Two Pierce County deputies shot; one critical

Suspect also killed; had history of domestic issues

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Two Pierce County Sheriff's deputies were "basically ambushed" Monday night when responding to a domestic violence call near Eatonville, a spokesman said.

The shooting was the third within two months in which police officers in the Seattle-Tacoma metroplitan area were targeted by gunmen.

The suspected shooter, identified as David Edward Crable, 35, was shot and killed during the incident, which happened shortly after 9 p.m. in the 34300 block of Tanwax Court East.

The Sheriff's office identified the officers as Deputy Kent Mundell and Sgt. Nick Hausner. Mundell, who is married with two kids, was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. Hausner, a 20-year department veteran, was in serious condition at Madigan Army Medical Center. He is also married with two children.

Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said the deputies had responded to the residence in Eatonville -- about an hour south of Seattle -- after a family member called 911 about an unwanted guest. The argument involved Crable's younger brother and 16-year-old daughter, investigators said.

“They had asked that the suspect be removed," Troyer said at a news conference Tuesday morning. "He was intoxicated; he was belligerent. He had been violent in the past. They wanted him out of there.”

Troyer said Crable had lost some sort of custodial right in seeing his daughter, because he had assaulted her in the past.

The deputies were let inside the residence by Crable's brother but were unaware that Crable was hiding upstairs, Troyer said. Investigators said Crable, who had had some clothing in a bag, fired several rounds.

"It happened in a matter of seconds," Troyer said. He said Mundell fired at the suspect after being hit multiple times, and that investigators were still piecing together the chronology. He also said domestic violence calls are the most dangerous kind of call.

"You have three people shot," he said. "It's a horrific scene."

The shooting was the latest in a spate of officer shootings since Oct. 31, in which at least eight deputies or officers have been shot in Western Washington. Police say all attacks were apparent ambushes. At least five have been fatal.

“Everybody is pretty shocked,” Troyer said. “We’ve been hit pretty hard in our two counties. We’re all talking about how it’s pretty sad how good we are at this, as far as cooperation and taking care of our families. It wasn’t something we ever wanted to practice.”

Court documents show Crable had a history of domestic issues and earlier this year pleaded guilty to third-degree malicious mischief and unlawful display of a weapon after an incident involving his brother and teenaged daughter.

History of domestic problems

On May 28, deputies were dispatched to the 8100 block of 202nd Street Court East in Pierce County. When they arrived they found Crable and his daughter, then 15, who said she'd been in an argument with him the previous day.

"She said (Crable) was holding a knife and pointed it at her several times, though she was not scared by it," Pierce County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brian Wasankari wrote in charging documents. "She said the defendant then escorted her to her room, slapping the back of her head several times."

When Crable and his daughter got to her room, the girl allegedly told police he "shoved her into the corner, grabbed the back of her head and shoved her face up against the wall, causing her chin to get cut."

A deputy who responded noticed the girl had an abrasion on her chin.

Crable's younger brother, 32, had come to the house and confronted him, "but (Crable) grabbed him by the throat and pushed him out of the house," according to charging documents.

The brother told police that while he was sitting in his vehicle, Crable walked out of the house with a knife and slashed the tires.

Damage was estimated at $600. Crable allegedly told police he thought it was OK because he'd paid for the tires.

Crable’s mother asked a Pierce County Superior Court judge to grant a temporary restraining order days before the May 28 incident, claiming her son was heavily armed and increasingly agitated.

“I am afraid to be in my own home with him because of the many guns he owns, including my own,” she said in the May 18 petition. “The altercations have escalated. This is (a) constant threat.”

She went on to claim her son had been threatening suicide, alleging that Crable told his daughter he wanted to die.

In a separate record, Crable’s brother claimed Crable had been briefly hospitalized in the spring of 2007 after threatening suicide.

He was charged with second-degree malicious mischief and fourth-degree assault, but pleaded guilty June 25 to third-degree malicious mischief and unlawful display of a weapon.

Crable wrote in court documents that he believed he was innocent, but pleaded guilty believing he would be found guilty at a trial.

Crable wrote he wanted to take advantage of the state's amended charges.

He received two 365-day sentences. All but two days, for which he was granted time-served credit, were suspended on the conditions that Crable pay restitution, show law-abiding behavior and take parenting classes.

Crable was also ordered to have no hostile contact with his brother or teenage daughter.

A State Patrol criminal history also shows a Pierce County Sheriff's deputy arrested Crable Nov. 14 for DUI.

His younger brother filed for a protection order in July 2007, saying that Crable yelled that he was going to ruin his life and "has threatened to kill my dogs and damage my car."

Crable had been previously arrested for domestic violence, "but we madeup (sic) and I dropped the charges," his brother wrote.

Crable also allegedly had gone to a hospital that year threatening to kill himself, according to court documents.

The sibling said in court documents that he and his girlfriend were trying to move out and had a place to go in August of that year.

In April 2008, Crable's brother wrote in a petition to terminate the protection order that "we are getting along together much better now," after the two were not living.

Several police shootings

Since Oct. 31, at least eight deputies or officers have been shot in Western Washington. Police say all attacks were apparent ambushes. At least five have been fatal.

On Oct. 31, Seattle police officer Tim Brenton was shot to death in the Leschi neighborhood and his partner, Britt Sweeney, was wounded.

Christopher J. Monfort has been charged with aggravated first-degree murder as well as three counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of arson. Read more here.

The morning of Nov. 29, four members of the Lakewood Police Department -- Sgt. Mark Renninger, and officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Greg Richards -- were shot to death at Forza Coffee, near McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma.

Police said their killer, Maurice Clemmons, was shot to death in Seattle on Dec. 1 after a multi-agency manhunt.

Police say December has a high number of domestic violence incidents statewide.

The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported that in 2006, there were 12,267 violations of domestic violence protection orders statewide, and at least 32 children have died in state domestic violence cases since 1997.

Troyer told reporters early Tuesday that both deputies shot Monday night were dedicated to their jobs.

Hausner was hired in June 1989 and worked as a patrol deputy in Lakewood, South Hill and the Mountain detachment before being made sergeant in April 2005.

Police said he has served with the Bicycle Patrol Unit, as a computer instructor, Gang Task Force member, Community Academy facilitator and worked as a member of the Strategic Planning Leadership Team.

He received the Sheriff's Department Medal of Merit in 1994 and in 2002, and has earned five Sheriff's Department Impact Awards. His children are 12 and 14.

Walter Kent Mundell Jr. was hired by the Sheriff's office in January 2000.

Currently with the Mountain detachment, police said Mundell has worked as a patrol deputy in South Hill, a member of the Air Operations, Clandestine Lab Team, and as a Safety Committee representative.

His children are 10 and 16.

"Law enforcement all across the state is hurting right now," he told our news partner, KOMO/4. "It's going to be really hard to find people to do this job when, through no fault of your own and no matter what kind of training you have, there's people that are out there willing to ... just randomly shoot police officers, or walk into a coffee shop or lay in wait in a residence.

"There's nothing you can do about that."
Seattlepi.com reporters Vanessa Ho and Levi Pulkkinen contributed to this story. Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/mcnerthney.

Bainbridge couple suspected of stealing and selling $20,000 of merchandise

By BAINBRIDGE REVIEW
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND REVIEW

Bainbridge police are searching for a couple who stole upwards of $20,000 from a partially furnished home they rented.

