Man drowns trying to save 5-year-old
GATES, Ore. -- A Keizer man died trying to save the life of a boy who fell into the North Santiam River near Gates, police said.
Rescue crews recovered the body of 22-year-old Eric Eugene Johnson Friday afternoon, according to Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller. The search for 5-year-old Anthony Barkley Berlin was suspended at nightfall.
Divers resumed the search for the boy Saturday morning.
Berlin was fishing with his father at Niagara County Park when he fell into the river. Johnson jumped in to save him and drowned in the attempt, Mueller said.
The area is about 40 miles east of Salem.
Boy rescued from rocks above 270-foot Wallace FallsThe Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Unit and Gold Bar Fire worked into the early hours of the morning Sunday to rescue a 13-year-old Burien boy from the rocks above Wallace Falls in Gold Bar.
The Sheriff’s Office says the incident began around 5 pm Saturday evening when the boy was hiking with his father and his father's friend. The boy was wading in Wallace River when he slipped on the rocks and went into the water.
The boy then went over a 10-foot waterfall before he was able to scramble to a rock, narrowly escaping a 270-foot waterfall.
By the time rescuers arrived, the boy was wet and standing on the rock about 15 feet from shore.
The Sheriff’s Office says the rescue was especially difficult because an overhead rock face restricted a clear vertical descent from the helicopter.
The first rescuer who was lowered from the SAR helicopter had to swing on the repel rope in order to try to reach the boy under the rock overhang. The friction of the rock caused the rope to break and the rescuer fell to the river. He was saved from going over the falls by his secondary line. The rescuer made it to the river bank safely, with only minor injuries.
Additional rescuers were deployed up-river and they eventually made it to the area adjacent to the boy. They were able to throw clothes and food to the boy.
At 1:36 a.m., the boy was finally removed from the rock and the 10 rescuers camped overnight with him until they were flown from the area by helicopter at 6 a.m. Sunday.
The boy did not require medical treatment at the scene, but was going to be checked later today by a physician.
WWII vet's remains returned to Wash.WHITE SALMON, Wash. -- The remains of a World War II veteran from Washington, killed in the Netherlands in 1944, are finally back home.
Last September a Dutch farmer found the remains of Gerald “Mike” Kight in a field. His dog tags were also recovered.
Friday his ashes were flown back to Portland International Airport for a funeral service.
The ashes were taken to West Klickitat Cemetery in White Salmon for burial.
Kight was 23 years old when he died.
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Photos courtesy of Peyt Turner
Army Sgt. charged with killing fellow soldiersA U.S. Army sergeant currently at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder for allegedly shooting fellow soldiers in Iraq three years ago.
Sgt. John Russell is also charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault.
"Sgt. Russell was assigned to a Germany-based Army unit that served in Iraq under the command of a JBLM unit. However, neither the Soldier nor his unit were ever assigned to or trained at JBLM," a statement from the base said.
Killed in the shooting were Navy Cmdr. Charles Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., and four Army members: Pfc. Michael Edward Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md.; Dr. Matthew Houseal, of Amarillo, Texas; Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; and Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.
The shooting happened May 11, 2009 at Camp Liberty Combat Stress Center in Iraq. In the days after the shooting, the Army said Russell had been referred to the military counseling clinic by his superiors, presumably because of concern over his mental state.
Russell’s weapon allegedly had been taken away, but somehow he got a new gun, entered the clinic and opened fire.
Russell was on his third tour of duty in Iraq, according to his service record. He was due to go home three weeks after the shooting.
If convicted of murder, Russell could face the death penalty, although a military judge in 2009 recommended no death sentence for Russell due to mental illness.
In another high profile murder case, Sgt. Robert Bales from JBLM is charged with killing 17 civilians in Afghanistan March 11.
Story includes archive information from The Associated Press, compiled by KING 5's Travis Pittman
26 starving horses seized from Wash. farmTwenty-six sickly horses seized from a Mt. Vernon pasture this month are being nursed back to health in Arlington.
Owners of the horses filed a request to get the animals back on Thursday. The request comes one day before a 15-day hold would have expired and horses could have been legally confiscated.
Vets diagnosed a variety of ailments when the horses were seized on May 2, including malnourishment, lice, rain rot, mud fever and open sores. The horses are being treated at a 10-acre rescue facility for the non-profit group People Helping Horses.
