P-I STAFF
A Renton man accused of using a racial slur while beating up a cab driver and stealing his wallet was charged Friday with first-degree robbery and malicious harassment, a hate crime.
Police say Tejinder S. Dhaliwal, 31, attacked driver Elias Ussuf on April 29 in Tukwila, beating the man so badly he was left unconscious.
Dhaliwal began yelling and swearing, using a derogatory racial term, when Ussuf told Dhaliwal he could not smoke in his cab, according to court documents.
Both men ended up outside the car, where police say Dhaliwal attacked Ussuf, punching him, pounding his face into the pavement, then stole his wallet.
King County prosecutors said Ussuf showed signs of a serious head injury.
Dhaliwal is set to answer to the charges Monday at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Alcohol and speed blamed in fatal Eastside crash, police say
By Seattle Times staff
Alcohol and speed were to blame in the crash that killed a 30-year-old Kirkland man early Friday who lost control of his car on Avondale Road Northeast, struck several trees and landed on the side of the road, police said.
Investigators determined the man was driving more than 100 mph and not wearing a seat belt, police said.
The man was traveling south on Avondale Road in the Redmond area shortly before 3 a.m. when residents heard a crash and called 911, police said.
Police Department spokesman Jim Bove said the white Cadillac came to rest on the east side of Avondale Road along Bear Creek, facing the northbound lanes, after it had sheared off several trees and was ripped into sections by the impact of the crash.
The car left a lengthy trail of skid marks before leaving the roadway, Bove said.
"Basically, it did a 360," he said.
A baby seat was found in the back seat of the Cadillac, and investigators were concerned someone might have been ejected from the vehicle, said Bove, but a search was done and no other occupants were found.
Avondale Road has a 40-mph speed limit and was closed for more than seven hours while the investigation was conducted.
Alcohol and speed were to blame in the crash that killed a 30-year-old Kirkland man early Friday who lost control of his car on Avondale Road Northeast, struck several trees and landed on the side of the road, police said.
Investigators determined the man was driving more than 100 mph and not wearing a seat belt, police said.
The man was traveling south on Avondale Road in the Redmond area shortly before 3 a.m. when residents heard a crash and called 911, police said.
Police Department spokesman Jim Bove said the white Cadillac came to rest on the east side of Avondale Road along Bear Creek, facing the northbound lanes, after it had sheared off several trees and was ripped into sections by the impact of the crash.
The car left a lengthy trail of skid marks before leaving the roadway, Bove said.
"Basically, it did a 360," he said.
A baby seat was found in the back seat of the Cadillac, and investigators were concerned someone might have been ejected from the vehicle, said Bove, but a search was done and no other occupants were found.
Avondale Road has a 40-mph speed limit and was closed for more than seven hours while the investigation was conducted.
Judge orders competency evaluation in Carnation slayings
By Mike Carter
Seattle Times Staff Reporter
A King County judge has ordered that Michele Anderson, the 29-year-old Carnation woman accused of killing six members of her family on Christmas Eve, undergo a competency evaluation.
Anderson's defense had asked for the evaluation in a sealed motion, and had sought to close the courtroom so they could argue their case. However, Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell said Friday he would not close the courtroom, and that there would be no need anyway because he was granting the request without hearing arguments.
Anderson will be seen by two psychiatrists — one appointed by the defense, the other by prosecutors — while being held in the King County Jail.
Ramsdell said little that shed light on the behavior Anderson's defense has witnessed that has led them to think she may not be competent to stand trial. He said only that her attorneys had filed attorney-client materials under seal that "contain substantive support for the motion ... they have a reason to doubt the defendant's competency."
During Friday's hearing, Anderson attempted to pass a letter written on a sheet of yellow paper to the judge, but Ramsdell said he didn't want to look at it and returned it to her by the court clerk.
The judge explained that he was concerned the letter might contain some information that he would be required to act on — perhaps even pass on to prosecutors — and that he would rather allow the competency evaluation to take place first.
A lawyer for The Seattle Times had filed a motion Thursday opposing closure of the courtroom to the public, saying the defense hasn't publicly provided any compelling reasons to do so.
Anderson's lawyers are trying to persuade King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg not to seek the death penalty against the woman, saying mental-health problems should make her ineligible for execution.
