In brief: Geiger releases wrong man
Spokane County sheriff’s deputies are looking for a man mistakenly released from the Geiger Corrections Center more than a week ago.
Darnell Riley, 52, was released Jan. 25 after another inmate with a similar last name had posted bail and was to be released. Riley, who was being held on two counts of felony possession of a controlled substance, arrived at the prison’s office after the name “Riley” was paged, according to Geiger Commander John McGrath. McGrath said the staffer who was handling the booking-out procedure failed to check Riley’s name and photograph with the paperwork. The error was discovered Jan. 28, but Riley had left the day he was released.
“We’ll be reviewing our releasing procedures, but I think it’s pretty clear that this was an employee error rather than a system error,” McGrath said in a news release. “We had an older black man released instead of a younger white man. That’s pretty hard to miss.”
Fire destroys RV
A Spokane County man lost an RV to fire Monday.
Spokane County Fire District 9 responded at 9:22 a.m. to 7417 N. Altamont St. on the report of a structure fire, Deputy Chief Mike Van Heel said. Crews arrived to find the 1986 Ford on fire and worked quickly to keep the fire from spreading to the adjacent garage.
Fire Investigator Dan Walsh said the homeowner starts the RV once a month to keep it in working order. He started it Monday morning, Walsh said, and walked away to talk to a neighbor, who noticed flames and asked, “Hey. What’s up with your motor home?”
Video from the scene is available.
Seattle
Deputy readmitted
A Grant County sheriff’s deputy shot during a coyote hunt last month is back in the hospital and may need surgery.
Earl Romig, 26, was released from Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center Sunday and was to attend a homecoming celebration Monday in Moses Lake. But he caught a high fever and was readmitted to Harborview, said John Turley, chief deputy of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. He might need surgery to get rid of liquid near the bullet wound in his back and lower abdomen, according to a Web site maintained by his family.
Coeur d’Alene
Food bank closed
The Community Action Partnership in Coeur d’Alene was closed Monday and will remain closed today while crews shovel snow from the building’s flat roof.
The Kootenai County office provides heating assistance and has a food bank.
A recorded message said the food bank would be closed during the roof clearing for safety reasons. Clients with appointments for heating assistance were being contacted individually and their meetings moved elsewhere, according to the recording.
St. Maries
Meeting canceled
The Forest Service has canceled a Wednesday night meeting on the St. Joe Travel Management Plan, due to heavy snows expected later this week.
The meeting has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in the multipurpose room at St. Maries High School. Forest Service officials are looking for individuals representing hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, motorcycle and ATV riders, hunters and others to participate in focus groups.
For information: (208) 245-6022 or www.fs.fed.us/ipnf
/stjoe/travelplan.
From staff and wire reports