06/18/08 Around the Valley

Mom who beat son gets jail

YAKIMA -- A Grandview woman charged in the severe beating of her young son in February was sentenced Tuesday to six months in jail.

Kendra Ott, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree child assault. She will receive credit for 125 days already served.

The boy had numerous bruises on his body when he was taken to Sunnyside Hospital, where he passed out.

Police said the child ended up having serious internal bleeding and required a blood transfusion before being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

According to detectives, Ott said she hit her son with a belt but also blamed her boyfriend for the bruises, saying he caused them by grabbing and squeezing her son's arms and chest.

Detectives said they could not substantiate Ott's claims about her boyfriend hitting her son. The boy was released from Harborview soon after the assault, authorities said.

Pet adoption day in Ellensburg

ELLENSBURG -- To help find homes for local animals, University Auto Center in Ellensburg is hosting a "Dog Days of Summer" event Friday and Saturday. The event will feature free hot dogs, drinks and balloons. It will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at 1817 U.S. Highway 97, where dogs and cats will be available for adoption from the Ellensburg Animal Shelter.

The auto center will pay the fee for anyone who adopts a pet on either day. The adoption fee includes any animal vaccinations and spaying or neutering -- which costs $80 for dogs and $50 for cats.

Customers who come in with their dogs will receive a 10 percent discount on their maintenance work or cleaning services.

The auto center is collecting supplies -- such as pet beds, flea and tick medicine and heavy-duty clippers -- for the shelter during June.

Donations are also being accepted at Ranch & Home, 615 S. Main St. and the animal shelter at 1007 S. Industrial Way. The shelter is open from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays.

A complete list of items needed by the shelter can be found online at www.universityautocenter.com and at the University Auto Center, Ellensburg Animal Shelter, Ranch & Home, Ellensburg Police Department and
Ellensburg City Hall.

Sheriff eyes Lower Valley precinct

YAKIMA -- The Yakima County Sheriff's Office moved a step closer Tuesday to building a Lower Valley office to replace the one burned by arson in 2006.

The county commissioners voted to request proposals for the work, which they previously pledged to fund up to $350,000, including the $137,000 from insurance on the old building. The commissioners and Sheriff Ken Irwin have repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining a presence in the Lower Valley.

"Obviously, we've got to go out to bid and get some hard numbers so we can make some hard decisions," Commissioner Mike Leita said.

Since arson gutted the old Buena building in October 2006, sheriff's deputies have shared space in the Zillah Police Department. The goal, though, is to get out of that building and into one that better meets the needs of the sheriff's office.

The county has asked for proposals that include a 3,500 square-foot building somewhere close to the old Buena site of the precinct, if not on the same property.

-- Yakima Herald-Republic

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