Anderson and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, are each charged with six counts of aggravated murder in connection with the fatal shootings of Anderson's parents, Wayne, 60, and Judith Anderson, 61; her brother, Scott, and his wife, Erica, both 32; and the couple's two children, Olivia, 5, and Nathan, 3, inside the elder Andersons' Carnation home.
Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com
Seattle Times Staff Reporter
A King County judge has ordered that Michele Anderson, the 29-year-old Carnation woman accused of killing six members of her family on Christmas Eve, undergo a competency evaluation.
Anderson's defense had asked for the evaluation in a sealed motion, and had sought to close the courtroom so they could argue their case. However, Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell said Friday he would not close the courtroom, and that there would be no need anyway because he was granting the request without hearing arguments.
Anderson will be seen by two psychiatrists — one appointed by the defense, the other by prosecutors — while being held in the King County Jail.
Ramsdell said little that shed light on the behavior Anderson's defense has witnessed that has led them to think she may not be competent to stand trial. He said only that her attorneys had filed attorney-client materials under seal that "contain substantive support for the motion ... they have a reason to doubt the defendant's competency."
During Friday's hearing, Anderson attempted to pass a letter written on a sheet of yellow paper to the judge, but Ramsdell said he didn't want to look at it and returned it to her by the court clerk.
The judge explained that he was concerned the letter might contain some information that he would be required to act on — perhaps even pass on to prosecutors — and that he would rather allow the competency evaluation to take place first.
A lawyer for The Seattle Times had filed a motion Thursday opposing closure of the courtroom to the public, saying the defense hasn't publicly provided any compelling reasons to do so.
Anderson's lawyers are trying to persuade King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg not to seek the death penalty against the woman, saying mental-health problems should make her ineligible for execution.
Anderson and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, are each charged with six counts of aggravated murder in connection with the fatal shootings of Anderson's parents, Wayne, 60, and Judith Anderson, 61; her brother, Scott, and his wife, Erica, both 32; and the couple's two children, Olivia, 5, and Nathan, 3, inside the elder Andersons' Carnation home.
Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Medical marijuana knocks Seattle musician off transplant list
By LORI MATSUKAWA / KING 5 News
SEATTLE – A Seattle rock musician is dying after being denied a liver transplant by the University of Washington Medical Center partly because of his use of medical marijuana.
Timothy Garon is dying of liver failure after living with Hepatitis C for decades. The medical marijuana he uses is prescribed by his doctor. However, marijuana use is considered an addictive behavior and a reason to deny a transplant.
Garon's doctor says he didn't know the prescription would affect Garon's eligibility.
"I thought it was very unfair they have these guidelines," said Garon.
Garon's son says if the UW Medical Center transplant committee had told him early on that his father needed to go through a treatment program and stay off pot for 60 days, they might have been able to pull it off, but by the time they found out, Garon was off the list. His condition had deteriorated.
"If they had started things early on six months prior to that, because he went downhill really fast, he may have had a chance," said Lennon Garon, Timothy's son. At least he would've had a chance to get on the list, he would have had a chance to get a new liver and live.
"He's not the first person that this happened to. He's not going to be the last person until these policies are changed."
While unable to comment specifically on Garon's case, the UW Medical Center said in a statement that medical marijuana is never the sole reason for rejecting a patient.
"The committee looks at the period of abstinence the candidate has demonstrated to date, efforts made to maintain this abstinence and the potential to abuse again," writes a medical center spokesperson.
With so few organs available, the UW Medical Center says patients selected are ultimately those with a reasonable chance of survival and a good outcome. In a given year, there are approximately 98,000 patients waiting for organs in the U.S. and only 6,000 donors.
Garon is the lead singer for Nearly Dan, a Steely Dan cover-band. He remains charged with manufacturing marijuana for his arrest in December at a rental home in Mountlake Terrace.
SEATTLE – A Seattle rock musician is dying after being denied a liver transplant by the University of Washington Medical Center partly because of his use of medical marijuana.
Timothy Garon is dying of liver failure after living with Hepatitis C for decades. The medical marijuana he uses is prescribed by his doctor. However, marijuana use is considered an addictive behavior and a reason to deny a transplant.
Garon's doctor says he didn't know the prescription would affect Garon's eligibility.
"I thought it was very unfair they have these guidelines," said Garon.
Garon's son says if the UW Medical Center transplant committee had told him early on that his father needed to go through a treatment program and stay off pot for 60 days, they might have been able to pull it off, but by the time they found out, Garon was off the list. His condition had deteriorated.