Police said soon after the tenants moved to the home in September, they held a garage sale, selling many of the items in the house.

Police valued the items stolen and sold, which include a 50-inch television and entertainment center, at $20,000. Police said the pair owed the property owners more than $31,000 in past due rent and utility fees, as well.

The two moved out of the home on Dec. 16 and are believed to have left the state, police said.

Before they moved out, the suspects accessed a storage closet containing personal items belonging to the home's owners.

Police said the pair has been suspected of similar thefts in other communities.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Bainbridge police at 842-5211.

This article was originally published in the Bainbridge Island Review on December 21, 2009.
Bainbridge Review can be reached at editor@bainbridgereview.com.

Guilty plea to rape

By JESSIE STENSLAND
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES

A 29-year-old man is facing five years in prison for raping a teenaged girl at a party in Oak Harbor about three years ago.

As part of a plea bargain, Michael Davis pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Nov. 16 to rape in the third degree. He was originally charged with second-degree rape.

A sentencing hearing has been set for Jan. 7. Under the terms of the plea bargain, the deputy prosecutor and defense attorney will recommend a five-year prison term, which is the maximum under the standard sentencing range.

Davis was serving time in a Nevada prison when he was charged with the crime in August.

The officer who investigated wrote in her report that the 15-year-old girl was at an Oak Harbor home with Davis and two other people March 18, 2006. The girl passed out from consuming alcohol. She regained consciousness to discover that Davis was having sex with her, but then apparently passed out again.

Davis spoke to the detective and denied that he had sex with the girl, but DNA evidence taken from the girl’s underwear closely matched Davis’ DNA profile.

Davis’ criminal history includes convictions for communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, forgeries and car theft, court documents state.

This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on December 22, 2009.
Jessie Stensland can be reached at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com.

Undisguised robber flees Chase Bank in Kingsgate after holding up teller with knife

By CARRIE WOOD
KIRKLAND REPORTER

Police are searching for an armed suspect who in plain view robbed the Chase Bank in the Kingsgate neighborhood Monday and fled on foot.

Making no attempt to hide his face, the suspect passed a demand note to the bank teller and showed that he was armed with a knife at 12:40 p.m. Monday.

According to Mike Mellis, a King County Sheriff's Office detective, the suspect "demanded a certain amount of money that we usually don't see and designated a certain amount of time that he promised to pay it back in."

He received an undisclosed amount of cash from a single teller drawer and fled on foot. No get-away vehicle was seen, King County officials said.

The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-40s or older, approximately 6 feet tall and thin to medium build.

Please contact 911 or King County Sheriff's Office dispatch at 206-296-3311 with information regarding this suspect’s identity.

Earlier this year, the same Chase Bank, located at 14400 124th Ave. N.E., was robbed on four separate occasions.

"That guy was caught and is currently in jail awaiting disposition of his case," Mellis said, noting the suspect in custody is believed to be responsible for all four robberies. In Monday's robbery, he said the suspect "is just another guy doing what they all seem to do."

This article was originally published in the Kirkland Reporter on December 22, 2009.
Carrie Wood can be reached at editor@kirklandreporter.com.

'Drug lord' faces judge, up to 30 years in prison

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

(Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the date which Clayton Roueche is expected to appear in court. Roueche is expected in court Wednesday, Dec. 16.)

"Drug lord" might ring hyperbolic, but federal prosecutors are preparing to argue that in the case of admitted trafficker Clayton Roueche, the label fits.

Roueche, a British Columbia native arrested in 2008, is expected to appear Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to answer for drug trafficking crimes to which he previously pleaded guilty. The larger issue, though, is whether a federal judge will accept the government's allegations that Roueche ran a violent Vancouver, B.C.-area drug ring, the United Nations Gang.

Prosecutors say the UN Gang had a leading role in the wave of gang violence sweeping Vancouver; photos submitted to the court show tombstones and memorial benches dedicated to deceased members, as well as T-shirts and stickers.

Roueche, prosecutors claim, had a key role in much of that bloodshed and will likely face charges in Canada once the current U.S. case is resolved.

'Main guy'

"When judges sentence drug traffickers on a weekly basis in this district, they are invariably told, by both defense counsel and prosecutors, about the shadowy 'main guy' who calls the shots for the organization," Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Roe said in court documents. "Clay Roueche is that 'main guy' for a very large organization."

Federal prosecutors in Seattle say the 34-year-old Abbotsford resident aspired to build a worldwide criminal syndicate generating millions of dollars through illicit drug sales.

Roueche was well on his way to that goal, by prosecutors' estimations, when federal marshals arrested him at a Houston airport in May 2008. At that time, Roueche had been indicted by a U.S. grand jury on drug trafficking allegations.

Implicated in a marijuana importation scheme involving millions of dollars in drugs, Roueche was expanding into New York, New Jersey and Chicago when he was arrested, Roe said.

Two others thought to have had lead roles in the drug ring -- Noe Camacho and Khan Ann Truong -- were previously sentenced, respectively, to 10-year and nine-year terms.

Roueche, on the other hand, faces 30 years in federal prison if the prosecutors' recommendations are followed. Defense attorneys say that difference would be unjust to Roueche, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export cocaine, conspiracy to import marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

Attorneys for Roueche drew a different picture of the man, described in court documents as a father of three never before convicted of a serious criminal offense.

Roueche's attorneys agree in court documents that he engaged in drug trafficking -- bringing marijuana south from British Columbia for cash and cocaine -- but decline to detail his relationship with the United Nations Gang he is accused of running.

Writing the court, Roueche described himself as one who had made "very selfish" decisions and promised to make amends.

"Before my arrest for these offenses, I have never spent any significant period away from my family," Roueche said, according to court documents. "I have begun to understand what is important in life."

In court documents, Roueche attorney Todd Maybrown said his client was the victim of an informant bent on currying favor with prosecutors. Allegations that Roueche committed violent crimes, Maybrown said, should be ignored.

Maybrown said that his client, "approaching middle age" at 34, wants to change and is capable of rehabilitation.

"Mr. Roueche no longer wants to live in an armored car or as a man with a target on his back," Maybrown said. "He dreams of the day that he will be free from custody and back with his loving family and children."

Prosecutors dispute that contention, arguing that Roueche has continued supporting the gang from jail. He also bragged about inmates he'd met while jailed in Texas, describing them as "a cool crew."

Roueche, Roe said in court documents, "simply shows no desire to walk away from the very people with whom he surrounded himself during his crimes."

Roueche's attorneys have asked that he receive 15 to 20 years in prison, 10 to 15 fewer years that prosecutors request. U.S. District Court Judge Robert S. Lasnik is scheduled to issue a ruling Wednesday.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Crime-plagued Aurora motel closes

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

An Aurora Avenue North motel that police say has long been an area of criminal activity, has closed, staff said Wednesday.

Most rooms at the Seattle Motor Inn were empty, and a stack of remaining lamps and furniture grew outside the front office. Staff refused to answer questions other than saying the business at 12245 Aurora Ave. N. had been closed since Monday.

"I think there will likely be a reduction of criminal activity, both in that area of Aurora and the adjacent neighborhood," Assistant City Attorney Ed McKenna said. "Although I'm hoping we don't have an increase elsewhere."

