

State Transportation crews September 15 again excavated the 195 Highway pavement “hump” at the south end of the twin bridges junction across from Zip’s. The road surface had become unstable and has been the subject of earlier repair attempts this year.

Clay content of the soil under the highway is believed to have been the cause in instability which has caused sinking and a buildup of a hump along the side.

Crews dumped base rock in the excavated hole and topped it with gravel. A “loose gravel” sign was posted for the southbound lane of Highway 195 at the end of the bridge.

Paving for the site is expected this week.

River locks go on winter schedule

Lock operations on the Snake River system switched to winter mode Thursday. Lockages will be during daylight hours at the request of recreational boaters at each lock. Commercial vessels continue to have precedence. The Lower Snake River locks will be out of action for major rehab between Dec. 10 and March 13, according to Richard D. Wermer, chief of the Walla Walla district for the Army Corps of Engineers.

School count down 12

School enrollment at Colfax is down 12 students this year. The drop continues a long trend of declining enrollment, normally about 10 students per year.

Total full time equivalent enrollment for the district is 619.8 students. The district in 2005-6 started the year with 697 students.

The tabulation includes partial credit for part-time students. Enrollment at Jennings actually increased by 8.63 students, but high school figures dropped by 17.26 students.

Although down, the total this year is about eight over the enrollment income projection used for the district’s budget.

Smallest class for the district this year is first-grade class with just 28 students. The district has just one teacher for first grade but is working to add aides because the count is relatively high for one class.

Other class counts are kindergarten 62, second grade 53, third 37, fourth 43, fifth 47, sixth 46.2, seventh 52 and eighth 59.64.

High school figures include freshman 51, sophomores 56.2, juniors 60.85 and seniors 44.35. That puts the district’s official count for sports classification at about 161 students.

 

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