Virginia man gets three years in prison in coal mine fraud case
BILLINGS, Mont. — A jury has sentenced a Virginia man to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his part in a scheme to defraud a Montana coal mine of more than $10 million.
John Howard Boothe Jr. was also ordered Tuesday to pay $285,000 in restitution to Signal Peak Energy LLC, the company that owned the mine near Roundup, The Billings Gazette reported.
Boothe pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit money laundering in a scheme with two other codefendants between 2013 and 2018 to overbill the mine and conduct fake sales for equipment that wouldn’t be delivered.
His attorneys Dennis Lee and Aaron Gillespie did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday night.
Large gasoline spill on Harbor Island prompts evacuations
SEATTLE — A large gasoline spill is prompting some evacuations and causing a huge traffic mess on Harbor Island Thursday morning.
The spill was reported just before 5 a.m. in the 2500 block of 13th Avenue SW, according to David Cuerpo with Seattle Fire, KOMO-TV reported. Harbor Island is an artificial island located where the Duwamish River empties into Elliott Bay.
The tank and pump that had been leaking the gas has been shut off and secured, officials said, but a large amount of gas has spilled in the area and a 1,000-foot safety perimeter has been set up around the spill and workers have been told to stay away from the area, Cuerpo said.
Shell Oil brought in specialized employees to help clean up the spill, but until then dozens of trucks waiting to deliver loads are creating a huge cluster of traffic in the area, especially with the main West Seattle Bridge closure.
It’s unclear what exactly led to the spill. There are no reports of any injuries.
Cougar sighted in Cashmere near Riverside Park
CASHMERE, Wash. — Cashmere residents are advised to be on the lookout for a cougar in the area.
The cougar was spotted Wednesday night in Cashmere, in the area of Riverside Park, Division and Pioneer streets, state Department of Fish and Wildlife Sgt. Dan Klump said. People are asked to call the agency’s WILDCOMM dispatch at 360-902-2200 if they see the cougar.
“We had an officer respond this morning and there was a deputy (there) as well,” Klump said. “The deputy did see the cougar run across the road in the Olive Street area and then officers lost sight of it and they haven’t seen it since.”
It appears to be a sub-adult to an adult, so close to a full-grown cougar, he said. It is normal for this time of year for mother cougars to kick their young out and so it may be looking for new territory.
Police: Woman waiting to cross a street in Seattle is punched by a stranger
SEATTLE — A woman waiting for a traffic light to change at Third Avenue and James Street was punched in the face so hard Tuesday morning that a man who witnessed the assault thought she was dead, according to the probable cause statement outlining the Seattle police case against a 39-year-old suspect.
On Wednesday, a King County District Court judge found probable cause to hold the man on investigation of assault and set bail at $150,000, said Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.
The Seattle Times is not naming the man because he has not yet been criminally charged. He is a resident of the Morrison Hotel at 509 Third Ave., according to the statement. The Morrison is a supportive housing building run by the Downtown Emergency Services Center and serves disabled homeless adults.
Based on video-surveillance footage and witness statements, police say the woman was waiting to cross the street just before 11 a.m. Tuesday when a man approached her from behind and struck her in the face without provocation. She is seen in the footage falling face down on the pavement, her arms rigid at her sides, the probable cause statement says.
Abducted boy thought to have been taken to Washington is found in Oregon
COOS BAY, Ore. — A 6-year-old boy abducted in Millcreek, Utah earlier this week was found Thursday in Coos Bay, Oregon, police said. Officials initially believed the boy’s captor might bring him to Washington.
Terran Butler was abducted Monday and believed to be with his mother, 43-year-old Emily Jolley, who did not have custody. She was last seen driving a blue Toyota Prius.
According to the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, Butler was found in Oregon with Jolley, who was taken into custody.
The investigation is ongoing, but police said the public was “extremely helpful” in providing information that helped them find Butler safely.
