PORT ANGELES — Stevens Middle School students and their parents are invited to the school’s annual Back to School night at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Teachers will share information about their programs, standards and expectations at the school, 1139 W. 14th St.
Parents are invited to attend classes with their students.
Scam arrest made
LONGVIEW — A Las Vegas couple accused of defrauding about a dozen victims nationwide, including one in Port Angeles, of a total of $430,000 are now in custody in Cowlitz County.
The Daily News in Longview reported that the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office sent four detectives to Las Vegas on Thursday, and the couple entered custody at the Cowlitz County jail early Friday morning, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig. Their bails are listed at $70,000 each.
Neeraj Kohli, 39, and his wife, Shweta Kohli, 36, were arrested by deputies with assistance from the U.S. Marshal’s Service after a yearlong investigation by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, the newspaper said.
Neeraj Kohli was arrested for investigation of one count of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft. Shweta Kohli was arrested for investigation of one count each of first- and second-degree theft.
Multiple alleged scams were involved in the Kohlis’ arrest, the newspaper said. The primary scam was calling people to tell them that a virus would kill off all data in their computers unless they sent money to repair it. Some victims also were tricked into sending money out of fear of arrest if they did not pay their taxes due to the IRS.
One alleged victim was a 36-year-old from Port Angeles. Others were from Cowlitz County, a 31-year-old from Everett and a 51-year-old from Port Orchard.
West Nile found
SPOKANE — The Spokane Regional Health District reported the state’s first cases of West Nile virus this year.
The Spokesman-Review reported Monday that two men are believed to have contracted the virus in Spokane County.
One man, who is in his 60s, remained in a hospital Monday receiving treatment for the virus, and the other, in his 50s, was recovering at home after a brief hospitalization.
The health district stated a third Spokane County resident likely contracted the virus in a different state and also was recovering.
West Nile virus was first detected in Washington in 2006. Last year, the state saw nine confirmed human infections, one of which killed a Benton County woman who was in her 70s.
Officer assaulted
WALLA WALLA — Officials said a corrections officer was assaulted at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
The Union-Bulletin in Walla Walla reported that prison spokeswoman Shari Hall said the officer was not seriously hurt in the Monday morning attack and has been treated and released.
Hall said local law enforcement and penitentiary investigators were working to determine what prompted the attack. She said visiting at the prison has been canceled for the next two days to help facilitate the investigation.
No further details were immediately released.
