Idaho Briefs April 4, 2010
S. Idaho teen sentenced for attempted murder; Idaho man hit by stray bullet in Yakima dies
S. Idaho teen sentenced for attempted murder
TWIN FALLS - A southern Idaho teenager who tried to kill a Shoshone businessman by shooting him four times with a rifle and later pleaded guilty to attempted murder has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.Seventeen-year-old Michael Cannon was sentenced Friday in 5th District Court and must serve at least four years before he is eligible for parole.
Craig Hadden lost two ribs, his spleen and part of a lung to the shooting and said he was listed as dead on arrival when first hospitalized on April 1, 2009.In court on Friday thanked Cannon for shooting him because he said the ordeal made him a better person.
Authorities said 35-year-old Traci Hadden manipulated Cannon in the shooting and that the two had an ongoing sexual relationship.Craig Hadden is Traci Hadden's former father-in-law. Traci Hadden will be sentenced next week for aiding attempted murder and theft.
Idaho man hit by stray bullet in Yakima dies
YAKIMA, Wash. - A 20-year-old Idaho man is dead after being hit by a stray bullet in Yakima.
Kyle Flerchinger, of Orofino, was smoking a cigarette last Tuesday night in the back yard of a home where he was staying when a bullet struck him in the back of the neck. Police said the shot was fired from about a block away and was intended for another man.Yakima County Coroner Jack Hawkins said Flerchinger was taken off life support and died on Friday. Several of his organs were saved for donation.
The gunfire might have been gang-related. Police said the bullet was intended for a 21-year-old man who was hit at least twice in the back. That victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle but is expected to recover.No arrests have been made.
E. Idaho zoo trades for lioness, hopes for cubs IDAHO FALLS - Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho has traded its lioness after officials determined a California lioness made a better mating match for the zoo's male lion.
Tautphaus Park Zoo Superintendent Bill Gersonde said Sukari was sent to the San Francisco Zoo in exchange for 7-year-old Kimani.Gersonde said the trade in December was made on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which maintains a species survival plan for captive African lions.
Gersonde said mating will be encouraged between Kimani and Dahoma, the zoo's resident 5-year-old male lion.Gersonde saids the zoo expects several cubs. He said the lions should be on public display when the zoo opens for the season on April 17.
- The Associated Press