In brief: Witness sought in possible drowning

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is looking for anyone who may have witnessed a man jump from a boat into Lake Coeur d’Alene on Saturday evening before he is thought to have drowned.

The Sheriff’s Office has been searching for the body of Post Falls businessman Gary “Scotty” Shawver, who went missing about 7:30 p.m. after he jumped into the lake after an item that fell overboard.

Witness accounts have prompted a wider search area by the sheriff’s SONAR boat, which scans the lake bottom. Anyone else who may have been on the lake or shoreline around Stevens Point at that time can call the sheriff’s office at (208) 446-1300.

Big Cougar fire up to 45,000 acres

A wildfire near Lewiston has grown to 45,000 acres – about 70 square miles.

The Big Cougar fire has burned six structures along the Snake and Salmon rivers, about 25 miles south of Lewiston. About 200 structures are threatened, the incident management team leading the effort reported in a news release.

The fire was sparked by lightning and reported on Aug. 2. More than 450 firefighters are at the scene.

The communities of Waha and Redbird have been told they may need to evacuate with little notice.

Jury duty phone scam asks for money

Scammers claiming to be law enforcement officials have been calling local residents, demanding money to stay out of jail.

Police say the scams involve callers telling potential victims that they missed jury duty and have a bench warrant for their arrest, according to a Spokane police news release. In one instance, the caller told the victim he needed to get a prepaid credit card for $1,000 and the warrant would be taken care of over the phone, police said.

This scam comes shortly after another scam last month when Spokane police warned that callers were posing as Avista employees and demanding money.

Police have advised citizens that law enforcement officers never call people with warrants to request payments by phone. Police ask anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a scam to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Woman lit husband on fire, police say

KENT, Wash. – A woman who told police she set fire to her husband because shooting him would be too nice pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic violence assault, the King County prosecutor’s office said. Tatanysha Hedman, 39, remained jailed after Tuesday’s arraignment at the Regional Justice Center with bail set at $500,000.

The police report said she poured gasoline over Vincent Phillips on July 16 at their Renton apartment and set the fire because she believed he had molested a child. A friend helped put out the fire and Phillips went to a nearby convenience store asking for help.

Phillips, 52, was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for severe burns to his head and chest.

Police have investigated the abuse allegation, and the prosecutor’s office is still reviewing the case and deciding whether he should be charged, spokesman Dan Donohoe said Thursday.

Judge wants jurors’ no-show explained

LEWISTON – Thirty-eight northern Idaho residents who didn’t show up for jury duty will have to explain their reasons to a judge on Monday.

Nearly half the jury pool failed to appear for a July 28 trial for a 19-year-old man charged with rape in 2nd District Court. As a result, the trial has been delayed for five months.

Judge Jeff M. Brudie called for the meeting with jurors to gauge how much the current court system is to blame for the no-shows.