NW briefs

Caretaker accused of sexual misconduct with elderly women

SPIRIT LAKE, Idaho - A caretaker at a northern Idaho assisted living facility has been accused of sexually assaulting two bedridden residents at the center.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reported 49-year-old Phillip Ray Smalley was arrested Saturday on two counts of forcible sexual penetration by use of a foreign object and two counts of abuse of a vulnerable adult.

The alleged victims are 102 and 82.

Hutcheson said police received a report of a possible sex offense at the facility Aug. 14. Another allegation involving a different resident surfaced and a search warrant was issued.

Spirit Lake Police Chief Keith Hutcheson said Smalley has been a caretaker at the Spirit Lake facility for six weeks, but Smalley told police he has been working as a caretaker at senior facilities for nearly 30 years.

House fire sparked by hash oil operation burns two men

YAKIMA - Two men were badly burned in a house fire that Yakima officials said was sparked during the manufacture of hash oil.

Yakima fire and police were called to a house fire early Tuesday.

A preliminary investigation revealed the occupants of the home were illegally manufacturing hash oil using butane fuel canisters and acetone when a fire erupted, resulting in a small explosion.

Two mmen, ages 21 and 37, arrived at Yakima Memorial Hospital about an hour after the fire was reported. Both had severe burns to their face, arms and legs. They were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

They weren't immediately arrested because of their injuries. The home was occupied by five children who were sleeping at the time of the fire. The children were not injured.

Pierce County man pleads guilty to pimping, child rape

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. - A Pierce County man accused of pimping and raping underage girls has pleaded guilty in Kitsap Superior Court.

The Kitsap Sun reported Ricky Lee Grundy Jr. entered his pleas Monday to human trafficking, promoting sexual abuse of a minor and three counts of child rape.

The victims were 14 and 15 years old. Sentencing was set for Sept. 25.

Prosecutors said it's the most serious human trafficking case they've handled.

Grundy kept rooms at hotels in Tacoma and Bremerton. Court documents say the girls were assaulted if they disobeyed Grundy. Prosecutors allege the girls were runaways, and Grundy, a meth dealer, would provide them with the drug.

Authorities charge 86-year-old man in woman's shooting death

TWIN FALLS - An 86-year-old man is accused of fatally shooting a woman in Twin Falls.

Paul Robert Welch was arrested Saturday. He is facing a first-degree murder charge.

According to court documents, 81-year-old Barbara Sue Chitwood was found dead from gunshots to her head at her home Friday. Twin Falls spokesman Josh Palmer said a passerby had been approached by an elderly man who asked him to call 911.

The relationship between Chitwood and Welch is unknown.

Welch was taken to a nearby hospital after the shooting. The nature of his injuries has not yet been released.

Collision between motorcycle, truck kills rider

HELENA, Mont. - The Montana Highway Patrol is investigating a crash between a motorcycle and truck that left one person dead.

Sgt. Jay Nelson said the crash on the western edge of Helena caused both vehicles to burst into flame. The driver of the truck declined medical attention at the scene.

Neither driver has been identified.

A highway patrol trooper had been preparing to pull the truck over for a minor traffic violation when the crash occurred.

Nelson said investigators are trying to determine whether speed, alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash. The Lewis and Clark county attorney will decide if charges will be filed.

Chinese man sentenced for trying to export satellite part

SEATTLE - A Chinese citizen was sentenced in federal court to 18 months in prison for trying to export an instrument used in satellites and spacecraft.

U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes said Yue Wu was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

Wu was arrested in October as he prepared to leave the U.S. from the San Francisco International Airport.

He had spent years trying to obtain a type of accelerometer for a customer in China. They can only be exported from the U.S. with a license from the U.S. State Department. Wu didn't have a license.

Wu had tried to convince a contact to send the gadgets to China disguised as something else or through a different country. That contact was an undercover law enforcement agent.

Associated Press