In brief: Black Forest ham from Oregon recalled
A Pendleton, Ore., meat company is recalling nearly 1,100 pounds of smoked ham, including some sold in Washington, because it might have been underprocessed, Department of Agriculture officials said Friday.
Hill Meat Co. is recalling 9-pound, vacuum-sealed packages of ham labeled “Premium Black Forest, fully-cooked smoked ham, with natural juices.” Each label bears the establishment number “Est. 9201” inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as the sell-by date “032607.” Each case bears the code 32503 or 32505.
The hams were produced Dec. 22 and were shipped to stores in Northern California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
– JoNel Aleccia
Spokane
Knezovich asks to appeal reversal
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich on Friday filed a motion in Superior Court asking that he be allowed to appeal the Spokane County Civil Service Commission’s decision to overturn his firing of a detective.
Joseph Mastel was fired in June after he exposed himself to a woman at an Airway Heights coffee stand.
The commission changed the firing to a yearlong unpaid suspension followed by a forced retirement.
Knezovich said, “I’m hopeful that the court will review the decision and agree that the commission did not act in the best interest of the community and this agency.”
– Staff reports
Fuel theft suspect incorrectly released
A Spokane man accused of stealing $100,000 worth of diesel fuel was released from the county jail Thursday because jail officials incorrectly believed he hadn’t been formally charged.
Court records show Arthur Leon “Lee” Eakin, 44, was charged Wednesday, within the 72-hour limit for holding a suspect without formal charges. But Eakin was released from jail Thursday afternoon when his 72 hours were up.
“I don’t know where the paperwork is, but it didn’t make it to jail, and it isn’t in city records,” sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan said Friday night.
Eakin is charged with first-degree theft, use of false identification to commit a crime and first-degree trafficking in stolen property.
He allegedly pumped at least 33,000 gallons of diesel from two Spokane Pacific Pride self-service fuel stations, using an access card from his former employer, Scheckla Trucking, of Sheridan, Wyo. Police say he drove a chip truck out of the company’s Athol, Idaho, office in 2004 and kept his fuel card after his employment ended.
Spokane police Cpl. Tom Lee said detectives believe Eakin sold most of the fuel to “select customers” for $1 per gallon, and some of it was resold for twice that price in Stevens County. Anyone who may have purchased the stolen fuel is asked to call Detective Paul Lebsock at (509) 625-4028.
– John Craig
Beating victim’s condition upgraded
Spokane resident Richard Schumm, 73, who was beaten, shot and left for dead on Jan. 16 – allegedly by two teenage houseguests – was on the road to recovery Friday at Sacred Heart Medical Center, where his condition had been upgraded to satisfactory.
– Staff reports