State to remove graffiti from land bridge

State highway workers will remove graffiti on Vancouver’s year-old Land Bridge as soon as Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Transportation said.

Thousands of commuters noticed the graffiti, visible on the east side of the bridge directly over state Highway 14, on their way to work Monday morning.

Billed as an iconic landmark for the city, with design help from famed architect Maya Lin, the bridge carries pedestrians across the highway from a replica of Fort Vancouver to the Columbia River. It opened late last year.

In contrast to other forms of graffiti, this one appears to have an political message: “Free Energy” in big block letters, it says. A smaller duplicate was stenciled to the left.

Melanie Coon, communications manager for the DOT in Vancouver, said a crew will be available to remove the graffiti no sooner than Wednesday.

Vancouver police have reported no arrest in the case of a 911 caller who said he was robbed of his Playstation 3 by males who held a gun to his face.

Officers were called to 3114 N.E. 57th Ave. about 9:20 p.m. Sunday, according to preliminary information.

The person who called 911 said the robbers came to his home with a gun.

Monday night, police Sgt. Jon Pfister said no one was hurt and the case has been referred to detectives.

A Vancouver motorcyclist was in good condition Monday night, more than a week after a crash near Vancouver Lake sent him to the hospital with critical injuries.

Alec Thomale, 22, had been taken by Life Flight to Legacy Emanuel Hospital after the Nov. 23 crash on Northwest Erwin O. Rieger Memorial Highway.

Witnesses at the scene told police that 20-year old Vancouver resident Miguel Martinez Mariscal was driving north on the highway when he slowed to turn left into a gravel parking area and was struck in the front left quarter panel by Thomale’s motorcycle.

Witnesses and evidence at the scene indicate Thomale was popping a wheelie at a high speed, police said. Thomale apparently was trying to pass Martinez on the left.

Thomale was thrown from the motorcycle. His helmet was badly damaged and he suffered what police called multiple system trauma.

Mark Scott, 29, of Battle Ground was being held without bail in the Clark County Jail on Monday night, two days after he allegedly made threats to a family member in Battle Ground.

Officers were sent to the 1600 block of Southwest Sixth St. on Saturday and learned Scott was in his home. He initially wouldn’t come out, but did later and was arrested on suspicion of felony telephone harassment, according to a bulletin from the Battle Ground Police Department.

Police said they later obtained a warrant to search his home and seized numerous firearms.

As a result, police added being a felon in possession of a firearm to the allegations, the bulletin said.

Scott is to appear in court Dec. 9, a jail employee said.

John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.