Bulletin: Feb. 15, 2018

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.

PILLERS LONE CORONER APPLICANT

Annie Pillers of Palouse, chief deputy coroner, was the lone applicant for appointment to the county coroner position which is being vacated by the retirement of Coroner Peter Martin of Tekoa. Pillers was nominated by the Republican Central Committee Saturday.

The nomination will be forwarded to the county commissioners and be placed on the agenda for formal appointment Feb. 20.

Pillers has served with the coroner’s office since 2008, and she was named chief deputy coroner in 2013.

The coroner's position will be on the ballot this year along with other county offices, and Pillers has announced her intent to file for election.

COLLISION TAKES TWO LIVES

A car-truck collision Friday afternoon on Highway 195 took the life of two Spokane Valley residents. Dead at the scene was Fernando Reyes Plascencia, 28, driver of the car involved in the accident.

Javier Torres-Rios, 32, a passenger in the car, died Sunday morning at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. He was flown to Spokane by Life Flight helicopter after he was extricated from the wrecked car.

According to the Washington State Patrol report, Plascencia was driving a 2001 Suzuki Swift northbound at 12:48 p.m. when the car went onto the shoulder of the highway seven miles south of Pullman. The driver lost control of the vehicle, and it crossed the highway and collided with a 2007 Kenworth semi truck which was being driven southbound by Derek Cocking, 28, Colfax.

Cocking was not hurt in the accident.

Pullman Fire District 12 volunteers responded to the scene.

Highway 195 was closed for several hours during the accident investigation.

MAN INJURED IN FALL

A Colfax ambulance crew was dispatched to Steptoe at 5:03 p.m. Monday night by a report of a man who was injured in a fall from a man lift. He was taken to the Steptoe School ball field where he was loaded onto a Life Flight helicopter and taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

STORMENT FACES IDAHO CHARGES

A warrant for the arrest of Sean Storment, 40, Pullman, has been issued by Kootenai County, Idaho, where he has been charged with burglary and grand theft. Storment waived his extradition right in an appearance in court here Monday.

One of the initial charges against Storment after he was arrested in Pullman alleged items were found in his apartment which were discovered missing from a cabin in the Coeur d'Alene area.

Storment is expected to remain here until resolution of the charges he faces here.

POLICE CALL OUT RESPONSE

Colfax Chief Rick McNannay responded at 5:45 a.m. Feb. 7 to a report of a possible assault in downtown Colfax.

The call was initiated by a resident who was walking a dog and observed what appeared to be a body in the area of Upton Street and the west alley of Colfax. The caller later reported the body was gone when she looked again.

The initial reports were later followed by other reports of a man with a bloody face walking around town.

The chief located a large blood spill, glasses and a wallet at the Upton site.

The man eventually turned up at his residence. He told the chief he had been drinking and fell off the curb at Upton Street. He said he had been knocked out by the fall, but later recovered and was able to make his way back to his residence.

The early morning call out response was required because Colfax now does not have a police officer on duty in the early morning hours.

PRESIDENTS’ DAY CLOSURE

All 14 branches of Whitman County Library will close Feb. 18-19 in honor of Presidents’ Day. Due dates for library materials have been extended in anticipation of the closure and no late fines will be charged for these days. Drop boxes will remain open at all locations for returned items. Access to the library’s web resources will remain available at http://www.whitco.lib.wa.us

COACH RAY HOBBS DIES AT 88

Football Coach Ray Hobbs died Friday, Feb. 9, 2018, at Regency Assisted Living in Pullman. He was 88.

Coach Hobbs retired in 1997 after concluding his career at Colton. Prior to going to Colton, he coached for 33 years at Pullman where he compiled a record of 188-104-8.

Family members will have a gathering and a public service will be conducted some time this spring.

FOUR CHARGED WITH PULLMAN THEFTS

Charges against four Seattle area residents for crimes allegedly committed in Pullman last December were filed Feb. 7 in superior court. Three of the suspects are charged with going into the WSU Bookie Dec. 13 and taking articles of clothing which were valued at $1,049. Store staffers reported they stuffed clothing items in a backpack, put on jackets and carried other items out of the store without paying.

