Man in standoff to get mental check

Seattle

A 45-year-old man was taken to Harborview Medical Center for a mental evaluation after police responded to a call from the 2800 block of East Yesler Way on Saturday afternoon about a woman being held hostage in an apartment by her armed boyfriend.

The incident snarled traffic as police shut the block around the apartment complex, trapping some residents in and others out.

The standoff lasted a couple of hours, ending with the release of the 30-year-old woman, who was unharmed.

Police spokesman Jeff Kappel said the incident began much earlier in the day, when officers received an emergency call about a man banging on a door at another location — in the 3300 block of Gale Place South. By the time officers arrived, the man was gone.

Around 2 p.m., police received a call from the East Yesler address, from someone who said a woman was being held by her boyfriend inside an apartment. Kappel said there was an unconfirmed report that the man was armed.

Police negotiators and a SWAT team were called to the scene and talked to the man and the woman by telephone, eventually persuading the man to surrender. No weapon was found, Kappel said. The man could face criminal charges.

Oregon City, Ore.

Teen's parents plead not guilty in death

The parents of an Oregon City teenager who died during attempts to heal him with prayer have pleaded not guilty to charges of criminally negligent homicide.

A grand-jury indictment accuses 50-year-old Jeffrey Dean Beagley and 46-year-old Marci Rae Beagley of failing to provide adequate medical care. The Beagleys belong to the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City, which favors spiritual healing and prayer over medical treatment. Their 16-year-old son, Neil, died in June from complications of a urinary-tract blockage that triggered heart failure. Doctors said a simple procedure could have saved his life.

Yakima

Arson suspect hangs himself in jail cell

A 19-year-old prisoner in the Yakima County Jail hanged himself with his bedsheet the night before he was to plead guilty to an arson charge.

William Murray was found Thursday night — the third suicide at the jail in the past year, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

Murray was arrested in March for trying to commit suicide by setting fire to his apartment. He was scheduled to enter a guilty plea Friday to a reduced charge of second-degree arson, and he was facing 21 months in prison.

Spokane

Animal control takes 34 dogs from home

Animal-control officers from SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. have seized 34 dogs from a Stevens County home.

Hope Merkison, animal-control officer with SpokAnimal, was unsure how many dogs still were loose on the property, but guessed the total could reach 45.

Seattle Times staff and news services