"If they had started things early on six months prior to that, because he went downhill really fast, he may have had a chance," said Lennon Garon, Timothy's son. At least he would've had a chance to get on the list, he would have had a chance to get a new liver and live.
"He's not the first person that this happened to. He's not going to be the last person until these policies are changed."
While unable to comment specifically on Garon's case, the UW Medical Center said in a statement that medical marijuana is never the sole reason for rejecting a patient.
"The committee looks at the period of abstinence the candidate has demonstrated to date, efforts made to maintain this abstinence and the potential to abuse again," writes a medical center spokesperson.
With so few organs available, the UW Medical Center says patients selected are ultimately those with a reasonable chance of survival and a good outcome. In a given year, there are approximately 98,000 patients waiting for organs in the U.S. and only 6,000 donors.
Garon is the lead singer for Nearly Dan, a Steely Dan cover-band. He remains charged with manufacturing marijuana for his arrest in December at a rental home in Mountlake Terrace.
Man, 21, charged in shooting after book-release party
By Seattle Times staff
King County prosecutors filed charges today against a 21-year-old Federal Way man in connection with a fatal shooting after a book-release party last month.
Lovelychild Manuel is accused of killing DeVon Guidry, 24, of Renton, after an April 13 party celebrating the release of a book about the rise of hip-hop star Dr. Dre. The King County Medical Examiner's Office said Guidry, who was among nearly 300 people who attended the event, was shot once in the head and once in the chest.
Manuel was arrested April 16 after tipsters contacted authorities to tell police his whereabouts, according to court charging papers. Manuel, who police say is a gang member, has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault.
Manuel is being held at the King County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
King County prosecutors filed charges today against a 21-year-old Federal Way man in connection with a fatal shooting after a book-release party last month.
Lovelychild Manuel is accused of killing DeVon Guidry, 24, of Renton, after an April 13 party celebrating the release of a book about the rise of hip-hop star Dr. Dre. The King County Medical Examiner's Office said Guidry, who was among nearly 300 people who attended the event, was shot once in the head and once in the chest.
Manuel was arrested April 16 after tipsters contacted authorities to tell police his whereabouts, according to court charging papers. Manuel, who police say is a gang member, has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault.
Manuel is being held at the King County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Seattle-area police and federal agents round up 55 wanted on arrest warrants
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
The King County Sheriff's Office announced this morning that officers from several Seattle-area police agencies as well as federal agents have rounded up 55 people wanted on arrest warrants during a special emphasis last week.
Authorities focused on 130 active warrants during the sweep titled Operation CROW (Cops Rounding Up Outstanding Warrants), said sheriff's spokesman Rodney Chinnick. Officers from 20 agencies participated in the emphasis, which lasted from Wednesday through Friday, Chinnick said.
Among the suspects arrested were four wanted in the illegal possession of a firearm, 16 in burglaries, four in robberies, 20 in assaults, three regarding sex crimes, three in identify theft and several on drug charges, Chinnick said.
Investigators are still searching for suspects who remain outstanding.
"We may be out again on a similar operation in six months or a year," Chinnick said.
During the sweep, members of the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force seized more than $11,000 in cash, a vehicle, and approximately 3 ½ ounces of cocaine and heroin packaged for distribution.
The sweep comes nearly eight months after 249 people were arrested by federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies during a Puget Sound-area roundup organized by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Seattle Times staff reporter
The King County Sheriff's Office announced this morning that officers from several Seattle-area police agencies as well as federal agents have rounded up 55 people wanted on arrest warrants during a special emphasis last week.
Authorities focused on 130 active warrants during the sweep titled Operation CROW (Cops Rounding Up Outstanding Warrants), said sheriff's spokesman Rodney Chinnick. Officers from 20 agencies participated in the emphasis, which lasted from Wednesday through Friday, Chinnick said.
Among the suspects arrested were four wanted in the illegal possession of a firearm, 16 in burglaries, four in robberies, 20 in assaults, three regarding sex crimes, three in identify theft and several on drug charges, Chinnick said.
Investigators are still searching for suspects who remain outstanding.
"We may be out again on a similar operation in six months or a year," Chinnick said.
During the sweep, members of the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force seized more than $11,000 in cash, a vehicle, and approximately 3 ½ ounces of cocaine and heroin packaged for distribution.
