Flamin' Joes owner may be tied to downtown shootings

SPOKANE, Wash. -

The Spokane restaurant owner arrested in a federal drug sweep Thursday morning may have a connection to recent shootings in downtown Spokane.

Sally Blakely Guthrie, who owns the three Flamin' Joes locations in Spokane, appeared in federal court for a bail hearing Thursday afternoon. That hearing was continued because federal prosecutors say they need more time to process evidence collected in the massive raid.

That raid, which included 41 arrests in two states and 43 locations, alleges the co-defendants were involved in a massive Oxycontin ring spreading from Los Angeles to Spokane.

Court documents are still sealed because not all of those searches have been complete. In court, though, Magistrate Cynthia Imbrogno recalled allegations made in a 535-page document. Imbrogno said she recalled Guthrie being accused of money laundering and of renting vehicles for her co-conspirators to drive, so that investigators wouldn't know who was driving those vehicles.

Imbrogno said the "most concerning" allegation to her was that federal prosecutors say Guthrie lied to investigators about those vehicles being involved in recent shootings in downtown Spokane.

Guthrie will spend the night in jail; she'll be back in court to continue that bail hearing Friday morning. Her two adult sons were in court to support her Thursday afternoon.