Police officer faces internal investigation
Spokane police Monday opened an internal disciplinary investigation into the relationship between police Cpl. David Freitag and a 65-year-old child porn suspect who lived in Freitag’s basement before his July arrest.
Mayor Dennis Hession confirmed that police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick ordered the investigation after the U.S. Attorney’s office decided not to seek charges against Freitag.
Freitag, a 15-year veteran of the force, was placed on paid administrative leave when the case emerged, and police detectives and the FBI launched criminal investigations. Hession said the internal disciplinary investigation was started after the criminal investigations were completed.
Thomas A. Herman, a registered sex offender living in Freitag’s home, was arrested July 25 as part of an FBI investigation into a network of “online predators” who traded pictures of children being raped.
– Mike Prager
Coeur d’Alene
Boys report gunshots; police search for man
A man in a black cowboy hat and boots allegedly fired a gun at three boys Saturday near Coeur d’Alene’s Woodland Middle School.
The man is described as white, in his late 20s or early 30s with a husky build, mustache and goatee. He was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans and was pulling a black and white backpack on wheels.
The boys were in a wooded area near the school about 5 p.m. when the man walked by. One of the boys joked to the man, “Save a horse and ride a cowboy,” according to a Coeur d’Alene Police Department report.
The man allegedly removed something silver-colored from his backpack. Initially, the boys thought it was a cigarette lighter. The man allegedly pointed the object at the boys, who decided to leave, the report said.
The boys told police they then heard what sounded like two gunshots. They looked back and saw that the man still was holding the silver item and that it was smoking.
– Erica Curless
spokane
Antacid in mail sparks 2-hour lockdown at jail
An antacid caused heartburn Monday for officials at the Spokane County Jail.
The jail was locked down for two hours as hazardous-materials experts assessed a white powdery substance found in a piece of mail.
It turned out to be Tums antacid, apparently mailed by a relative to an inmate, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.
The hazardous-materials scare began shortly before 11 a.m. when a clerk and others in the room noticed throat and nose irritation. Until the incident was resolved about 1 p.m., officers were prevented from booking new prisoners and visitors were ushered out.
– Jody Lawrence-Turner