Bulletin Column Sept. 29

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.

PROSECUTOR EXPLAINS LUANI DECISON

Prosecutor Denis Tracy Monday announced the state will not file an assault charge against Shalom Luani, one of four WSU football players who hasbeen investigated for alleged felonies in summer cases in Pullman. Pullman Police investigators had recommended Luani be charged with second-degree assault resulting from an investigation of an alleged fight at Domino’s Pizza Aug. 24. Tracy’s decision was related in a copy of a Monday letter to Kyle Medina, the victim in the alleged assault. He released the letter to the press.

Tracy said after viewing the police report and videos of the Aug. 24 incident, he believed no reasonable jury would convict Luani in the fight because evidence indicated Luani was acting in self-defense at the time. Tracy said he believed a jury would determine that Luani hit Medina once with a closed fist to the nose and broke it, but the jury would also find that Luani was acting in self-defense.

The letter noted Luani and Medina were engaged in pushing and pulling contact inside Domino’s, which was started by Medina and ended with Luani pushing Medina in the face and Luani then walking away. Medina and others followed Luani outside of Domino’s where Medina came after Luani for being pushed in the face. At least four young men, including Medina, confronted Luani outside. It reports Luani was hit multiple times and possibly had his head pushed into a parked car. Luani sustained facial injuries, had his shirt ripped and suffered a concussion.

Tracy noted a video of the Medina-Luani exchange inside of Domino’s was available, but video evidence of the fight outside of the building was not available in making his determination.

He noted the video evidence of the altercation inside Domino’s could support charges of minor assault against both Medina and Luani, but neither participant wanted to pursue those charges.

A copy of the prosecutor’s letter was sent to Pullman detective Heidi Lambley.

Luani is one of four WSU football players who were cited by Pullman Police for alleged felonies over the summer.

Pullman Chief Gary Jenkins in a Sept. 16 news conference at Pullman City Hall announced the arrests and subsequent releases of Robert Barber, 22, and TJ Fehoko, 19, for second-degree assault cases related to a July 23 fight that broke out at a party at a residence on Oak Street in Pullman. Logan Tago is a suspect in an alleged robbery for taking beer from a man in Pullman June 4.

WSU Coach Mike Leach suspended Luani from playing in the Cougars’ opening game reportedly for Luani’s conduct at the pizzeria in advance of the alleged fight.

DRIVER HURT

IN U-TURN

COLLISION

Alexandra Nelson, Sammamish, was transported to Whitman Hospital Monday from the scene of a car-truck accident on Highway 26 next to the fairground. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Nelson was driving a 2008 BMW eastbound at 12:54 p.m. behind a 1997 Kenworth tractor-trailer truck being driven by Jason Bankus, Garfield. The report said after Nelson made the pass she realized she had missed the right turn onto Airport Road and attempted to make a U-turn directly in front of the truck which collided with the side of the BMW. Bankus applied the brakes on the semi in a failed attempt to stop.

FAIR BOARD GETS REPORTS

Palouse Empire Fair directors Monday night heard reports on this year’s fair and discussed projects for the future. Attendance figures for the fair have been charted at 27,832 which was an increase of 336 compared to last year.

Part of the attendance figure at the fair is factored off wristband sales which provide admission over four days.

The fair’s total admissions revenue was listed at $47,634 for the year. Carnival and concession income was listed at $24,054.

Total revenue from concession sales was $12,722, with White’s Concession paying $3,772 for its fee which is based on 18 percent of profit. The three public booths each paid a $1,550 fee which is based on the amount of paid attendance at the fair. The groups were the Steptoe Firemen, Colfax Eagles and the Shriners

Fair board members Monday night voted 5-3 to pursue a $10,000 grant for installation of a vault toilet after an extended debate. The grant requires a match of about $15,000 in local funds, and some board members suggested that money could be used to install a toilet with running water.

After extended debate on where to locate the vault facility, the board appointed a committee to determine the site.

The fair’s restroom in the former Gun Club building was shut down after the start of the fair because of a drain field failure, Fair Manager Bob Reynolds reported. The aging Gun Club restroom is located close to the RV parking area at the fair.

The fair this year revamped the restroom at the Posse building on the west side of the grounds where a failed drain field was replaced by a holding tank fitted with an alarm system to signal when it has reached capacity.

Colfax YARD OF THE MONTH

Colfax yard of the month award was presented to Don and Elaine McClintock at last week’s city council session. The McClintock residence is located on E. Valleyview at the top of the Thorn Street hill.

VANCOUVER DRIVER HURT

Joseph Van Horn, Vancouver, was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital Sunday after he was injured in a one-car accident on Highway 195 three miles south of Pullman. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Van Horn was driving a 2016 Honda Fit northbound at 1:50 p.m. when the car drifted onto the northbound shoulder of the roadway. He over-corrected and the Honda slid across both lanes of the highway before it went into the ditch on the south side and impacted an embankment.

FIRE RESPONSE ON MAIN

Colfax fire crews responded to a fire alarm signal at the Riverview Apartments in the 600 block of S. Main at 6:33 Monday morning. Fire crews determined the alarm was triggered by a fault in the system, according to Chief Clark Capwell.

ST. JOHN STANDOFF LASTS SIX HOURS

Whitman County deputies were dispatched to St. John Wednesday morning, Sept. 21, to serve a writ of restitution on a house in the 200 block of West Liberty, and a standoff ensued when the occupant of the house became distressed and refused to leave the premises, according to Sheriff Brett Myers. He added the resident was armed.

Myers said Thursday the standoff at St. John presented no threat to the public.

“We were assisting with an eviction. The resident of the house was very distraught, was suicidal and armed,” he said.