The motel was one of five on Aurora operated by Dean and Jill Inman. This year, the Seattle City Attorney's Office filed 180 criminal charges for various tax violations against the Inmans and their businesses, McKenna said. City officials initially detailed 152 charges, and Dean Inman said this week he was not aware of 180.

"The pending closure will have no effect on the criminal charges," he said.
Dean Inman said in a message Wednesday night he would love to comment, but was busy. The owner of the business that owns the Seattle Motor Inn property did not return a call for comment, and a receptionist did not provide additional information.

City officials said the attorney's office presented a settlement earlier this year, outlining ways to reduce public safety problems. But a resolution has not been reached.

From January to June, police responded to 168 calls for service in the 12200 block of Aurora Avenue North. That number for all of 2008 was 60, according to police records requested by seattlepi.com. Though not all calls were at the Seattle Motor Inn, police say most problems stem from there.

In an October e-mail to seattlepi.com, Dean Inman said he uses "every tool offered by the City and SPD to assist them in their police work."

"Staff members are instructed to evict guests who cause disturbances and to call the police when suspecting illegal activities, and they do," he wrote.

History of criminal incidents

Police say on Dec. 1, a man who was wanted on a no-bail felony warrant for escaping community custody was found at the Seattle Motor Inn with crack, brass knuckles and a pocket knife with suspected heroin on the tip. Police believe he also is responsible for a burglary early that day at the Wallingford Inn -- another Inman motel.

The man remains in King County Jail.

In September, police and prosecutors said Richard Lee Scales -- a man they described as a violent pimp -- allegedly pulled a gun on his brother, motel employees and a woman who told police she had dated Scales.

The man's brother remembers hearing the gun "click" multiple times when Scales pulled the trigger, according to prosecutors. Police have said if the gun had not misfired, the case could have ended with a homicide.

Scales has pleaded not guilty to first-degree burglary, second-degree domestic violence assault and second-degree assault in the September incidents.

In August, Michael Moore, whom police said worked as a Seattle Motor Inn motel manager, was charged with failing to register or require identification from a hotel guest.

Authorities said the felon with a long criminal record allegedly allowed an undercover officer without proper identification to rent a room. Moore remained at large Wednesday with a warrant for his arrest, according to the City Attorney's Office.

"I have some great success stories of people that have come off the street and now have a job history to speak of," Dean Inman said in the October e-mail. "As any employer knows, sometimes employees work out and sometimes they don't."

He said his motels provide low cost, safe shelter for people who don't have homes of their own.

"I cannot comment on behaviors and choices that complete strangers make for themselves," he said. To read more from Inman, click here.

Neighbors hope for change

Police and prosecutors have said for months Inman does not do enough to keep criminal activity out of his motels, and earlier this year City Councilman Tim Burgess said the issue of problems at Inman properties was something he heard about on his first day in office.

Last month, the Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance proposed by Burgess passed with an 8-0 City Council vote.

"Unfortunately, there are some property owners who don't care about their neighbors and they allow all sorts of criminal behavior to flourish," Burgess wrote on his blog. "These owners destroy neighborhoods and the Council said today with its vote that we've had enough."

Before voting on the new proposal, members of the City Council's public safety committee were told the existing ordinance has a nuisance definition is so broadly defined, it's was a nearly subjective determination.

Linda Clifton, a member of Fremont Aurora Wallingford Neighbors, told the council of problems at Aurora motels and said there were not enough tools to deal with them. Several members of that group and other neighborhood organizations had voiced concern about the Seattle Motor Inn.

The new ordinance takes affect next month.

Robb Pierides, owner of Robb's 125th Street Grill since 1996, hopes the closure of the Seattle Motor Inn will help his business.

Pierides and his wife, Eileen, said that continued police responses to the motel brought positive attention from top city officials, including the mayor's office. But some people incorrectly assumed their business was tied to the motel, which shares a parking lot, he said.

Pierides, who owned the Twin Teepees restaurant from 1980 to 1996, said that while his family business wasn't in jeopardy of closing, he felt stuck because of negative attention brought by guests who used to frequent the motel.

His wife said Wednesday they're looking forward to seeing more return customers now that the problem motel patrons are gone.

"He has a nice, clean restaurant and worked to call police on a regular basis," McKenna, the assistant city attorney, said. "I'm really happy to be able to work with the property owners to bring some relief to Robb and the community."
Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/mcnerthney.

West Seattle pimp sentenced to 9 years; brother could face decades in prison

Defendant: I didn't want to end up like my father

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Convicted pimp and admitted gang member Shawn Sylvester Clark was sentenced to a nine-year prison term Friday having had previously pleaded guilty to his role in a West Seattle prostitution ring.

Charged alongside his brother -- 19-year-old Deshawn Cashmoney Clark -- and four other men, Shawn Clark, 21, was prosecuted as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the West Seattle Street Mobb youth gang. The Delridge neighborhood-based gang, its members have admitted, was sustained by prostitution and bank fraud.

Through the investigation, Seattle and King County detectives came to believe Street Mobb members were prostituting more than a dozen young women and girls. Several of the accused have since admitted they used threats of violence and promises of love to compel prostitution.

Receiving the longest sentence handed down thus far, Shawn Clark received a mid-range prison term following a plea agreement. Clark did himself few favors after he was jailed on promoting prostitution charges earlier this year; recorded while speaking on a jail phone, Clark was heard encouraging a victim in the case not to testify against him.

Admitting his guilt, Clark offered the court a four-page confession in which he described pimping two young women and his life in the gang.

"Pimping out girls gets me money, which gets me respect," Clark wrote. "And if I'm respected as an associate of West Side Street Mobb, then the gang gets more respect. ... Next to money, respect is all that matters."

Clark described meeting one 18-year-old girl in the summer of 2008 whom he "smooth-talked" into prostituting for him. He posted advertisements online for the girl, putting her to work six days a week entirely for his financial benefit.

To the other young woman, a childhood friend, Clark said he offered promises of love and gifts to encourage her to sell herself on King County streets.

The two had been romantically involved, and have a history of domestic violence. In violation of court orders, Clark continued to contact the young woman, he told the court, so that she would keep working for him.

"I would tell (her) that I loved her," Clark said in his admission. "These were ways to get (her) to think I loved her and they were ways to get (her) to think she loved me. If she loved me, it'd be easier for me to ask her to do things for me -- like prostitute....

"She made me thousands of dollars. I didn't do a thing to earn a dollar of that money -- except keep (her) in line and keep her working."

Asking that King County Superior Court Judge Helen Halpert impose the agreed sentence, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sean O'Donnell noted that his arrest seemed to do little to deter Clark.

"Once incarcerated, he was still working one girl from jail and tampering with witnesses in this case," said O'Donnell, who led the Street Mobb prosecution alongside Deputy Prosecutor Christina Miyamasu. "It's an offense against the entire process."

Addressing the court, Clark's wife, with whom he had a son two months ago, and mother described him as a man who'd made youthful mistakes but could still lead a productive life.

Speaking on his own behalf, Clark said he never meant to follow the path set by his father, a multiple felon sentenced to a 23-year prison term in 1995 following an assault conviction.

"I didn't want to be in prison like he is," Clark said. "I learned from my mistakes."

