Inmate escapes from Geiger
A Geiger inmate escaped between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday after he made his bunk look like it was occupied, broke out a window and jumped over a fence.
Jeffery A. Heatwole, 39, was awaiting trial on charges of assault, harassment, taking a motor vehicle without owner’s permission and malicious mischief, said Leon Long, director of the Geiger Corrections Center. Heatwole also had two protection orders against him; one of the persons has been notified, and attempts to notify the other are still being made.
Heatwole is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 160 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. It’s unknown what he was wearing because he worked in the laundry area at Geiger and had access to extra clothing.
He is believed to be in the Spokane area.
Grant County, Wash.
Woman scammed of thousands
Anytime someone asks for upfront money in exchange for an unbelievable amount of cash and prizes, it’s likely a scam, Grant County sheriff’s officials warned Wednesday.
A scam occurred March 17, Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Turley said. A man identifying himself as John with Sweepstake ASP and the lottery commission in New York City called an elderly woman and told her she had won thousands of dollars and numerous prizes, including a car.
But in order to receive the cash and prizes, she had to send him a “gift tax” via a Western Union money order for $2,820.29, Turley said. She did. “John” called the woman back the next day and asked for more money and threatened her when she said she didn’t have cash to send. She complied with the stranger’s demand.
This woman will never see her $5,630.58 again, Turley said. Law enforcement will probably never be able to solve the case because calling cards were used to negotiate the transactions.
In addition,Turley said, if the amount of fraud is small – even though the sum might be considerable to the victim – the cost of an investigation would consume too many personnel-hours to justify the expense.
“The only sure money is money in your hand,” Turley said. “Don’t be fooled.”
PORT ORCHARD, Wash.
Baby’s body found in Kitsap County
A dead baby was found Wednesday along a roadside in south Kitsap County.
Two teenage girls were walking and found the wrapped body along Bielmeier Road near Port Orchard about 4:25 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said.
The age and gender of the body were not immediately determined.
YELM, Wash.
Marine from Yelm killed in Iraq flood
A Washington man was one of six Marines killed in Iraq when the 7-ton truck he was in rolled over during a flash flood.
Staff Sgt. Abraham G. Twitchell, 28, of Yelm, died April 2 in the flood near Al Asad, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
Twitchell was assigned to the Combat Service Support Group-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Born in Olympia, Wash., Twitchell joined the Marines on Oct. 25, 1995. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 7, as a weapons infantry chief, on July 1, 2005, according to a statement from the corps’ air ground combat center in Twentynine Palms. He deployed to Iraq in February.
He leaves behind a wife, Stephanie, and their three children, sons Zachary and Zane and daughter Makenzy, the combat center said.
From staff and wire reports