The sweep comes nearly eight months after 249 people were arrested by federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies during a Puget Sound-area roundup organized by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Heroin, cocaine dealer sentenced to 13 years
By Karen Johnson
Seattle Times staff reporter
A 28-year-old man who sold heroin and cocaine while attending classes at Cascadia Community College in Bothell was sentenced today to 13 years and four months in prison.
At Javier "Cookie" Sanchez-Vasquez's sentencing in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Judge Ricardo Martinez said the volume of drugs and cash found in connection to the operation was "one of the highest we've seen in federal court."
Sanchez-Vasquez was arrested April 9, 2007, when investigators found 35 pounds of cocaine and more than 22 pounds of heroine in his Kirkland home and a "stash house" he kept in North Seattle.
His arrest came after a nine-month investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.
"The [organization's] tentacles were fairly wide, from South Seattle to North Snohomish [County] and even out to Kirkland," said Adam Cornell, special assistant in the U.S. Attorney's Office at the time of the arrests.
Investigators used a confidential informant and court-authorized telephone taps to confirm Sanchez-Vasquez as the alleged ringleader, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Sanchez-Vasquez and several of his associates, who are in the United States illegally, spoke the indigenous Mexican dialect Mixteco Bajo during their telephone calls, Cornell said. Mixteco Bajo is spoken by about 1 million people and is a regional language in southern Mexico.
In a report released today, Cornell called Sanchez-Vasquez "the head of the snake," because the college student "had time to take classes at community college while his underlings were running around delivering drugs."
Sanchez-Vazquez will likely be deported after serving his prison term, federal officials said.
Three others also have been charged and convicted for their involvement in the drug ring. Wilver Mira-Flores, 27; Carlos Velazquez, 31; Rodolfo Navarro-Gomez, 28; and Ramirez Castro, 31, each pleaded guilty to various drug-related crimes last year.
Investigators seized more that $1.1 million in cash Sanchez-Vasquez had stored in a various places around the state.
Seattle Times staff reporter
A 28-year-old man who sold heroin and cocaine while attending classes at Cascadia Community College in Bothell was sentenced today to 13 years and four months in prison.
At Javier "Cookie" Sanchez-Vasquez's sentencing in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Judge Ricardo Martinez said the volume of drugs and cash found in connection to the operation was "one of the highest we've seen in federal court."
Sanchez-Vasquez was arrested April 9, 2007, when investigators found 35 pounds of cocaine and more than 22 pounds of heroine in his Kirkland home and a "stash house" he kept in North Seattle.
His arrest came after a nine-month investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.
"The [organization's] tentacles were fairly wide, from South Seattle to North Snohomish [County] and even out to Kirkland," said Adam Cornell, special assistant in the U.S. Attorney's Office at the time of the arrests.
Investigators used a confidential informant and court-authorized telephone taps to confirm Sanchez-Vasquez as the alleged ringleader, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Sanchez-Vasquez and several of his associates, who are in the United States illegally, spoke the indigenous Mexican dialect Mixteco Bajo during their telephone calls, Cornell said. Mixteco Bajo is spoken by about 1 million people and is a regional language in southern Mexico.
In a report released today, Cornell called Sanchez-Vasquez "the head of the snake," because the college student "had time to take classes at community college while his underlings were running around delivering drugs."
Sanchez-Vazquez will likely be deported after serving his prison term, federal officials said.
Three others also have been charged and convicted for their involvement in the drug ring. Wilver Mira-Flores, 27; Carlos Velazquez, 31; Rodolfo Navarro-Gomez, 28; and Ramirez Castro, 31, each pleaded guilty to various drug-related crimes last year.
Investigators seized more that $1.1 million in cash Sanchez-Vasquez had stored in a various places around the state.
By Natalie Singer
By Natalie Singer
Seattle Times staff reporter
A woman who was drunk when she drove 90 mph in the wrong direction on Interstate 5, causing a head-on collision that left one teenager dead and another seriously injured, was sentenced Friday to 6 ½ years in prison, the maximum sentence under state law.
Cerrissa Christensen, who turns 28 today, had a history of driving under the influence and had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit when police caught her after the crash that killed Bawny McQuistin, 18, and injured Eric Hillstrom, 19, both of Tacoma.
Before King County Superior Court Judge Nicole MacInnes delivered her sentence, the families of the victims spoke in court about the emotional devastation caused by Christensen, who pleaded guilty last month.
