Stevens County Deputies Shoot up Suncrest Neighborhood
Below are links to
the unfolding story, as posted on the Spokesman Review website
and Spokane television stations, regarding four men charged with shooting up a
Suncrest neighborhood in southern Stevens County, Washington, on April 16, 2002,
at 2:30 am, with an Austrian-made Steyr machine
gun. How the four men came to have
the weapon, and who owned it, has not been disclosed.
Bear in mind, as you read the articles
published in the Spokesman Review, that this is John Craig,
witting and willing mouthpiece for Stevens County officials. You will not see Sheriff Craig Ellis
Thayer's or Prosecutor John Wetle's name in any of
these articles. It would appear
that Craig and the Spokesman Review are making a concerted effort
to ...
As of June 20, 2002, the four suspects
are:
Will Clark, 29, Stevens County Sheriff Deputy, living in a rented home in
Suncrest, grew up in Stevens County; fired from his job. Disposition
Chris Spurlock, 27, sharing rented home in Suncrest with Clark; reserve officer
for the Newport Police Department; corrections officer at Airway Heights
Correctional Facility; 1993 graduate of Lakeside High School, Nine Mile Falls
School District; resigned his job. Disposition
Brian Cravens, 25, Stevens County Sheriff Reserve Deputy, 1995 graduate of
Lakeside High School; fired from his job.
Disposition
Jeffrey Cravens, 22, 1997 graduate of Lakeside High School, now living in
Utah. Disposition
Clark, Spurlock and Brian Cravens have
been arraigned. Jeffrey Cravens is due
to appear in court on July 25, 2002.
Except as noted below, a news blackout appears to exist regarding this matter. It is interesting that the Spokesman
Review has posted, on its website, many responses to the first three
stories, but hardly any for those that followed. Is that because there have been no
responses, which is highly unlikely considering the responses to the first
three? Or is that because the Spokesman
Review isn't posting the responses to make it appear no one is upset or
concerned about the conduct of these individuals? Considering that no responses have been
published in the Spokesman Review, it would appear the latter is
the case. Obviously, every attempt
is being made to downplay the seriousness of this situation and those involved.
Chris Spurlock was a classmate of Brett
Hubbell, former Stevens County Sheriff Deputy, now working for Spokane
County Sheriff's Office. Hubbell is
a cousin of David Noble, Jr, involved in the
harassment of the Stuter family.
Hubbell was arrested October 6, 2001, by the Washington State Patrol for
driving under the influence.
Links to Spokesman Review
articles:
Deputy investigated in machine gun incident
(4/19/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (11 responses posted)
Deputies arrested in gunfire incident (4/20/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (42 responses posted)
Court to deputy: No guns, drinking (4/23/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (26 responses posted)
Third suspect in Suncrest shooting arrested
(4/24/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (1 response posted)
Court documents detail Suncrest shooting (4/26/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (no responses posted)
Deputies fired in machine gun incident (5/21/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (5 responses posted)
Ex-deputy sentenced in shooting (6/08/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (6 responses posted)
Man pleads guilty in Suncrest shooting (7/26/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (1 response posted)
Machine-gun case ends with plea bargains (8/29/02)
Citizen comments posted
on-line (10 responses posted)
Federal court throws out suit
over submachine gun (3/13/04)
Citizen comments posted on line
(none)
One of the families whose home
was hit by the gunfire from the Steyr machine gun,
filed suit against Will Clark and won a $3,000,000 judgment which was
incorporated in debts under bankruptcy by Clark in 2003. The family then filed suit in federal
court, alleging that the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office had ignored
repeated complaints about loud parties and raucous behavior at the home Will
Clark and Chris Spurlock were renting.
That case was dismissed in March 2004 but not before it came to light
that the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office could find no record of receiving the complaints from the family.
It was learned that the Steyr
machine gun was the property of the Kettle Falls Police Department, but had
ended up in the hands of the police chief of Kettle Falls, Duane Gagnon, via his
brother who resigned that force.
The weapon was never returned to the Kettle Falls Police Department when
Gagnon resigned his position for a job with the Stevens County Sheriff’s
Office. It was from Gagnon that
Clark obtained the weapon which he did not have a license to possess.
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