Issuing the agreed sentence, Halpert attempted to take stock of the damage done by Clark and his confederates.

Having helped destroy the families of the teenagers he profited from, Clark also has done harm to his own family, Halpert said. Now, the judge said, his son will spend the first years of his life without his father.

Halpert also said Clark's actions after his arrest show that his claimed remorse was late to arrive.

"It was quite clear Mr. Clark was trying to manipulate one of his victims from jail," Halpert said. Clark, she said, "had not given up the life he'd chosen."

Before Clark's sentencing, co-defendants Thomas "Mario" Foster and Gerald Jackson were sentenced to prison.

Clark's brother, Deshawn Clark, was convicted of human trafficking and related offenses in late November and will likely face the most significant sentence of the group. He is scheduled to be sentenced in late January and could face decades in prison.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Rainier Beach High counselor indicted on drug charges

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

A Seattle Public Schools drug and alcohol counselor has been indicted on drug charges following allegations that he and another man conspired to distribute prescription pain killers.

Rainier Beach High School drug and alcohol intervention specialist Robert Henry Smith, 59, was arrested Thursday night along with 37-year-old Adrian Demetrius Johnson, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman said Friday in a statement.

A federal grand jury indicted the men Wednesday, accusing both of conspiring to distribute oxycodone. Smith is also charged with three counts of distribution of the drug; Johnson is charged with possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute.

Announcing the arrests Friday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle said Smith is on paid leave from Seattle Public Schools. None of the drug sales referenced in the indictment occurred on school district property and none of the alleged drug sales is believed to have been to students at the school.

Smith is on paid administrative leave from the school. He has worked in the district since 1992 and has been a drug and alcohol specialist in the district since 1998. It was not immediately clear how long he has been at Rainier Beach.

Before becoming a specialist he was an hourly employee and probably was a paraprofessional, a district spokeswoman said.

Staff at the high school are being briefed. The school district expects to inform parents about Smith later Friday through its automated telephone system.

The investigation involved a series of direct drug transactions in November and December, according to the statement.

According to court documents, Seattle police launched an investigation into Smith after a confidential informant came forward with the allegations. The informant, federal prosecutors contend, said Smith and Adrian Johnson were dealing oxycodone, sometimes sold as OxyContin and Percocet.

Officers with Seattle police and the Drug Enforcement Administration monitored four controlled buys involving the men, prosecutors allege. During two of them, prosecutors allege Smith met with Johnson to pick up the drugs before delivering them to the informant.

While the first two purchases took place at Smith's Skyway home, the third drew Smith away from Rainier Beach High to meet with the informant, prosecutors allege.

"Law enforcement observed Smith leave Rainier Beach High School during school hours, and meet the (confidential source) approximately two blocks away from the high school to conduct the drug transaction," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisca Borlchewski said in court documents.

During the fourth buy, police stopped two men at Smith's home who told investigators they'd purchased drugs from Smith on at least 20 occasions, Borlchewski added.
According to court documents, Johnson had previously been prosecuted federally on drug trafficking charges. Court records appear to indicate that Johnson was convicted of cocaine-related charges in 1992 and sentenced to a three-year prison term.

Speaking following Friday's hearing, Seattle Police Detective Rudy Gonzales, an investigator on the case, said Johnson and Smith had been acquainted for some time.

Borlchewski said search warrants were served on Smith's home subsequent to his arrest. She and Gonzales each alleged evidence related to the case was recovered, though it was not clear whether drugs were found at the scene.

Witnesses in the case reported obtaining 10 to 60 tablets of oxycodone at a time from Smith, Borlchewski said. Though the exact per-pill price was not released, the illicit tablets usually are sold of $20 to $60 depending on the size of the dose.

Both men made their initial appearances on the indictment Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Both pleaded not guilty. They were ordered to be held in custody until detention hearings could be held next week.

The charges contained in the indictment are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Seattle officer hurt in wreck with drunken driver

KOMO-TV

An off-duty police detective was injured early Thursday morning when the car he was in collided with an SUV driven by a suspected drunken driver.

The detective was on his way to work in a personal car when he was hit near the intersection of Boylston Avenue and East Pine Street about 2:56 a.m.

Officials said the detective was driving along Pine Street when the person driving SUV pulled right out in front of him.

The detective was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be checked for head and neck injuries, but he is expected to recover.

Officers arrested the driver of the SUV after giving him a sobriety test, and the man was booked for investigation of DUI.

Mom involved in Little League dispute sentenced

By MATT PHELPS
KIRKLAND REPORTER

The Kirkland mom, Jodi Scheffler, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old boy following a Kirkland Little League baseball game last May had charges reduced to disorderly conduct Nov. 24. As a result, Scheffler's sentence was deferred to one year probation and she was ordered to attend anger management counseling. Scheffler was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $300 within 90 days to the mother of the boy, Michelle McLaughlin, who has since moved to Redmond. Scheffler also had to write a letter of apology to the boy and pay $513 in court fees and fines.

The judgement brings to a close one of the most ugly incidents in the Kirkland American Little League's history and an event that gripped the nation earlier this summer.

Scheffler, 41, was arrested and booked at the Kirkland Police Department for fourth-degree assault of a child after the alleged assault that took place following a baseball game at Everest Park on May 2.

Witnesses said that Scheffler's son mouthed off to one of the coaches and was told to sit out the rest of the game.

After the game, Scheffler allegedly approached a 12-year-old boy on the opposing team and his brother when she noticed they were taunting her son, according to police documents. The squabble then escalated as Scheffler called the 12-year-old "white trash" and told him to "shut his mouth," grabbing his chin and shoving him backwards, the boy told police.

The boy told police Scheffler "hurt him" and he was "scared she was going to slap him."

This article was originally published in the Kirkland Reporter on December 4, 2009.
Matt Phelps can be reached at mphelps@kirklandreporter.com.

Kent man convicted in wife's 'assassination'

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

After two days of deliberation, a King County jury convicted a Kent man of killing his wife, then attempting to fake a burglary gone bad to cover the crime.

Returning a verdict Thursday morning, jurors found Tracy Floren, 66, guilty of first-degree murder in the Sept. 2, 2007, death of his wife, Nancy Floren.

At trial, prosecutors described Nancy Floren's slaying as "an assassination" at the hand of a man who felt disrespected and controlled by his wife. Lacking a confession or a murder weapon, the prosecution's case instead turns on DNA collected from a pair of earplugs behind the couple's home, incongruities in the alibi offered by Tracy Floren, and his behavior in the days and months after the killing.

King County sheriff's deputies called to the couple's home by a silent alarm found Nancy Floren, 56, dead from two gunshot wounds to the head. A medical examiner later determined her killer shot her point-blank in the temple then, as she lay mortally wounded, lifted her head and fired a second .22 caliber round into her face.

Her blood, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Barbara Flemming told the jury during opening statements in early November, was already beginning to set by the time officers arrived.

About 90 minutes later, at 7:50 a.m., Tracy Floren returned to his home, in an upscale development east of Kent in unincorporated King County, to find a fleet of patrol cars parked in the cul-de-sac below the driveway. Floren was surprisingly unresponsive to the news of his wife's death, prosecutors claimed, and ready to claim he had been at an alcoholic support group the morning his wife was killed, an alibi that detectives later found lacking.