“This is the first time in 10 years an owner has petitioned to get the horses back,” said Gretchen Salstrom, founder of People Helping Horses.
Skagit County Sheriff's deputies investigated the condition of the horses earlier this month following a tip. Animal control and People Helping Horses' staff assisted in removing them from the property.
Since then, a 5-year-old mare named Fancy was euthanized due to her deteriorating condition. At least three mares are believed to be pregnant.
"She was just desperately weak," says Teryn Cothern, Director of Operations, who says the horse went down and couldn't get back up on her own. "She had no umph or anything. She was defecating on herself. It was a miserable, terrible, awful thing to watch."
According to staff at People Helping Horses, most of the animals were rated a 2 on the Henneke Scale, a system used to rate a horse's condition based on their body. With 1 being the poorest rating, a 2 on the Henneke Scale means bone structure is faintly discernible in the neck, withers and shoulders, and the ribs and tailhead are prominent.
The owners have not been identified yet. Animal control officers tell KING 5 the owners were keeping the horses on leased property on Beaver Lake Road in the Clear Lake area east of Mt Vernon.
The owners' attorney, Jim McBride, says "the horses were not in a life-threatening condition."
"Our focus is on what is best for the horses -- we just want to see them happy and healthy," said Salstrom.
People Helping Horses is asking for donation and volunteers to help feed and treat the horses.
32 years since Mount St. Helens blew its topVANCOUVER -- Facilities at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument are free on Friday to mark the 32nd anniversary of the big 1980 blast that killed 57 people and changed the landscape.
Visitors can learn about the changes and check on current conditions at the Cascades' most active volcano at the Johnston Ridge Observatory and the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center at Coldwater.
A new outdoor amphitheater greets visitors to Johnston Ridge Observatory, along with 51 informational panels and other improvements added since last year. The Learning Center is hosting a volunteer appreciation event.
The Columbian reports Forest Service officials hope the gathering is the start of a new life for the repurposed facility, which closed as a visitor center in 2007.
Oregon bans Native American mascots in schoolsSALEM -- Eight Oregon high schools will have to retire their Native American mascots after the Board of Education voted Thursday to prohibit them, giving the state some of the nation's toughest restrictions on Native American mascots, nicknames and logos.
The 5-1 vote followed months of passionate and emotional debate about tolerance and tradition.
The schools have five years to comply with the order or risk losing their state funding. Another seven high schools identified as the Warriors will be allowed to keep their nickname but will have to change mascots or graphics that depict Native Americans. An unknown number of elementary and middle schools also will be affected.
More: List of Oregon schools with Native American names, logos
The ban doesn't apply to colleges, but none in Oregon have Native American mascots after Southern Oregon University and Chemeketa Community College dropped them.
Since the 1970s, more than 600 high school and college teams across the country have done away with their Native American nicknames, including 20 in Oregon.
Critics say Indian mascots are racist, contending they reinforce stereotypes and promote bullying of Native students. Supporters say the mascots are a way to honor Native American history, evoking values of strength and bravery.
"It is racist. It is harmful. It is shaming. It is dehumanizing," Se-ah-dom Edmo, vice president of the Oregon Indian Education Association, told the board.
More: Oregon board reviews Native American mascots
In 2006, the Oregon Board of Education adopted a nonbinding recommendation that schools stop using Native mascots. A handful did, but some small communities have resisted the trend, saying the nicknames are a source of pride. "It's a chance for us to talk about family and tradition and loyalty," said Jim Smith, principal of Banks High School -- home of the Braves -- who grew up on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana.
Banks, west of Portland, has a logo depicting an Indian head on the gymnasium floor and walls, and even on the hurdles used by the track team. When the Star Spangled Banner is played at the beginning of every game, the crowd joins in and tweaks the last stanza: "and the home of the Braves."
Some critics of the ban said they were concerned about the costs of changing sports uniforms and equipment, school letterhead and street signs.
In some areas, schools have worked with nearby tribes to change their practices without changing their nickname. Roseburg High School, home of the Indians, switched a logo depicting a Native American to a simple feather. Molalla High School changed sports jerseys to say "Molalla" instead of "Indians" and stopped using a mascot dressed like a Native American to lead cheers.