Charged with the Bookie thefts were Othniel Fleurine, 20, Tukwila; Amed A. Herishi, 22, SeaTac, and Mansheer Singh, 19, Renton.

Herishi also faces a charge of identity theft for allegedly attempting to pass himself off as his older brother when he was stopped for a possible warrant arrest on N. Grand Dec. 15. He also faces a charge of using his brother's license when he attempted to take sheets from the home area of Walmart and turn them in at the return desk.

Zacharic Diriye, 20, SeaTac, is charged with retail theft with special circumstances for thefts from three different stores between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15. He allegedly took quilts from the home area of Walmart and turned them in to the customer service deck in exchange of a $118 gift card. He also allegedly took items off the shelf five times at Sunset Mart and once at Coug's Corner. The Pullman Police report alleges Diriye took the items while an accomplice distracted store clerks.

All four suspects have been summoned to appear in court Feb. 23.

FIRE DAMAGES PULLMAN FOURPLEX

A fire Friday night damaged three units of a fourplex apartment on Military Hill in northwest Pullman Friday night. The fire displaced five residents of the building. One resident was roused by Pullman Police officers after they broke down a door to get into the apartment.

The apartment at 144 NW Stadium Way was sited in a hillside and getting best access to the structure was one of the first challenges for fire crews, according to Pullman Incident Commander Eric Reiber. District 12 fire crews also responded to the scene.

The fire appeared to have started in one of the lower units and spread to two second-level units. An electrical malfunction involving a space heater was determined to be the cause.

DRUG ARRESTS IN PULLMAN

Heroin, methamphetamine and more than $14,000 in cash were seized Feb. 8 in a warrant search of a residence in the 1900 block of NE Terre View in Pullman. Sheriff Brett Myers, commander of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, Friday said detectives obtained a search warrant after being tipped off that illegal drugs were in the apartment. Arrested were Brianna McCabe, 22, Pullman; Jedediah C. Ford, 43, Seattle, and Jessica R. Wallace, 25, Lewiston.

All three suspects were booked into the Whitman County jail.

According to the probable cause report, deputies found an ounce of heroin and $13,000 in cash in McCabe's room at the apartment.

Ford was reported to be visiting from Seattle, and a baggie containing methamphetamine was allegedly found in his backpack and $1,730 in one of his pockets. The report said heroin was found in Wallace's purse.

The arrest report noted the apartment had been under surveillance prior to the search, and deputies noted several people coming and going from the apartment.

TRUCK HITS ROCK WALL

Marcum F. Sapp, Tampa, Fla., sustained minor injuries in a truck accident the night of Feb. 8 at the end of the Red Wolf Bridge in Whitman County across from Clarkston. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Sapp was a passenger in a 2015 Freightliner tractor-trailer being driven by Jenaro D. Faison, also of Tampa.

Faison drove the truck across Red Wolf Bridge and failed to stop at the intersection of highways 128 and 193. The truck crossed 193 and hit the rock wall face north of the T intersection. Sapp was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

SUIT FILED AGAINST USC PLAYER

A civil suit for damages was filed Feb. 5 in superior court here against the University of Southern California and a member of its football team for alleged damages sustained by a WSU fan after the Sept. 29 WSU-USC football game at Martin Stadium. The plaintiff, Kyle Departee, contends he sustained injuries when he was hit by Liam Jimmons, a member of the USC team, after the ball game. Departee said in his suit he was among fans who ran onto the field, and he was knocked down when Jimmons pushed him "with great force" while Jimmons was running off the field with other members of the USC team.

Departee's suit contends he required hospitalization after he was knocked down. The suit contends he "sustained serious physical and emotional injuries that are painful, progressive and permanent."

Amount of alleged damage will be proven at trial, the complaint said.

Filed by Seattle attorney Susan Machler, the suit contends USC is liable because Jimmons was a member of its football team and under supervision of the team.

A summons filed with the suit requires the defendants to respond within 60 days.

Videos of Jimmons' field departure from the game were included in televised reports of the game. Fans from WSU ran onto the field to celebrate the Cougars’ upset win over the visiting Trojans.