Bulletin Column

These reports are from the previous two 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.

JUVENILE BURGLARY SUSPECTS

Colfax officers, acting on an anonymous tip, interviewed several juveniles who were implicated in a residential burglary in Colfax over the past week. During the investigation it was also learned that two of the juveniles had been involved in at least two break-ins of the Colfax High School and a motor vehicle theft that had occurred in Moscow three months ago. The car, a 1998 Chevrolet Trailblazer, was recovered Monday night on the WSU campus. The investigation is continuing and more charges are expected.

A break-in at the Colfax High School was reported to Colfax Police Friday morning. The entry was discovered by Supt. Michael Morgan at about 9:30 a.m.

At least three classrooms in the high school were entered, but an initial investigation determined nothing appeared to be missing.

Entry to the building was made through a single door on the northeast corner of the building near the gym. According to the report of Officer John Lybbert, entry was believed to have been made by sawing a latch on the door.

Vertical glass panels on three of the classroom doors were broken to allow the intruders to reach through the doors and unlock them. The intruders apparently rummaged through teacher’s desks in each of the classrooms but nothing appeared to be vandalized.

Chief Rick McNannay said the department has obtained surveillance video tape which shows two suspects in the building. Both are wearing dark hoodie type shirts.

CHAMBER PLANS WORK DAY

A work day for Christmas decorating has been planned by the Chamber of Commerce for 10 a.m. Saturday. More decorations will be installed at Codger Pole Park and three more wreaths will be placed on light poles by the city.

The chamber plans a lighting ceremony at Codger as part of the Dec. 13 Christmas festival. The lighting event will be before the parade.

Chamber volunteers will be at the Center from 5 to 7 p.m. so residents can view the 13 decorated Christmas trees Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week and Monday through Friday of next week. The Center will also be open from 1 to 4 p.m., Dec. 13, for Santa visits during the festival.

DEFAULT RULING ON INMATE

A default judgment was filed Tuesday in superior court against Andrew Brindamour for failing to respond to a civil suit filed by Elaine O’Fallon. The court ruled O’Fallon can present a judgment after Brindamour failed to respond to a notice and summons that a civil suit had been filed against him.

O’Fallon’s suit contends Brindamour, doing business as Home Savvy Contracting, failed to complete a remodeling project after she had paid him $25,000. Her complaint said she had to pay another contractor $14,293 to complete the project and seeks a judgment for Brindamour to reimburse her that amount plus costs and fees.

Brindamour Aug. 22 was sentenced to a year in jail after he asked to be removed from the drug court program. He had been unable to refrain from using drugs. He was sentenced for burglary, theft, and possession of marijuana. The charges had been suspended while he attempted to complete the drug court program.

O’Fallon’s suit also lists Wesco Insurance as a defendant as holder of a $6,000 performance bond for the construction project. Wesco has responded to the civil suit.

FIRE DESTROYS ALBION MH

A Colfax fire crew responded to assist Albion firefighters Monday with a mobile home fire on N. G Street in Albion. The fire gutted the mobile home which had been occupied by a family.

ARREST AT MARTIN

Michael A. Fisher, 22, Pullman, was booked into the jail here at 5:31 a.m. Sunday on a probable charge of third degree assault after he was arrested at WSU’s Martin Stadium during the Apple Cup game. According to the arrest report by Deputy Jim Pelissier, a member of ProStaff security told the deputy on the stadium concourse near section 30 that Fisher had reportedly been attempting to start fights. The ProStaff member said Fisher had pushed him when he was walking down the steps of the stadium.

Deputy Pelissier and a Spokane police officer, who was also working on security during the game, escorted Fisher out of the stadium. The report said he had to be handcuffed when he put up a struggle while being escorted out.

DRIVER HURT ON 272

Jacob A. Warzone, Newman Lake, was taken by ambulance to Whitman Hospital Saturday after he lost control of a 1999 Subaru Forester on the Palouse Highway just east of Colfax. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Warzone was driving eastbound at 9:15 p.m. and lost control of the Forester on a curve. The car crossed the centerline, came back across the eastbound lane and struck an embankment.

—A juvenile male from Surrey, B.C., was unhurt Sunday when the 2011 Honda Odyssey he was driving collided with a deer on Highway 26 west of LaCrosse. According to the Washington State Patrol report, he was driving eastbound at 5:20 p.m. when the deer jumped into the eastbound lane and was hit east of mile marker 96.

—Megan E. Reese, Pullman, was unhurt Saturday at 3:06 p.m. about eight miles north of Pullman on Highway 27 when she lost control of a 1999 Ford pickup truck. According to the WSP report, she was driving south on the icy highway and lost control while rounding a curve. The pickup rolled and came to a halt on its wheels in the southbound ditch.

Trees go up

Saturday, Christmas Tree Festival at the Center Building opened. A total of 13 decorated trees have been located there.

Voting for a People’s Choice tree trophy started Saturday and will continue through the Chamber’s Christmas Festival which will be Dec. 13. Santa will be present that day to log gift requests from youngsters.

The chamber has also photographed each of the trees, and residents can look up the tree photographs on Facebook and vote. Ballots for the trees are also available at the library.

http://www.facebook.com/colfaxchamber

Trees have been entered by Cougar Graphics, Bank of Fairfield, Franciso Aguilar, United Methodist Church, Colfax Eagles, Chamber of Commerce, Tick Klock Drug, Thrifty Grandmothers, City of Colfax, Whitman County Gazette, Council on Aging, Chase Bank and Jerry Jones.

MCDONALD’S PAY THEFTS

Jonathan F. Crass, 27, former Colfax resident, was sentenced to six months in jail Nov. 21 after pleading guilty to charges of forgery and second-degree theft.

The charges against Crass related to two years ago when he was a shift manager at the McDonald’s on Stadium Way in Pullman. The charges, forgery and theft, came out of a police investigation which determined Crass had taken checks from 17 former employees with a total loss of $1,965. The checks were final paychecks made out to former employees dating back to October of 2011.

The investigation began when a former employee showed up to get her last paycheck and was told she had already picked it up. She insisted she hadn’t. Pullman investigators determined that Crass altered the employee’s paycheck and cashed it.

That led to an investigation tracking the paychecks of other former employees who did not receive their checks.

The investigation report also said officers learned Crass had taken money from McDonald’s by logging fraudulent refunds and overcharges. The total amount of the two was more than $3,900, the report alleged. It alleged Crass admitted the fraud and told an officer the revenue from cashing the checks of departed employees proved insufficient to support his habit.

Crass was arrested on a warrant which was issued after he failed to appear for a July 18 hearing. He was booked into jail here Nov. 11 and had been scheduled for a Dec. 15 trial.

WORK STARTS ON LIBRARY DOOR

Work has started on construction of a fire door between the Whitman County Library and The Center, which adjoins the library on the south side. Timothy Sullivan of Sullivan Construction of Albion applied for a city building permit Monday to undertake the project. Estimated cost of the job is $10,200.

The door enters the library at the southeast corner next to Hayden’s Corner. Library Director Kristie Kirkpatrick said the fire door will be opened when access is needed between the library and The Center, the former Hamilton Drug building.

The project is funded through a .09 economic development grant.

After the door project is finished, the library plans to undertake remodeling of the front exterior of the building with funds from an Avista grant and a private donation, Kirkpatrick said.