Students and teachers from schools with Native American nicknames packed two public hearings on the topic. Some suggested they be allowed to keep their Indian nicknames if nearby tribes consent. The board rejected that idea, with board member Artemio Paz describing it as a "search for acceptable levels of racism."
Native American mascots are a form of oppression that contributes to isolation among Native Americans and its social consequences, said Tom Ball, assistant vice president of equity and diversity at the University of Oregon. Those include high rates of suicide, incarceration and school dropout.
Oregon Department of Education officials say Wisconsin is the only other state to enact restrictions on Native American mascots. Wisconsin's law, approved by the Legislature in 2010, requires school boards to prove that their Indian mascots don't promote discrimination, harassment or stereotyping if someone complains. Dozens of Wisconsin schools still have Native American mascots.
The NCAA limits the use of imagery and names considered hostile and abusive, and a debate still rages over the University of North Dakota's "Fighting Sioux" nickname and a logo with the profile of an American Indian warrior.
The Oregon Legislature voted in 2001 to eliminate the word "squaw" from geographic names because many Native Americans consider it offensive.
Mom arrested after toddler found wandering 4 timesALOHA, Ore. – An Aloha mom was arrested after her two-year-old daughter was found wandering alone four times last week.
On all four occasions, the child was found along a busy stretch of 185th Avenue, near Johnson Street.
In the first two incidents, neighbors found the little girl and brought her back to her mother, Alexandra Watkins, 23, who lives in an apartment nearby.
Then, Tuesday afternoon, a TriMet bus driver found the toddler and called 911. Investigators said after learning it was not an isolated incident, deputies arrested Watkins. She was released that night and then the next morning, she was arrested again, for the same thing.
Around 7 a.m., a Good Samaritan on a bicycle found the toddler and called 911.
Neighbor John Taylor said he found the toddler wandering alone last week and brought her home.
“That to me is child abuse. I thought to myself, this poor little girl could have been killed, run over by a car,” Taylor said.
The toddler was taken into custody by the Department of Human Services, along with her 3-year-old sister. DHS later put the children in the care of a relative.
Watkins is facing child neglect charges and remains behind bars on $5,000 bail. She was scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Steven Powell guilty on 14 counts of voyeurismSteven Powell was convicted of 14 counts of voyeurism in Pierce County court Wednesday, the latest development in the case of a Utah mother who has been missing since 2009.
The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict against on all counts, agreeing with prosecutors that photographs of girls and women in various states of undress found in Powell's possession last fall were used for sexual gratification.
Defense attorneys had argued there was too much reasonable doubt in the case to convict Powell.
One juror told KING 5 News the state "just presented a better case."
Powell had no visible reaction as Judge Ronald Culpepper read each of the counts.
Powell is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15. He faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of the 14 counts. The state has said they will seek an "exceptional" sentence.
It is not clear whether Powell could serve consecutive sentences for each count, which could amount to a 70 year sentence. This is his first criminal conviction.
Powell will be interviewed by the Department of Corrections prior to the sentencing date.
Powell is the former father-in-law of Susan Powell, who has been missing since December 2009. Her husband, Josh Powell, who is also Steven's son, was a person of interest in her disappearance. He killed himself and the couple's two children in an explosion in Graham earlier this year.
During pre-trial motions, Culpepper ruled that images of Susan that were allegedly in Steven Powell's possession would not be admissible in the case.
The photographs prosecutors used as evidence were found at Powell's Puyallup home last fall when officers were searching for Susan's diaries.
Prosecutors showed jurors the images from which each charge stemmed, including videos of two girls using the bathroom, a girl either scratching or touching herself in a van, and a teen changing clothes in her bedroom. A video of Powell who appeared to be touching himself was also shown.
Susan Powell's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, have been present every day of the trial. Chuck Cox said he was relieved by the verdict and believes it brings justice to girls who were photographed.
Powell's daughter releases videos
Alina Powell released a number of videos on a website one day before her father's conviction showing Steven interacting with Josh and Susan as well as his grandsons.
The home videos were shot between 2007 and 2009. They were posted here: http://sites.google.com/site/westvalleymalfeasance/
Alina wanted the public to see how Susan Powell did not seem to have any problem with her children spending time with their grandfather.
Following the verdict against her father, Alina did not have any comment.
Information compiled by KING 5's Lindsay Chamberlain, Drew Mikkelsen.