"I don't know where to start," said Sterling Smith, McQuistin's father, his voice breaking. "She walked out of the door one day, never to be seen or held again. I thought we had all the time in the world. She was my baby; she was my sweetie. I miss her terribly."
McQuistin's mother, Leslie, described her daughter as an avid reader, an A student, a snowboarder and a lover of babies, animals and foreign films, who was independent and unique. "She was just testing her wings when she was killed," Leslie McQuistin said.
Sue Hillstrom, mother of Eric Hillstrom — who said in court he has no memory of the accident or some of his life before it — said legislators have not passed tough enough laws for drunken drivers.
"The defendant has a terrible record. If someone somewhere along the line had taken it more seriously, she would not have been on the road," she said.
Christensen, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.25 percent — well above the legal limit of 0.08 — when her blood was tested after the Oct. 9 crash, cried as she watched a video of Bawny McQuistin's life.
"I hope, someday, you can find the mercy in your hearts to forgive me," she then told the victims' friends and families.
Police said Christensen was speeding south in the northbound lanes of I-5 through Tukwila when officers pulled alongside with their lights flashing.
Other drivers were swerving to avoid her when Christensen's vehicle struck the truck being driven by Eric Hillstrom head-on, killing Bawny McQuistin. Hillstrom suffered severe head injuries, a lacerated liver, bruised lungs and a broken femur and hip.
When questioned afterward, Christensen cursed at the trooper who accused her of hitting and killing someone, charging papers said.
On Dec. 17, 2002, Christensen received a deferred prosecution for what was apparently her first DUI, on the condition she have no traffic violations, consume no alcohol or drugs and refrain from driving without a license for five years, court records show. In that case, her blood-alcohol level was 0.20 percent.
"You knew the potential of what you could do," MacInnes told her. MacInnes said she understood the frustration with the sentencing limit.
"You can't equate months and years in prison with somebody's life, but that is the only ability I have," she said.
Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Seattle Times staff reporter
A woman who was drunk when she drove 90 mph in the wrong direction on Interstate 5, causing a head-on collision that left one teenager dead and another seriously injured, was sentenced Friday to 6 ½ years in prison, the maximum sentence under state law.
Cerrissa Christensen, who turns 28 today, had a history of driving under the influence and had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit when police caught her after the crash that killed Bawny McQuistin, 18, and injured Eric Hillstrom, 19, both of Tacoma.
Before King County Superior Court Judge Nicole MacInnes delivered her sentence, the families of the victims spoke in court about the emotional devastation caused by Christensen, who pleaded guilty last month.
"I don't know where to start," said Sterling Smith, McQuistin's father, his voice breaking. "She walked out of the door one day, never to be seen or held again. I thought we had all the time in the world. She was my baby; she was my sweetie. I miss her terribly."
McQuistin's mother, Leslie, described her daughter as an avid reader, an A student, a snowboarder and a lover of babies, animals and foreign films, who was independent and unique. "She was just testing her wings when she was killed," Leslie McQuistin said.
Sue Hillstrom, mother of Eric Hillstrom — who said in court he has no memory of the accident or some of his life before it — said legislators have not passed tough enough laws for drunken drivers.
"The defendant has a terrible record. If someone somewhere along the line had taken it more seriously, she would not have been on the road," she said.
Christensen, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.25 percent — well above the legal limit of 0.08 — when her blood was tested after the Oct. 9 crash, cried as she watched a video of Bawny McQuistin's life.
"I hope, someday, you can find the mercy in your hearts to forgive me," she then told the victims' friends and families.
Police said Christensen was speeding south in the northbound lanes of I-5 through Tukwila when officers pulled alongside with their lights flashing.
Other drivers were swerving to avoid her when Christensen's vehicle struck the truck being driven by Eric Hillstrom head-on, killing Bawny McQuistin. Hillstrom suffered severe head injuries, a lacerated liver, bruised lungs and a broken femur and hip.
When questioned afterward, Christensen cursed at the trooper who accused her of hitting and killing someone, charging papers said.
On Dec. 17, 2002, Christensen received a deferred prosecution for what was apparently her first DUI, on the condition she have no traffic violations, consume no alcohol or drugs and refrain from driving without a license for five years, court records show. In that case, her blood-alcohol level was 0.20 percent.
"You knew the potential of what you could do," MacInnes told her. MacInnes said she understood the frustration with the sentencing limit.
"You can't equate months and years in prison with somebody's life, but that is the only ability I have," she said.
Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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