Sheriff Myers said the outcome of the event was “excellent” with the cooperation of EMS and law enforcement. Deputies had the house surrounded for approximately six hours before the standoff ended and the occupant was taken into protective custody. The individual’s name was not released.

St. John school officials issued a notice to parents Wednesday that all students who normally walked to school would be transported home by bus and after-school practices had all been cancelled. Myers said that was done out of precaution, though no one in the town or at the school was ever in danger.

“The town is small enough,” he said. St. John schools are located a quarter mile from the residence.

TUTTLE RITE SET AT

ROSALIA

A celebration of life for Barbara Jean Tuttle, 72, a long-time resident of Rosalia, was Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the United Methodist Church in Rosalia at 4 p.m. She died Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, at the Courtyard in Colfax where she had resided for the last two months. She was born Dec. 23, 1943, in Seattle.

The family suggests memorial donations go to the Assembly of God Church in Rosalia or to the Rosalia Fire Department.

CITY EYES RETURN

TO FIRE

INSPECTIONS

One of the projects on the agenda for the city will be a return to downtown fire inspections. City Administrator Michael Rizzitiello reported the lack of fire inspections was one of the factors which led to the setback in the city’s score by the Washington State Rating Board earlier this year.

The inspection provides credits for towns which conduct inspections of commercial structures, and Colfax received no score for that part of the rating, Rizzitiello reported to the city council. Colfax at one time conducted fire inspections of commercial structures.

“Why did we get away from that?” Councilman Al Vorderbrueggen asked at the Sept. 19 night city council session. Rizzitiello replied he was not sure when Colfax stopped the inspection practice. The fire department has been following a “self inspection” policy for commercial structures in recent years, and the self inspection provisions are in the city code books dating back to 1986.

The inspections are expected to be conducted by on-duty fire officers.

SUICIDE AT WHITMAN HEALTH & REHAB

A resident of Whitman Health & Rehab Center took his own life Sept. 21 with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Colfax Police and EMTs were called to the center on Fairview at 11:27 a.m.

The man was identified as Joseph Holmes Singleton by Deputy Coroner Annie Pillers who was called to investigate. She reported Holmes had a history of depression, anxiety and chronic pain.

Cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the manner of death was determined to be suicide.

A police investigation determined Singleton had probably brought the gun into the room where he resided at Whitman Health and Rehab Center. Colfax Chief Rick McNannay said Singleton, who occupied a private room at the center, was allowed to come and go. He had resided at the center to rehabilitate from depression.

Firearms are officially banned at the center.

Singleton was taken to Bruning Funeral Home where his family arranged to have him cremated. His cremains were turned over to a family member.

MORRISON

SENTENCED

FOR PULLMAN CHASE

Kerry Morrison, 29, pleaded guilty in superior court Sept. 23 to a reduced charge of reckless driving. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail with credit for time served since his arrest with the balance of the sentence suspended on condition he undergoes drug treatment. Morrison was arrested May 30 on Johnson Road south of Pullman after a police chase which started with reports of a car driving at a high rate of speed in the median lane of Bishop Boulevard in Pullman. The chase later went out Johnson Road at speeds of up to 80 mph. Distance of the chase was estimated at 1.8 miles.

At the time of his arrest, Morrison was on release from jail after he had been charged with assaulting Pullman Officer Shane Emmerson May 11 when Pullman Police responded to a report of a man acting abnormally on NW Fisk Street.

Judge David Frazier Friday cautioned Morrison to adhere to any drug treatment prescribed for him. The judge noted Morrison’s problems with the law appear to be related to his use of drugs. He pointed out the remaining 249 days of the sentence are hanging over his head in the event of future violations.

The charge of assaulting Emerson was dismissed as part of the plea bargain agreement.

Colfax PD TOPS LIST OF CASELOADS

Colfax officers have the heaviest caseload rate among six police agencies in the area, according to a report made Monday by Chief Rick McNannay at the city council session. The department had 427 assigned cases per officer for 2015, which was 19 more than the caseload rate for the Pullman department.

McNannay compiled the figures from Whitcom calls, dividing them by the number of officers in each department. Included in the officer count were code enforcement officers who respond to reported code violations.

Colfax officers responded to 2,559 calls in 2015. The caseload for Colfax was figured with six officers listed in the department, although the actual number of officers on line was often less with some slots vacant because of training or hiring changes. That means the actual caseload for the active officers was higher than the 427 average.

Other agency ratings include 398 calls per officer at Pullman, 348 at WSU, 388 at Moscow, 207 for the Whitman County Sheriff and 50 for Palouse. Those figures derived from 12,745 calls in Pullman for 32 officers, 6,617 at WSU for 19 officers, 11,654 in Moscow for 30 officers, 3,728 calls in the county for 18 deputies and 150 calls in Palouse for three officers.

STUDENT FROM OMAN CHARGED

Charges of second degree assault and two charges of violation of a protection order were filed Sept. 20 in Whitman County Superior Court against Ahmed M. Alnaabi, 20, a WSU student from Oman. He had been arrested after police responded to a call from a woman who had trouble relating the reason she was making the call. The caller was later located parked in a car at Cougar Mart in Pullman where Alnaabi was allegedly attempting to talk to her through a car window.

According to the arrest report, the alleged victim said she and Alnaabi had previously been in a relationship which she no longer wanted to sustain. She said he had attempted to continue the relationship and had threatened to send nude photos of her back to her family in Oman if she failed to comply with his demands.

The report said Alnaabi eventually told officers he had the photos on his cell phone but had never sent them to anybody.

The assault charges allege he attempted to strangle the victim some time in May. Alnaabi has been allowed pre-trial release from jail after posting $5,000 bond.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge Friday in superior court.