Floren had wanted out of his marriage for some time, the prosecutor said. Notes from Floren's most recent treatment stay showed his apparent frustration with his wife, and a search of his computer also found that Floren had been shopping for mail-order brides in the weeks before her death.

"Perhaps it was his desire to regain control that made him look outside his marriage," Flemming told the jury during opening statements. "He seemed to want a different life."

Floren's attorney claimed that, lacking sufficient evidence, the prosecution instead was attempting to falsely portray him as a man without love for his wife. Investigators, they claimed, deemed Floren guilty immediately and attempted to build a case to support that contention.

Having been found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm, Floren faces 25 to 31 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 13. He remains in King County Jail.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Snohomish County prosecutor needed; 2 vie for the interim job

While the election season is over for most politicians, two candidates are in a heated battle for the job of interim Snohomish County prosecutor. The Snohomish County Council on Wednesday will choose between veteran Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe and city of Seattle assistant prosecuting attorney Jim Kenny.

By Lynn Thompson

Times Snohomish County reporter


While election season is over for most politicians, two candidates are in a heated battle for interim Snohomish County prosecutor.

The Snohomish County Council Wednesday will choose between veteran Deputy Prosecutor Mark Roe and city of Seattle Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jim Kenny.

Roe highlights his 22-year career in the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office handling death-penalty cases, child sexual assaults and other serious felonies. Kenny points to his administrative experience, including serving for the past six years as a District 1 Fire Commissioner overseeing a $30 million annual budget.

Former Prosecutor Janice Ellis stepped down Nov. 30 to take a job with the Tulalip Tribes. Because she's a Democrat with a year remaining in her term, the Snohomish County Democratic Party was charged with recommending candidates to replace her.

County precinct committee officers heard from both candidates and voted to support Kenny, although the County Council is not bound to follow the recommendation.

Kenny, 40, is a precinct committee officer himself who has worked on a number of county campaigns. He also ran successfully for fire-district commissioner and in 2006 for the County Charter Review Commission.

Roe, 50, acknowledges that he doesn't have the Democratic Party credentials that Kenny does, but said his years prosecuting serious crimes and building relationships with the courts, crime victims and county law enforcement are the key skills for the job.

And he argues that Kenny lacks needed trial experience. Kenny prosecuted just one adult felony jury trial, as a deputy prosecutor in Clark County more than a decade ago. Over the past 10 years in Seattle, the bulk of his trial work has been misdemeanor cases.

"You can't manage people if you don't know what they do and haven't done their job," Roe said.

Kenny, who lives in the Silver Firs neighborhood east of Mill Creek, said he has extensive trial experience with serious cases, including domestic violence, drunken driving and assault.

His colleague in the Seattle attorney's office, Ed McKenna, said, "A trial is a trial. What Jim also has is a very strong ability to work with others and resolve conflicts in the community."

For his part, Kenny questions whether Roe is temperamentally suited to be prosecutor. In 2006, Roe stepped down as the office's chief criminal deputy and told The Herald in Everett that the administrative job wasn't a good fit for him.

Roe, who lives in Stanwood, said he's ready to take on the top administrative job and worries that the office would suffer with a less-experienced attorney at the helm.

Kenny counters that the office needs more innovative approaches to reduce recidivism and that Roe "represents the status quo." Kenny advocates adding a mental-health court to the county's successful drug court as a way to address the root causes of crime.

For the past two years, Kenny has worked as a community prosecutor with the Seattle Police Department on chronic public-safety issues including transience, homelessness, open-air drug markets and night clubs.

The contest for prosecuting attorney has provoked strong passion among the Snohomish County legal community. Roe has received dozens of letters of support from current deputy prosecutors, the county public defender's office and victim advocates.

"The biggest difference I see between the two is experience," said Bruce Keithly, a Snohomish lawyer in private practice who supports Roe.

Roe has picked up endorsements from the Snohomish County Deputy Sheriffs Association, Gov. Chris Gregoire, Ellis and former Prosecutor Seth Dawson.

Kenny has been endorsed by a long list of Democrats, including Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, Sheriff John Lovick, state Rep. Hans Dunshee and former county Prosecutor Robert Schillberg.

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com

26-year-old man dies of gunshot wounds

By RENTON REPORTER

A 26-year-old man died of wounds Friday suffered early in the morning in the 4200 block of Southeast Third Street, according to media reports.

Renton Police officers responded to a report of a fight involving gunshots at about 1:16 a.m., according to Renton Police Commander Floyd Eldridge. Suspects had fled the area in a vehicle and three male subjects in their mid 20s were taken into custody a short distance from the scene.

Witnesses indicated that a fight broke out in the front yard of a residence and as the three men were leaving, one of them fired a handgun from the vehicle striking the victim, according to Eldridge. Police, fire and medics were called to the scene.

The 26-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the abdomen was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life threatening injuries. The Renton Police Department Investigations Division is continuing to investigate this incident.

This article was originally published in the Renton Reporter on December 4, 2009.

Doctor in murder-for-hire case also facing civil suit

Business partner and alleged intended victim says he's being forced to finance defendant's defense

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

First his business partner was charged with trying to have him killed.

Now, Renton laser eye surgeon Dr. Joseph King has filed suit against the co-owner of the business, Clearly Lasik, claiming Dr. Michael Mockovak is attempting to finance his defense by bankrupting the business they built.

Mockovak, 51, stands accused of spending months attempting to arrange the slaying of King, as well as a former president of the Renton-based company. An investigation into the allegations was launched in April after an employee contacted a family friend working for the FBI's Portland office, according to court documents.

The informant told investigators that Mockovak had asked him in early 2008 if he had any contacts in the "Russian mafia" who could arrange to have Clearly Lasik's former president Brad Klock killed. King County prosecutors claim that, as months passed, Mockovak shifted his aim to King, with whom he was in the process of splitting the business.

Mockovak was arrested Nov. 14 and remains jailed on $2 million bail. Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.

In a civil suit filed late last month on behalf of King and Clearly Lasik, attorneys claim Mockovak withdrew $100,000 from a corporate account to pay for his defense in the criminal case.

"The effect of this withdrawal is that Dr. Mockovak's intended victim, Dr. King, is paying half of Dr. Mockovak's defense," King's attorneys said in court documents.

King and Clearly Lasik, the attorneys continued, "have a well-founded fear that Dr. Mockovak will continue to convert and dispose of both his won property and (their) property with an intent to delay or defraud (them)."

The suit goes on to claim that charges against Mockovak may have bankrupt the company that he and King founded in 2005. Shares previously valued at $4 million, the attorneys contend, may have lost their worth entirely.

In asking that Mockovak's bail be reduced to $1 million, attorneys for the Newcastle resident offered similar claims.

Writing the court in the criminal case, defense attorney Colette Tvedt argued that the $3 million bail amount requested by prosecutors was excessive given her client's lack of criminal history and ties to the community.

Despite prosecutors' claims to the contrary, Tvedt told the court Mockovak was not a wealthy man. His $1.7 million home is largely owned by the bank, the attorney said, and Clearly Lasik's revenues have been down in recent years.

"The truth of the matter is that if Dr. Mockovak is residing in his home and not leaving it except to go to work … he will provide no more of a threat to the community than if he were in custody in the King County jail," Tvedt said in court documents.

