NW briefs

Idaho man dies in farming accident

CHUBBUCK, Idaho - Officials in southeastern Idaho said a 64-year-old man has died in a farming accident.

The Idaho State Journal reported Dale L. Baker of Chubbuck died Monday night.

The Power County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at 9 p.m. about a man who was trapped under a combine tire. Responding officers found Baker had died.

The cause of death is under investigation, but it appears Baker was working on a combine when it rolled backward onto him.

Romanian national ordered out of U.S.

BOISE - A Romanian national who had been living in Idaho has been told to leave the United States within two months for entering into a fraudulent marriage to obtain immigration benefits.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said 30-year-old Lucian Ioan Belean was sentenced Tuesday to two years of probation, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and to leave the country within 60 days. He earlier pleaded guilty to immigration fraud.

Prosecutors said Belean entered into a fraudulent marriage with a U.S. citizen in November 2007 in order to obtain immigration benefits. The next month, he applied for lawful permanent residence status. The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services approved the application in March 2008.

Prosecutors said Belean has already spent two months in jail.

Bold burglars take loot, victim's car

COEUR D'ALENE - Coeur d'Alene police are looking for two brazen burglars who made off with a home safe loaded with gold and silver coins and the vehicle of the homeowner who arrived as the caper was unfolding.

Marla Ross, 54, of Coeur d'Alene, described her interaction with the burglars and the whole scene as "unreal."

Investigators told the Coeur d'Alene Press two men broke into Ross' home early Sunday morning and took a safe with coins valued at $100,000.

Ross told the newspaper she arrived at her home to find one suspect standing by a side door of her home and another in a pickup truck parked in her driveway. After asking one suspect what was going on, the suspect in the truck then hopped into her car and sped off.

Police investigate man's shooting death

HEYBURN, Idaho - Officials in south central Idaho are still searching for two people of interest in the shooting death of a 36-year-old man.

Minodoka County Sheriff Eric Snarr said 21-year-old Christopher Cruz and his 32-year-old girlfriend, Stephanie Pauline Juarez, should be considered armed and dangerous.

Craig Glen Short was found dead at Cruz's residence in Heyburn on Friday afternoon. Officials are investigating his death as a homicide.

Cruz is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 145 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Juarez is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 175 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Snarr said Cruz and Juarez may be driving Juarez's gray 2002 Chevy Malibu.

Snarr said his office is following up on leads in the case. He declined to release a possible motive in the shooting.

Two men accused of burning cars

BOISE - Two 19-year-old Boise men face six counts of arson each for a string of vehicle fires.

The Idaho Statesman reported Dominic J. Tawney and Rodney S. Vancleave were arraigned Tuesday. Prosecutors allege they used gasoline to set fire to the vehicles early Monday in Boise.

Bail was set at $100,000 for Tawney and $50,000 for Vancleave.

A juvenile who was arrested with the two men faces similar charges in Youth Court.

Preliminary hearings for Tawney and Vancleave are set for Aug. 20.

Man accused of blowing up his dog

STEVENSON, Wash. - A Stevenson man accused of blowing up his dog has been charged with a felony.

The Skamania County Sheriff's Office said the prosecutor filed charges Monday against Christopher Wayne Dillingham.

The felony is possession of a bomb or explosive device with intent to use for an unlawful purpose. If convicted, the 45-year-old could face up to 20 years in prison. He's also charged with reckless endangerment.

Dillingham appeared in court Monday in Stevenson and was ordered held on $500,000 bail.

In court papers, investigators said Dillingham attached a fireworks bomb to the dog's collar early Sunday and set it off with a blast that alarmed neighbors. Dillingham said he killed the dog because an ex-girlfriend had "put the devil in it." He also said he was preparing for the rapture.

Woman seeks return of seized cash

EVERETT, Wash. - A woman accused of using her espresso stands in Everett as drive-through brothels is suing the city to recover $250,000 she said was wrongfully seized by police.

Carmela Panico owns the Java Juggs and Twin Peaks coffee stands. She was arrested in June and accused of promoting prostitution. She has not been charged. The cash was seized in a search of her home in Snohomish.

Associated Press