Consignment sales gain popularity among momsWhat do you do with your children's clothes when your kids outgrow them? Donate them? Consign them at a store?
These days, more and more moms are selling their kids' used clothes, toys, books and furniture at consignment sales -- a different take on the consignment model.
Most consignment stores pay out 40 percent to 50 percent of the sale price. And in many cases, sellers have to wait to get your check.
But Rachel Kalous, the owner of the Jack and Jill Sale, said a consignment sale eliminates the delay and boosts the seller's take home cash.
"You get paid out higher than if you did a consignment store, so we start by paying out 65 percent and you can earn even more if you volunteer," Kalous said.
For a consignment sale, Kalous said clothes need to be in excellent condition or very gently used. Items that are new with tags still attached sell really well.
"If you're thinking it has too much wear, go ahead and put it in the donation pile," she said.
Brand names like Janie and Jack, GapKids and Gymboree are always more popular. And outfits are always a hit. If you have pieces that go together, like a dress and matching hat, sell them as a set, Kalous advised.
One of the perks of a consignment sale is consignors get to set their own prices. But it can also be one of the most challenging things for a first-time seller.
Kalous said the best way to calculate your pricing is to aim for 25 percent to 30 percent of an item's retail price. Brand new outfits can fetch up to 50 percent of retail. A brand new sundress with matching hat from Gymboree, for example, would sell for $10-$12. A gently used pair of black Pedipeds should be priced at $6 or $7.
Kalous said the key is to price items to sell. "Let's say you're putting a bouncy seat in the sale. There's probably going to be six other identical bouncy seats, so price it competitively," said Kalous.
"Sometimes as a first time consignor, people will price their items a little bit high because they're hoping to get more for it."
After setting the prices, sellers have to enter every item into the consignment sale database, print the tags and attach each tag to the garments using a tagging gun or safety pins. Then each item needs to be hung separately on a plastic hanger.
Kalous said shoes either need to be kept together with zip-ties or placed in a ziploc bag. Painter's tape is a great way to attach the price tag to books; a series of books can be put in a ziploc bag.
Here are things you'll need to get your items ready for a consignment sale:
- Ziploc bags
- Hangers
- Packing tape
- Safety pins
- Scissors
- Painter's Tape
At the Jack and Jill sale, which happens twice a year, Kalous said the average consignor will make between $100 and $300. "I think a lot of people, for the first time, it's a learning curve. But once you do it, you get hooked," she said.
After the sale is done, consignors have the option to pick up their unsold items or donate them to Westside Baby, a non-profit organization that helps children in need.
Urns stolen from grave of Oly beer founderTUMWATER, Wash. -- Thieves have stolen two bronze urns that marked the graves of Olympia Brewing Company founder Leopold Schmidt and his son in Tumwater.
The urns weigh about 75 pounds each and held fresh flowers as requested by Schmidt before his death in 1914.
The Olympian reports the theft was discovered Monday by a steward for the estate near the closed brewery.
Tumwater Foundation Director John Freedman hopes a scrap metal dealer returns them if a thief tries to sell them.
Faith healers? found not guilty on second-degree murder chargesOKANOGAN, Wash. -- A jury found an Okanogan County couple not guilty of second-degree murder.
Gregory and Garnet Swezey were accused of not getting help for their son when his appendix burst.
The 17-year-old died in 2009.
The Swezey's claim they didn't call a doctor because it's against their religious beliefs.
They belong to the "Church of the First Born" which believes in faith healing.
2-year-old found weighing less than 10 poundsMOSES LAKE, Wash.– Grant County detectives are investigating a suspected case of child abuse or neglect, which has left a two-year-old Moses Lake boy on life support.
Deputies, AMR paramedics and Fire District 5 EMTs were called around 1:00 p.m. Wednesday to a home near Moses Lake. Responders found a two-year-old boy, who appeared extremely malnourished, without a heartbeat.
Firefighters gave him CPR, and paramedics were able to get the boy’s heart beating again. He was taken to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake and then flown by MedStar to Providence-Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where he remains on life support.
When he was admitted to the hospital, the boy weighed 9.9 pounds. In comparison, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the average weight range of a two-year-old boy in the United States is 34 to 48 pounds.
