Ehlo released from jail, ordered not to contact family

Craig Ehlo was released without bail Friday and ordered not to contact family members or return to his rural Spokane County home by a superior court judge. Appearing in a yellow jumpsuit via teleconference at the Spokane County Courthouse, Ehlo agreed with orders made by Superior Court Judge James Triplet not to leave Washington state and not to posses fire-starting materials. Triplet set an arraignment for Ehlo on charges of first degree reckless burning, a class C felony, Aug. 14 at 9:30 a.m. Ehlo was arrested early Thursday morning at his home in the 3300 block of East 77th Avenue after Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered him being held down by family members near a pile of his burning clothes. The gasoline-fueled fire caused damage to an awning and siding on the home, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Ehlo was treated for undisclosed injuries at Sacred Heart Medical Center before being booked into the Spokane County Jail around 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Ehlo has no felonies on his record. The charges he faces carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000. A two-year player at Washington State University, Ehlo was taken in the third round of the NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He played in a losing effort in 1985-86 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics before stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics. He moved to Spokane following his retirement in 1997 and coached high school basketball, served as a TV analyst and most recently was an assistant coach for the Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team. He left that post July 11.