In brief: Girl arrested in school bomb threat

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies have arrested a 15-year-old girl suspected of making a bomb threat that caused classes at Central Valley High School to be canceled for a day last week.

The threat, written on a bathroom mirror on March 20, resulted in the closure of the school for the day. No bomb was found.

The girl, who was not identified, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Juvenile Detention Center, according to a news release from Deputy Craig Chamberlin. She will likely be charged with a felony in making the threat, he said.

Investigators found the girl made the threat because she had not completed an assignment due that day, the release said.

Man accused of lewd behavior at mall

A man with a history of lewd behavior has been arrested and accused of lewd behavior in River Park Square.

A security guard caught Dean H. Meginniss, 55, masturbating in front of a female mall employee earlier this month, court documents show.

Meginniss was removed from the building, but returned on Sunday night to expose and touch himself on a bench in the mall’s lobby area, court documents say.

He was trying to leave the mall when police detained him, documents said. Surveillance video showed Meginniss exposing himself while customers walked by.

Meginniss, who was convicted of indecent exposure in a previous incident, is also charged with second-degree burglary for coming back to the mall after guards banned him from returning.

River Park Square is owned by the Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

Spokane County deputies arrested Meginniss in 2011 for fishing in the nude in broad daylight near Medical Lake, according to news reports.

Staff at a nearby resort told authorities they had been hearing complaints about a naked fisherman for weeks.

Deadline looms for studded tires

OLYMPIA – The Washington Transportation Department reminds drivers that they need to remove their studded tires by midnight, March 31.

Unless the department grants an extension due to severe weather, studded tires are legal in Washington only from Nov. 1 to March 31.

The department notes that forecasts look mild for the lowlands this year and no extension is planned.

Drivers traveling to higher elevations are urged to prepare for winter driving conditions with traction tires and chains if necessary.

Driving with studded tires after March 31 could result in a $124 ticket.

Lawmaker diagnosed with cancer

OLYMPIA – Rep. Roger Freeman has been diagnosed with colon cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Federal Way Democrat said he was diagnosed on Feb. 28, but that his prognosis is good and he is optimistic about his treatment.

He said he will continue to work at the Capitol, where lawmakers are in the midst of a 105-day legislative session.

The 47-year-old Freeman was elected to his first term in the state House in November.

Man pleads guilty in fatal shooting

VANCOUVER, Wash. – A Vancouver, Wash., man who has said he fired in self-defense has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a neighbor in his apartment complex.

Prosecutors say 32-year-old Christopher Paul had confronted 26-year-old Eric Walswick about playing loud music at 4 a.m. in a parking lot.

The Columbian reported that Paul pleaded guilty Tuesday in the March 3, 2012, fatal shooting at the Village at Cascade Park Apartments. Paul had been charged with second-degree murder.

Sentencing was set for May 17.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Al Harvey said Walswick was unarmed and investigators were unable to find any evidence of a struggle between the two men.

Paul’s lawyer Steven Thayer said Walswick jumped out of his car and chased Paul after being confronted over the music.