One of the investigating detectives, a 23-year law enforcement veteran, calls this the worst case of child abuse or neglect he has ever seen.
Detectives served a search warrant to the home Wednesday night and gathered several pieces of evidence. Four other children who lived at the home, a 14-year-old boy and three girls ages 10, 7 and 4, are now in the custody of Child Protective Services in Spokane. They are doing well and show no signs of physical abuse or injury, according to the sheriff's office.
The Department of Social and Health Services is also involved with the abused child. DSHS says they had no prior contact with the family until they were called about the current situation.
Neighbors told KREM 2 News that the family kept mostly to themselves.
The investigation is open and continues.
Seattle man survives fall into crevasse near Whistler B.C.A Seattle man fell 160 feet down a crevasse while back-country skiing near Whistler Resort in British Columbia on Friday, and amazingly came away with no injuries.
Nikolai Popov, who described his experience on a hiking website, said he was headed for Mount Pattison with a man he had met on the lift.
Popov was 50-60 meters behind his younger companion when he saw a long crack ahead of him. He approached cautiously and started probing it with his pole to see if it was a crevasse and how strong the snow bridge was.
“And then it happened: the snow I was standing on collapsed and before I knew it I found myself at the bottom of a crevasse,” he said.
He said it soon became clear that he wasn’t at the bottom of the crevasse. He wasn’t sure how deep it was but after some exploration he could see that it was much deeper on either side.
He said the good news was that he was not injured and was not at the bottom of the crevasse. The bad news, he said, was that there were solid walls of ice north and south, with big overhanging cornices at the top.
“One of those cornices was humongous and was the main threat: it was a warm day; I could see cracks in the cornices, and it was a matter of time before they collapsed,” he said.
Popov said even if he had had ice climbing equipment with him, it would have been useless because of the overhanging cornices.
“In short, I had to be rescued,” he said.
While his partner went for help, Popov said, he had time to ponder his luck: “I wasn’t injured; I hadn’t fallen to the bottom; I wasn’t squashed (yet) by collapsing chunks of frozen snow; it was a warm day, and I had enough clothing and an emergency blanket to survive (maybe) one night … But above all: I HAD a partner. (It's not difficult to imagine the same scenario--without a partner.)”
A helicopter arrived after just a little over two hours. Popov had just enough room to maneuver while two of the cornices were collapsed to make the extraction possible.
Popov expressed his gratitude to the search and rescue team that came to his aid.
Climbers warned of high avalanche danger at Mount St. HelensLONGVIEW, Wash. - As the highway to Mount St. Helens reopens this weekend, the Forest Service is warning of "very high" avalanche risk for people thinking of climbing the volcano.
The Daily News reports the Forest Service said Friday it is offering refunds for climbing permits to those who decide not to risk an ascent.
Mother's Day weekend is typically a busy climbing weekend at the volcano in part because it precedes the anniversary of the volcano's eruption on May 18, 1980.
Ken Sandusky, a spokesman for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, says no major avalanches have been reported, but equipment that monitors snow conditions shows the risk of significant avalanches is high.
A climbing ranger will be on the mountain to update climbers on conditions and hazard information will be posted.
Suspected murder weapons in baby's roomPORTLAND -- Court documents revealed two nearby patrol officers heard the shots that killed a man in Northeast Portland last Wednesday.
The body of 29-year-old Kenneth Ray Henry was found after reports of shots fired late Wednesday evening at the apartments near NE 148th Avenue and Fremont.
Henry's girlfriend said she heard knocks at her door in the moments before the shooting, court documents showed. She told Henry someone was there, and he went out to check right before the gunshots were fired.
He was found lying in the entryway of his home and declared dead.
Several hours later, police surrounded an apartment complex at NE 152nd Avenue and Sandy and questioned several people. Police later arrested 23-year-old Xabian Robert Riley, 24-year-old Tracey Christopher Lomax and 21-year-old Marcellus Allen, all for murder.
Court documents showed a search of the apartment on NE Sandy turned up ammunition similar to casings and a bullet found at the murder scene.
Detectives also said they found three guns stashed in a baby's bedroom there. An affidavit showed one handgun was found under a mattress and two others in a closet.
“It’s hard for me to wake up saying my cousin is gone," a relative of Henry's said. "It’s hard for me and hard for my family. This is reality and I am standing here and my cousin is gone It’s a bad thing for me really hard.”
