Sex offender moves to Woodward

A level 3 sex offender has moved to the 1000 block of North Woodward Road in Spokane Valley, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Ryan S. Hager, 26, was convicted of first-degree child molestation in Spokane County in 1995 and of first-degree child rape in 1997. His victim was a female cousin under age 5, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Level 3 sex offenders are considered the most likely to re-offend. Hager is not wanted at this time.

spokane county

Appeal hearing on firing postponed

A Spokane County Civil Service Commission appeal hearing on the firing of regional Homeland Security executive David L. Byrnes was postponed Tuesday at his request.

Byrnes is appealing his firing in October by Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, whose office oversees the Homeland Security regional operation.

Byrnes was arrested on a drunken driving charge Oct. 6 by a Stevens County sheriff’s deputy. He was fired Oct. 30 for three charges of misconduct.

The appeal hearing was rescheduled for March 9.

region

Dump Hunger drive is under way

Second Harvest Inland Northwest has joined forces with Western States Equipment Co. to gather enough food donations to fill the bed of a Caterpillar 730 dump truck. That’s 75,000 pounds of food. The campaign’s name: Dump Hunger.

Instead of holding a holiday lunch party during the Christmas season, Western States Equipment decided to focus its energy – and money – on the food-generating campaign. The company also will match the dollar value – up to $15,000 – of all the food collected by the campaign’s end Jan. 23.

Members of the public can donate nonperishable items for the Dump Hunger campaign at 4625 E. Trent Ave. and 520 North Dyer Road in Spokane, and in Hayden at 10780 N. Highway 95. For more information, call (509) 252-6260.

Blazes displace five residents

Two Tuesday morning fires displaced five people in the region.

In Spokane, firefighters battled an early blaze at 1528 E. Boone Ave. that was contained within a wall but caused slight structural damage and disrupted the home’s electrical system.

The Red Cross is assisting a couple and their baby, who lived in the bottom portion of the home. The homeowner, who lives upstairs, will likely need to stay elsewhere temporarily, according to the Spokane Fire Department.

In Coeur d’Alene, firefighters battling a blaze at a home in the 1000 block of 11th Street broke through the roof to extinguish flames from an attic fire.

The homeowner escaped uninjured. The cause was under investigation.