Latest news with #TheSpokesman-Review
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Spokane County replaces aging aircraft with $3.4M helicopter upgrade
This story was originally published on The Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) unveiled its new $3.4 million Bell 505 helicopter at Felts Field Wednesday afternoon. The new helicopter will replace two 55-year-old aircraft that have been retired from the force after decades of service, according to the sheriff's office. Spokane Valley Police Chief Dave Ellis noted his admiration for the upgrade. 'Its advanced technology will improve our ability to combat rising auto thefts and conduct safer operations, including searches for missing children, Alzheimer's patie nts, and outdoor recreationists,' Ellis said, according to SCSD. The helicopter can reach a top speed of 125 knots per hour (kts) and a hover ceiling of 14,450 feet, according to BellFlight. SCSO fully equipped the helicopter with upgraded technology such as thermal imaging cameras and a live-stream video feed. The sheriff's office received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, a $200,000 state grant for the thermal imaging cameras, $1.6 million from Spokane County, and raised money from the sale of an older SCSO helicopter, according to The Spokesman-Review. 'It's unbelievable how clear of an image they can get if they wanted to do surveillance over somebody that was a really bad guy. They could fly over at 7,000 feet and read the license plate,' John Preston, retired LAPD officer, said, according to The Spokesman-Review.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sheriff remains 'optimistic' about tracking down Wenatchee father wanted for killings of his daughters
Jun. 4—The Chelan County Sheriff's Office is "optimistic" it will locate a man accused of killing his three young daughters at a campsite and fleeing the scene, sheriff Mike Morrison said at a news conference Wednesday evening. "My message is still the same," Morrison said. "Turn yourself in ... We will not relinquish our efforts. Do us right for your kids." Travis Caleb Decker, 32, is charged with the murder and kidnapping in connection to the deaths of his children, Olivia Decker, 5; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Paitlyn Decker, 9, from Wenatchee. The girls were found bound and asphyxiated in an embankment at the Rock Island Campground near Leavenworth, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review. Their father has not been seen since last week when he failed to return the children to their mother after a planned visit. Decker, who is homeless and only allowed day visits unless an exception is made, is said to have borderline personality disorder for which he did not take medication, according to court records. He has never failed to return his kids to their mother before, and the children generally enjoyed being with him, court records say. Investigators later found his white truck and miscellaneous supplies at the campground, along with plastic bags and zip ties. The discovery led to a near-statewide manhunt. Morrison said during the news conference they are "optimistic" they can track his location, even though Decker is a military veteran with elite wilderness survival skills. He went through survival school as a kid and had more training in the military, Morrison said, and his family told investigators they believe he is able to live "off the grid" for more than two days. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office wrote in a news release they don't believe Decker is armed, but consider him dangerous. Aerial units from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office are assisting Chelan County in the search across the Okanagan Wenatchee National Forest, along with federal law enforcement. The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit were also called in and have rendered "good leads" about Decker's mindset and thought process at the time of the killings, Morrison said. Multiple tips have come in, including sightings from McCall, Idaho, but were determined not to be Decker, the sheriff said at the news conference. Agencies have swept fast-moving creeks, steep terrain, cellphone data and financial documents for clues. The sheriff's office also has limited resources, Morrison added, but the assistance Chelan County, most of which is not accessible by road, has received from statewide agencies statewide gives him confidence. "We are up for the challenge," he said. "We are aware of our terrain ... And we are not doing it alone." As of Wednesday afternoon, the Decker family's GoFundMe has raised more than half a million dollars. "Their light touched so many, and the pain of this loss is immeasurable," the post says about the Decker girls. The girls and their family are the "motivating force" behind the rigorous search, Morrison said Wednesday. The agency has set up a tip line for people with knowledge or sightings of Decker to submit information. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office has posted a $20,000 reward leading to his arrest. Decker was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt with dark shorts, has black hair and brown eyes, is 5-foot-8 and weighs about 190 pounds. He may pose a risk if he is approached, police said in a release. If found, call 911 immediately.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Northport, WA superintendent dies attempting to save student lost in ocean