David Sanchez, who lives in the area, said his family heard three or four shots, at first thinking they were knocks at the door. They did not open the door. He said that he's thinking of moving now.
“I heard I think it was five times, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang," neighbor Anna Kozubenko said. "I thought I was imagining it. I got up and looked around and of waited. I’m like, 'Should I call 911?' I woke up today kind of scared and thinking someday it might happen to me.”
Detectives did not say if the shooting was drug or gang related.
Anyone with information was asked to call Portland police.
Two arrested in case of body found in burning carThe King County Sheriff's Office has arrested two people in connection with the murder of Denise Grigsby.
The two people - a man and a woman - are persons of interest in the case.
According to court records, both have extensive criminal backgrounds.
Grigsby's body was found in the trunk of a burning car on Auburn-Black Diamond Road last Sunday. The 39-year-old woman had been placed in the trunk after she died from a blow to the head.
The Sheriff's Department says the investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking the public for help in the case.
U of O student dies from bacterial meningitis EUGENE, Ore. -- A University of Oregon student has died from meningitis.
Julie Brown, the director of media relations for the university said the student passed away at a hospital in Eugene last night from bacterial meningitis.
Brown said the school was working to identify anyone who came in contact with this student, as they could be at risk for contracting the disease. Officials were specifically concerned about people who had close contact with the student for at least four hours in the past week.
While Brown could not say if the student was a member of a sorority, she did say that many members of the Chi Omega sorority have received preventative medication in the past day.
Couple held hostage while suspects ransack homeTACOMA, Wash. -- Tacoma Police are looking for the robbers who broke into a couple's house Thursday evening and held them hostage while ransacking their home.
The attack happened at the couple's home near the intersection of South 74th Street and South Ainsworth in Tacoma.
Remegio and Norma Fernandez said they were watching TV when at around 7:00 p.m. when they heard their back door window shatter and saw two armed men.
"I was really in shock because there was a gun pointing at me with a laser," said Remegio. "I couldn't move."
The couple said they were held hostage and threatened for three hours while two the suspects robbed their home, threatening to shoot them the whole time. Remegio said they even put a gun in his mouth, and then his wife's mouth.
"They said, 'We want your money, we want your jewelry,'" he recalled.
At one point, Remegio said he was able to break free and run away. But one of the suspects chased him down, kicked him and assaulted him, and dragged him back inside. He said the suspect told him he would shoot him if he didn't cooperate.
"I just had to cooperate because I don't want to leave my wife," he said.
"I [was] trembling," said Norma.
Throughout the attack, police said the suspects were apparently talking to a female in a car via a two-way radio.
When they left, officers said the suspects had two large duffel bags of stolen items. The thieves also stolen $4,000 from the couple's daughter, Caroline, who was saving it for a trip to the Philippines.
Neighbors said they didn't notice anything suspicious last night.
"I got home around 8:30 and didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary," said a woman who lives nearby. "It's an older community here, so if it can happen to them, who else can it happen to?"
When police arrived, a K-9 unit searched for the suspects, but they were unable to locate them.
Neighbors described Remegio and Norma as very kind people who have lived in the neighborhood for several years. The couple said even they don't know why they were targeted.
"I don't have [any] enemies, we help other people," said Remegio.
Tacoma Police described the suspects as two males in their late teens or early 20s, one tall and slender, the other described as short and average. The men were wearing blue bandannas and were armed with a handgun.
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Car through wall pushes man in chair across roomMILWAUKIE, Ore. -- A driver crashed through the wall of a Milwaukie apartment, pushing a 97-year-old man in his recliner across his living room Thursday morning.
At about 11 a.m. 89-year-old Owen Gotchall crashed into the wall at The Springs at Clackamas Woods apartment complex, in the 14400 block of SE Webster Road, according to Sgt. Adam Phillips of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
"The resident of the apartment, Donald Brownrigg, was sitting in his recliner by the patio door," Phillips said. "The recliner was struck by the car as it crashed through the patio door. His recliner was pushed across the room with him in it."
Brownrigg suffered minor injuries and was taken by a family member to a nearby hospital.
Gotchall told police he hit the gas pedal instead of the brake while he was parking, Phillips said. The car jumped a curb before going through the patio door.
Gotchall was not injured. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.