In requesting the $3 million bail amount, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Susan Storey alleged that Mockovak had provided the informant with $10,000 to pay for King's death as well as a "nearly poster-size photo" of King.

Asked how he planned to pay the remaining $15,000, Mockovak allegedly said he would make a large purchase on the Internet to launder the funds, prosecutors claim. The informant then told Mockovak he was probably "gonna be the first person to charge a murder on a credit card," prompting a laugh from Mockovak.

"(The doctor) told the informant that he has thought about it, and he is certain he wants (his business partner) murdered," Storey said in court documents, adding that Mockovak believed his colleague had "it coming" and that killing him was "the only way."

Though he was initially released after posting $1 million bail, Mockovak was booked back into King County Jail after his bail was raised to $2 million. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

I-5 freeway shooter pleads guilty

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

A 31-year-old Seattle man accused of firing an assault rifle across Interstate 5 has pleaded guilty to unlawful firearm possession.

Richard Floyd Blake caused the closure of I-5 the night of Aug. 28 after witnesses saw gunfire emanating from a wooded area next to North Seattle Community College. He pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court at Seattle, admitting that he was partially responsible for the gunfire.

King County prosecutors initially charged Blake, a convicted felon, with reckless endangerment. The federal charges to which he pleaded will likely carry a longer sentence, up to 10 years in federal custody.

At about 9:25 the night of the shooting, Seattle police began receiving reports of volleys of gunshots in the area, according to court filings. One driver told officers he saw a bullet -- apparently a "tracer" round made to burn brightly as it flies -- pass about five feet above his car.

The shooting continued as officers began arriving at the scene minutes later. One Seattle officer reported tracers crossing over his patrol vehicle; several others were able to isolate the source of the gunfire to some wood north of North 92nd Street and Corliss Avenue North.

Airborne police units spotted two individuals hiding in the area near I-5. One of the men immediately surrendered to police, telling officers Blake remained in the wooded area and was armed with an AK-47. Officers spotted Blake as he ran onto the closed freeway before doubling back into the woods and surrendering to police.

In pleading guilty, though, Blake shifted the bulk of the responsibility for the shooting to the other man, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman said in a statement. Under the language of the plea agreement, according to the statement, Blake claimed the other man arrested in the woods fired the majority of the shots.

King County prosecutors made contrary claims in filing charges Sept. 2, in which Deputy Prosecutor Angela Kaake argued Blake was firing the rifle.

"His actions in this case -- shooting a large-caliber semiautomatic rifle towards officers and toward a major interstate where cars were traveling -- demonstrate that the defendant is a significant threat to the community," Kaake said. "He placed officers and civilians in imminent danger of being shot."

Questioned about the rifle, Blake denied possessing the weapon and before telling officers they "will never find it." Shortly thereafter, a canine officer recovered a MAK-90 rifle -- a Chinese-built AK-47 model -- near a tent and sleeping bag in the wooded area.

Receipts were also recovered showing that Blake, who has a felony robbery conviction and a pending domestic violence complaint, had recently bought a rifle barrel and stock, which were found at the campsite. Numerous gun parts and dozens of rounds of ammunition were also found in the area.

Officers ultimately found 18 spent shell casings likely fired from the assault rifle, according to court documents.

Prosecutors noted in court documents that, upon Blake's arrest near a "military-style encampment" in a wooded area near the college, officers located several backpacks containing ammunition, a copy of the "Anarchist Cookbook" and a U.S. Special Forces first-aid manual. Officers also found numerous gun parts and an AK-47-style assault rifle.

Blake is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, by U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly in Seattle.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Sen. Haugen's husband faces sexual assault claim by campaign manager

By JESSIE STENSLAND
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES

A 29-year-old Coupeville woman who is the former campaign manager for state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen claimed in a lawsuit that the Democratic lawmaker's husband sexually assaulted her.

Courtney Jones' attorney filed the lawsuit against Basil Badley in Island County Superior Court Nov. 20. The claim states that Badley is liable for sexual harassment, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and sexual assault and battery. It asks for an undisclosed amount of damages.

Reached at his home Wednesday, Badley said he had no comment. Sen. Haugen didn't immediately return a call for comment. Jones also didn't return a call for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Jones worked as Haugen's campaign manager in 2008 and lived at the couple's home on Camano Island. Following a Nov. 23, 2008, campaign appreciation dinner, Badley allegedly tried to kiss her, but she turned so that the kiss landed on her cheek.

On Dec. 2, 2008, Badley invited Jones to the house to pick up campaign-related items and have dinner. Sen. Haugen was in Olympia at the time, the claim states.

The lawsuit claims that Badley had several drinks and again tried to kiss Jones, who resisted and "rebuffed his actions by suggesting they eat dinner." Badley continued to try to kiss Jones, then fondled her "breasts and buttocks and put his hands down her shirt and between her legs," the lawsuit alleges.

During the incident, Badley told Jones "how much he could help her career in politics because of his connections," the lawsuit states. Jones claims she was stunned, embarrassed and upset; she left the residence.

The next day, Badley allegedly sent Jones an apologetic email.

"He insisted he was 'not a dirty old man' unless he was drinking and insisted he wanted to be 'her friend not her lover,'" the lawsuit states.

The claim states that Jones accepted the apology, but later became "increasingly upset" and grew concerned about her career if Haugen found out what happened.

"She was and remains concerned about her career in Washington given the influence and power of the defendant (Badley) and Senator Haugen," the lawsuit claims.

According to a spokesman for the Island County Sheriff's Office, Jones did not report the alleged sexual assault and officers have not investigated the case.

The lawsuit asks for an undisclosed amount of damages for impaired earning capacity, emotional distress, mental pain and suffering, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment, and health care expenses related to the harassment.

The plaintiff is identified in the lawsuit, written by Seattle attorney Rebecca Roe of Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, only as "C.J." The details of the plaintiff's employment make it clear that Jones is the plaintiff.

According to the lawsuit, Jones first worked for Haugen as a policy intern in 2005. In 2006 and 2007, she was a staff member for the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee, which has long been chaired by Haugen.

Jones went to work as Haugen's campaign manager in 2008 and worked closely with Badley, the lawsuit indicates. She considered him "a grandfatherly figure," according to the lawsuit.

The Washington State Democrats' Web site indicates that Jones now works as a legislative aide for Sen. Jean Berkey of Everett.

Badley was an influential lobbyist in Olympia for the insurance industry before he retired five years ago. He married Sen. Haugen 1990. He's a graduate of Gonzaga Law School, a former assistant attorney general and a founding partner of the Seattle law firm Carney Badley Spellman.

Haugen, a lifelong Camano Island resident, has been a state senator since 1993. She currently chairs the powerful Senate Transportation Committee.

This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on December 2, 2009.
Jessie Stensland can be reached at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com.

Former Kirkland Mayor's son, daughter-in-law killed in car accident

By MATT PHELPS
KIRKLAND REPORTER

The son and daughter-in-law of former Kirkland Mayor Bill Woods were killed Sunday when the car they were in was struck by a drunk driver on Highway 9 in Marysville. Tom (57) and Hilda Woods (62) were with neighbors Melissa (48) and Brad Agerup (54) in their Hyundai Azera when a 2005 Ford Explorer going an estimated 40 mph ran a stop sign near the intersection of 108th Street Northeast and Highway 9, striking the vehicle. All of the occupants in the Azera were killed on impact and were residents of Snohomish.