This story was originally published on A Northport High School (NHS) baseball player went missing while swimming off the shore of Long Beach on May 24. Coach and Northport School District (NSD) Superintendent Don Baribault attempted to save the student, but was not able to. Baribault later died from hypothermia in a Portland hospital on May 26. Noah Heberling, 15, was on a baseball trip for the state playoffs, and the team was on the way to pick up pizzas that the team had ordered. The team decided to take a detour and visit the Washington coast, where Heberling got swept away by large waves, according toThe Spokesman-Review. Erik Stark, the NHS athletic director, was not at the scene but detailed the events that occurred. 'He kind of got tossed around. A couple of the other kids went out to get him,' Stark said, according to The Spokesman-Review. Two of the baseball team's coaches, including Baribault, along with Heberling's father, went into the water to save Heberling. 'Don went out, and I think he made contact with Noah. But both of them had succumbed to hypothermia and weren't functioning,' Stark said, according to The Spokesman-Review. The U.S. Coast Guard crew members reported to the scene around 8 p.m., according to The Seattle Times. The Coast Guard was able to pull Baribault and his father to shore, but Heberling's body has yet to be found, according to The Spokesman-Review. The Northport Mustangs Athletics Facebook account confirmed the passing of Baribault in a post on Facebook. 'Don was struggling on the beach. They took him to the hospital. Then he was flown to a Portland hospital, that's where he succumbed,' Stark said, according to The Spokesman-Review. Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man committed to state hospital for shooting his wife and daughter during a mental health episode in Airway Heights
May 30—A Spokane County judge on Friday sentenced a man with schizophrenia to a stay in Eastern State Hospital for the 2021 shooting of his wife and stepdaughter. Zion Carter, 42, was found not guilty by reason of insanity during a bench trial this year. Experts say Carter has schizophrenia spectrum disorder and experienced a severe psychotic break when he shot his wife, Stephanie Luke, and his 11-year-old stepdaughter in July 2021, according to court records. That night, Carter reportedly appeared agitated, so he left the couple's home in Airway Heights to cool off. Luke and her daughter went to bed, but a few hours later, she awoke to the sound of a gun cocking and Carter mumbling about someone attacking him, The Spokesman-Review reported. Luke was shot in the chest and the stomach. When she awoke, her daughter came into the room with gunshot wounds of her own. The young girl ran to the neighbor's house for help, court records say. Carter was later arrested in Pierce County. Two years after the shooting, Luke and her daughter celebrated the end of numerous surgeries from the shooting by running Bloomsday, according to previous reporting. Carter, who donned a yellow jumpsuit in court on Friday, told Spokane County Superior Court Judge Rachelle Anderson that a decadeslong sentence in solitary confinement as a teenager contributed to his mental health issues and he had no idea he was mentally ill until doctors expressed it to him. When he got out of prison, he was left with no help or support, which likely snowballed his mental illness, Anderson acknowledged. Carter asked for a less-restrictive treatment, but Anderson ultimately decided it was safer for him to be in a state mental hospital . Both the prosecution and defense agreed. Carter also received a 45-month sentence Friday for unlawful possession of a firearm, but was granted time served for the years he has already spent in jail.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane votes to move 120-year-old problematic war memorial
This story was originally published on The Spokane City Council has approved the removal of the Ensign John Monaghan statue that has stood near a busy downtown intersection for almost 120 years. On Monday night, the council voted 5-2 in favor of removing the statue during planned roadwork to realign the intersection at Monroe Street and Riverside Avenue. The statue will likely be moved to the Monaghan family mausoleum at Fairmount Memorial Park following approval from both Monaghan's relatives and the cemetery's board, according to The Spokesman-Review. A U.S. Navy ensign, Monaghan, was killed in 1899 in Samoa during a conflict between colonial and native forces. The statue was originally funded by local residents and placed on city-owned land. The statue has long been surrounded in controversy, with one plaque describing the Samoans as a 'savage foe' and another depicting them with primitive weapons. Critics say the language is racist and inaccurate. However, local activists and members of the Navy League have pushed to update or contextualize the statue rather than remove it. Until 2024, Spokane lacked a formal process for removing public art. That changed when the city council created a 'deaccession' policy. Under the policy, a Human Rights Commission evaluates complaints and, if justified, refers them to the Office of Civil Rights for further review. The removal of the statue is expected to happen later this year.
