Injuries to man investigated
Spokane Valley police were investigating the possible stabbing of a transient Saturday morning after he was found with injuries under an overpass.
The 56-year-old transient had a slash on his throat and an apparent puncture wound on one of his thighs, Spokane Valley police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said. The man was highly intoxicated and didn’t remember how he was injured.
A passer-by spotted the transient beneath the Argonne Road Interstate 90 overpass about 6:35 a.m., Reagan said. The passer-by told 911 operators the man appeared bloody.
Officers responded to the area and found the man with an apparent broken leg in addition to his other injuries, Reagan said. The transient, who arrived recently from Montana, was taken to a hospital.
Police speculated that the transient might have been assaulted elsewhere and then fell and broke his leg as he was attempting to get through the I-90 construction and underneath the bridge.
“He didn’t walk very far on that leg,” said Spokane Valley officer Glenn Hinckley.
Anyone with information is asked to call 242-8477.
Crews still battle Hot Falls Fire
Fire crews in Wellpinit continued to battle a 300-acre fire on the southern end of the Spokane Indian Reservation Saturday.
The blaze – now called the “Hot Falls Fire” – started at about 4:30 p.m. Friday, said Dale Sebastian, the public information officer for the Spokane Indian Reservation’s forestry and fire staff.
Fifty firefighters and volunteers arrived on the scene with three engines, bulldozers and a helicopter, he said. They’ve also received help from two U.S. Forest Service crews.
No one has been injured, and the fire is about 40 percent contained, said Sebastian. They expect to extinguish the fire and proceed with cleanup within the next few days.
About 25 percent of the affected area consists of forests, while the rest is a basalt cliff area and other parts are covered with brush, said Sebastian. Three homes located within a quarter mile of the fire are potentially threatened, he said, but none has been evacuated.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.
Reward offered in beating death
A $2,000 reward is being offered for information that establishes who beat a Spokane man to death late last month.
Steven Allison, 44, was found near Ash Street and Nora Avenue by Spokane Police Officer Jamie Pavlischak early on June 29. He was disoriented, bleeding from his head and face, and suffering from other head injuries. Pavlischak took him to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he fell into a coma. Allison died July 3 after his family removed him from life support.
Detectives want to know who Allison was with just before he was beaten, what led to the assault and where it happened.
Anyone with information can call Secret Witness at 327-5111. Callers do not have to give their names to be eligible for the cash reward and can use a code name or number for identification.