The Woods also leave behind three grown daughters and two grand-children. The two couples were returning home after visiting the Silver Reef Casino in Whatcom County.

The driver of the Explorer has been identified as Matthew C. McDonald, 27, of Snohomish. The man admitted to police on the scene that he had consumed eight beers and submitted to a breath sample that yielded a blood-alcohol level of 0.123 percent. He is being investigated for four felony charges including vehicular homicide. McDonald initially fled the scene of the accident but returned a short time later. The legal limit is 0.08 percent. McDonald was initially taken to Providence Everett Regional Medical Center for minor injuries but then booked into Snohomish County Jail for investigation of four felony charges. A judge set his bail at $1 million on Monday.

A passenger in the Ford Explorer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

McDonald was not the only person at the scene arrested for DUI. A 48-year-old investigator with the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's office showed up to the scene of the crash smelling of alcohol.

This article was originally published in the Kirkland Reporter on December 2, 2009.
Matt Phelps can be reached at mphelps@kirklandreporter.com.

State officials: Demands to Arkansas for action on Clemmons case ignored

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

An Arkansas warrant issued against slain cop killer Maurice Clemmons was never passed on to Washington authorities and lacked the power to keep Clemmons in custody, two top law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Facing nine felony charges when he was released from Pierce County Jail, Clemmons, 37, was an Arkansas ex-con on parole for a robbery he committed as a teen. Though formally accused of child rape, two counts of assaulting police and destruction of property, Clemmons was able to leave jail on Nov. 23 after securing a bond to cover his $190,000 bail.

Days later, he killed four Lakewood police officers at a coffee shop. He was shot to death early Tuesday by a Seattle police officer.

Prosecutors had initially relied on a no-bail warrant issued by Arkansas to keep Clemmons behind bars. But that order was withdrawn over the objections of Washington authorities weeks after it was issued, ultimately allowing Clemmons to post bail.

Arkansas authorities did issue a second warrant on Oct. 2, but failed to notify any officials in Washington of its existence or include provisions that would have made it enforceable, said Scott Blonien, assistant secretary for the Washington Department of Corrections.

"Any assertion that this document would have allowed Pierce County or the Department of Corrections to detain Mr. Clemmons is ludicrous," Blonien said Tuesday evening.

An Arkansas Community Corrections spokeswoman said previously that the department's warrant could have kept Clemmons in custody. She said the department rescinded the earlier warrant under pressure from Clemmons' attorney, who argued he could hardly be considered to be a fugitive while in custody at Pierce County Jail.
Like the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, workers at the state Department of Corrections had demanded that Arkansas authorities move to keep Clemmons from bailing out of jail, according to e-mails released Tuesday. The dismissal of the first warrant prompted a Washington community corrections officer who'd been overseeing Clemmons case, and had spoken to the detective investigating allegations that Clemmons sexually assaulted two pre-teen girls at his home, to e-mail his supervisor expressing his concerns about Arkansas' move.

Presciently, the community corrections officer warned that Clemmons could be a threat to police if released.

"(The detective) is very concerned that Mr. Clemmons continues to make contact with the victims," the Department of Corrections employee wrote in the Aug. 6 e-mail. "At this point, (the detective) seems to desperately need help from the DOC to monitor Mr. Clemmons if we can."

The detective, he added, "said that it would not be easy if we have to arrest Mr. Clemmons again."

Unlike the earlier order, the second warrant was not designed to give Washington law officers the authority to detain Clemmons, Blonien said. More concerning, Arkansas authorities did not file the order in the national system that would have notified the Pierce County Jail of its existence.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said his deputy prosecutors requested that Clemmons be held on $300,000 after the child rape charge was filed. In hearings on the separate cases, two Pierce County Superior Court judges set bail at lower amounts, totaling $190,000.

"We did the best we could under the law," Lindquist said Tuesday.

Lindquist said neither he nor, more crucially, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office were ever advised of the second Arkansas warrant.

"The Pierce County Jail never received notice that (Arkansas authorities) were issuing a warrant," Lindquist said.

Blonien said the warrant should have been filed with the National Crime Information Center, a national clearinghouse designed to allow law enforcement agencies around the country to share information.

The earlier, enforceable warrant had been filed with the national service, Blonien said. That the October warrant was not, he said, shows that Arkansas authorities were not sincere in the effort.

Blonien also noted that the second order -- he hesitated to call it a warrant -- only instructed Washington authorities to supervise Clemmons, not detain him until he could be returned to Arkansas. It asked that Arkansas authorities be informed when the charges against Clemmons were resolved "for possible re-taking of the subject for parole revocation."

"This is not just a technicality," Blonien said. "It's a warrant in name only. They didn't put it through the widely accepted processes for having him arrested and detained."

Frustration on the part of Washington authorities was evident in e-mail correspondence provided to seattlepi.com by the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections.

"Please provide your justification for canceling the abscond warrant," a Washington employee wrote in a July 23 e-mail to her counterpart in Arkansas.

"Hopefully the offender will not get out on bail," she added. "I'm concerned that you have no problem releasing your offender into our community, based on his behavior."

In response, the Arkansas employee asked only to be kept informed of the then-ongoing criminal case against Clemmons.

"The warrant was rescinded," the Arkansas worker responded on Aug. 5. "When the pending charges are adjudicated we will reconsider the case."

In a statement issued Tuesday, Washington Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail said his department will be reviewing Clemmons' case in coming days. As part of that investigation, Vail said the department is working with Arkansas authorities to determine whether the case was handled correctly.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Woman who shot man at bus stop won't be charged

Prosecutors say she acted in self-defense

By SCOTT SUNDE
SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM

A woman who shot a man in the chest in downtown Seattle in April was acting in self-defense and won't be charged with a crime, King County prosecutors said Tuesday.

The 26-year-old man was shot in the chest but rushed to Harborview Medical Center and survived his wounds.

The shooting took place after a bump on a Metro bus escalated into angry words, obscene gestures, and, finally, the man charging the woman even though she showed she had a gun.

Prosecutors said in the statement that that Sara Brereton, 31, "acted in defense of herself, her children and her partner" by using "her legally licensed handgun."

Prosecutors gave this account of what happened:

Brereton, her partner and four children got on a Metro bus on the afternoon of April 25. Emmanuel Salters was already on the bus.

Salters moved to the front of bus near Brereton and stood next to her. The man swayed back and forth, then fell into Brereton.

She pushed him away and said "excuse me." The two began arguing and swearing.

She and her family got off the bus at Third Avenue and Seneca Street. Salters stayed on. Brereton and some of her family made obscene gestures at him. He demanded to get off the bus.

He walked toward Brereton asking, "What did you say?"

She told him to get away. When he was within 20 feet, she displayed her pistol. She had a concealed weapons permit.

But Salters kept coming, getting to within a foot or two of her. He started spitting at her.

Brereton shot him once in the chest.

Seattlepi.com reported in April that an FBI agent who happened to be on the scene took Brereton into custody until police arrived. She was jailed for two days, then released.

Prosecutors say she cooperated with police. Witnesses backed up her version of events and what a Metro surveillance camera caught on video.

