In brief: Police arrest man in rape case
Spokane police arrested a man Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of attempting to rape a woman who gave him a ride home from a North Side grocery store.
The 27-year-old victim reported that she and a friend agreed to drive two men home from the Safeway at Garland Avenue and Market Street in exchange for gas money.
The men directed the woman to drive into an alley behind a North Side house, where one of the men allegedly attacked her.
It was unclear what the other two people in the vehicle were doing at the time.
The woman got away and called police, who found and arrested Joseph Bercier, 26, nearby. He was booked into jail on rape charges.
The victim did not need medical treatment.
Free legal advice set for third summer
People can get free legal advice at Riverfront Park this summer through Sept. 1.
Attorneys will volunteer their time from 1 to 4 p.m. at the annual “Street Law” event, which is in its third year. Last year, about 400 people turned out for a “whole gamut of legal advice,” said Donna Halvorson, development director for the Center for Justice in Spokane.
The most popular subjects are landlord-tenant, estate, criminal and family law, she said. Many people come if they don’t have money for legal advice, don’t know where to turn, or want to know whether they even have a case.
If the volunteers – who also include paralegals and Gonzaga University law interns – don’t have an answer, they will offer referrals to an appropriate lawyer, Halvorson said.
Sponsored by the Center for Justice and the Spokane County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Program, Street Law also aims “to provide our attorneys to maybe remember why they got into law in the first place.”
The event runs every Saturday this summer except during Hoopfest on June 30.
Deer Park
Fire engulfs, destroys mobile home
A single-wide mobile home in Deer Park was destroyed in a blaze Thursday afternoon, fire officials said.
No one was hurt in the fire, said Spokane County Fire District No. 4 spokesman Pat Humphries.
Firefighters responded to the home at 202 E. Third about 12:30 p.m., Humphries said. The mobile home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, Humphries said. No damage estimate was available.
Coeur d’Alene
Benefit for pastor in coma set for tonight
A benefit will be held tonight for Dave Miller, a Post Falls youth pastor, and his wife and three children. Miller sustained a skull fracture when he was kicked in the head while playing in a May 21 soccer game. He remains in a coma.
Friends organized the benefit to help the family with medical bills. It will be held at Coeur d’Alene Cellars, 3890 N. Schreiber Way, from 6 to 9 p.m. It will include live music, raffles, door prizes, appetizers and beverages. The cost is $5 per person.
Donations also can be made to the Dave Miller Family Fund at any U.S. Bank branch.
For information, call Patricia Smith, (208) 659-3144, or Charissa McCoy, (208) 660-3245.
From staff reports