Salters gave a different version of events, saying he didn't charge Brereton but was running to catch another bus.

Prosecutors concluded that she acted within the law.

The statement released Tuesday said that "there is strong evidence in this case that she reasonably believed under the facts and circumstances known to her at the time that Salters was about to injure her. Salters was a stranger, who in an angry state, charged at her. He did not stop when she displayed her gun. Instead he continued to advance on her, getting within one or two feet. She waited to fire until the last possible moment before she could have been assaulted herself. Although she may have made obscene gestures, she did not initiate the physical confrontation. However, Mr. Salters did by charging at her."

Prosecutors said she didn't use unnecessary force and brandished her weapon to stop Salters.

"Under state law, Brereton has no duty to retreat. She can reasonably take into account her inability to use her gun to defend herself if Salters got close enough to physically assault her and be concerned that she could lose the gun in a struggle."
Scott Sunde can be reached at 206-448-8331 or scottsunde@seattlepi.com

Possible getaway driver, four others in custody

Charges expected Tuesday against three associated with accused cop killer

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Charges were filed Tuesday against two cousins of alleged cop killer Maurice Clemmons who are suspected of helping him evade capture after the shooting of four Lakewood police officers.

Douglas E. Davis and Eddie L. Davis both were charged in Pierce County Superior Court with rendering of criminal assistance to first-degree murder. A third suspect, Clemmons half-brother Rickey Hinton, remains jailed but has not yet been charged.

Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said Tuesday that two men jailed late Monday and early Tuesday -- including Clemmons' former cellmate and alleged getaway driver -- will likely be charged in coming days with crimes relating to Clemmons' slaying of the four Lakewood police officers and his subsequent flight from justice.

"No amount of justice can be enough in this world," said Melanie Burwell, the sister-in-law of slain Lakewood Officer Greg Richards. "They shouldn't have been on the streets -- any of them."

Clemmons' alleged getaway driver, identified by police as Randy Huey but also known as Darcus Allen, was convicted with capital murder in a 1990 in a double killing at a Little Rock, Ark., liquor store.

According to a 2004 article published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Huey was convicted along with four other men of killing the store's owner and a clerk on April 26, 1990. Huey, according to the report, waited in a car with two other accomplices while another man committed the shooting.

Sentenced to a 25-year prison term for his role in the killing, Huey was paroled in 2004. Currently in police custody, Huey has not yet been charged in the case.

Accused of killing Richards, Sgt. Mark Renniger, Officers Tina Griswold, and Ronald Owens on Sunday, Clemmons was shot to death by a Seattle Officer Benjamin Kelly Tuesday morning.

Troyer said that, despite a chest wound packed with cotton balls and sealed with duct tape, Clemmons remained a threat until the end. Clemmons, the detective asserted, intended to shoot Kelly with a gun taken from one of the slain officers.

"There's no doubt in my mind that that was in his mind," Troyer said.

Troyer said Tuesday that officers had been tracking the accomplices for more than one day and found physical evidence tying at least one of them to Clemmons. Several individuals who may face charges but who remain out of custody have been located by police.

Troyer said the other four accused were either friends or relatives of Clemmons. A fifth individual, a woman with some connection to

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said his office will pursue charges against any who aided Clemmons in the slaying or his two-day flight.

Appearing in court to personally request that Douglas and Eddie Davis receive six-digit bail amounts, Lindquist told the Pierce County Superior Court judge that each man had been charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance. Douglas Davis was ordered held on $500,000 bail, while his brother was held on $700,000 bail.

"These are extremely serious allegations and we're going to pursue them to the furthest extent possible," Lindquist said following the Tuesday afternoon hearing. "We're not going to rest until everyone involved in this murder, in any way, is brought to justice.

"When you help a criminal, you become a criminal."

In charging documents filed Tuesday, prosecutors claimed that Eddie Davis, a 20-year-old Parkland man who shared an address with Clemmons, and his brother aided Clemmons hours after the fatal shooting.

According to the filings, officers watching an Auburn address stopped a car carrying the Davis brothers and Rickey Hinton late Monday afternoon.

In interviews with police, Hinton allegedly reported that he'd loaned his pick-up truck to Clemmons the night before the shooting. Clemmons returned the following day, having been shot in the chest.

The Davis brothers later drove Clemmons from the home in a car Hinton loaned to them, prosecutors allege. As they drove, both brothers allegedly told detectives, Clemmons told them he had "taken care of his business," said he planned to kill more officers and showed the brothers a pair of handguns he intended to use in a future attack.

Prosecutors claim the Davis brothers took Clemmons to a Pacific-area home, where a female relative helped him clean and dress the gunshot wound to his torso. They left the home in a caravan of three cars to an apartment complex near the Auburn Super Mall, where Clemmons and a woman drove away.

Tuesday's action by prosecutors marks the second time Eddie Davis has faced felony charges related to his association with Clemmons, who is described in court documents as Davis' "apparent cousin."

According to court filings, Davis was charged alongside Clemmons and Joseph Denton Pitts in a May 9 incident during which Clemmons was accused of punching a Pierce County sheriff's deputy.

Davis, who previously pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault, was accused of instigating the fight with deputy when he resisted arrest. Pitts remains jailed on unrelated domestic violence charges.

Prosecutors have until Thursday to file charges against Hinton, who is currently jailed on $2 million bail. Huey was expected to be booked into Pierce County Jail Tuesday evening, and would likely be charged in coming days.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Police hunting man who doused Bainbridge mother and son with gasoline and threatened to set them on fire

By BAINBRIDGE REVIEW
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND REVIEW

A California man remains at large this morning after fleeing from a Bainbridge Island home where he attempted to light on fire the bed of a woman and her son early Sunday morning.

Bainbridge Police Lt. Sue Shultz said Monday that law enforcement officers continue to search for Edward Mark Olsen, 49, who is being sought on charges of attempted murder and residential burglary after entering the home of a 39-year-old woman at John Adams Lane and Wyatt Way at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. Schultz said Olsen is believed to have relatives living in Kitsap County.

According to police, the victims awoke to Olsen, the woman's ex-boyfriend, pouring gasoline on their bed and threatening to ignite the fuel with a lighter he held. The woman and her 12-year-old son fled the apartment to a nearby apartment complex and called police. The suspect fled before officers arrived, police said, but left the gasoline container and lighter at the scene.

Shultz said the woman and her son were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and have been moved to an undisclosed location.

A police press release said Olsen had broken into the victim's vehicle and used the garage door opener to enter the residence.

Shultz said Olsen had a lengthy criminal record in California, including spending two years in prison for being convicted of "threatening a crime with the intent to terrorize." After his release, he faced charges of parole violation and also served time for assaulting the victim, according to Shultz. Olsen was released from prison in October 2009.

Police said Olsen, who is a wanted parolee at large from California, located the victim on Bainbridge Island and assaulted her two weeks ago at her home. The victim did not report this assault because of her fear of Olsen, who continued to contact and threaten the victim, police said.

Olsen is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, 210 pounds, with short gray hair and a mustache.

Shultz said Olsen should be considered a threat to the community and anyone knowing of his whereabouts should call 9-1-1 immediately.

This article was originally published in the Bainbridge Island Review on November 30, 2009.
Bainbridge Review can be reached at editor@bainbridgereview.com.