Seahawks' Bernard released from jail

P-I STAFF

Seahawks defensive lineman Rocky Bernard was released from jail on his own recognizance Tuesday after spending the night in the King County Jail for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Bernard, 29, appearing at his hearing in a red jail jumpsuit, had been arrested by Seattle police early Monday for fourth-degree domestic violence assault, a misdemeanor.

The victim told police that just before the assault, she and a friend saw Bernard in an altercation with another woman at a Seattle nightclub. He allegedly walked over to the victim, who is the mother of one of his children, and punched her in the forehead. She and her friend ran off and called police later.

Man exposing himself at SeaTac apartments

By TRAVIS PITTMAN / KING5.com

SEATAC, Wash. – A man who has exposed himself in public nearly a dozen times is getting bolder by getting physical with his victims.

The King County Sheriff's Office says the man has struck at least 11 times, exposing himself to women in SeaTac apartment complexes. In some cases, he has grabbed or groped the women as they walked past him. One of the victims was just 11-years-old.

The cases string from late February to as recently as April 13. The most frequently hit complex is the Carriage Windsor Apartments at 3608 S. 180th Street, where the suspect has struck seven times. There were also three cases at the Windsor Heights Apartments at 17229 32nd Avenue S. and one at the Hunt Club Apartments at 3726 S. 180th Street. Detectives think there may have been more, unreported cases.

The incidents all occurred between about 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The suspect is in his mid-20's. He is 5-feet 6 inches to 5-feet 8 inches tall with olive skin. He always wears a hoodie with the hood clinched up around his face and blue or black jeans.

Videotaped beating was not used in courtroom

By JIM FORMAN / KING 5 News

LYNNWOOD, Wash. - The case of the Florida cheerleader beating that was videotaped has ignited a storm of controversy and concern over violence among young people.

But long before the Florida case, there was a brutal beating in Lynnwood, Wash.

Laura Eberhard was on the receiving end of the attack by her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. The incidence was videotaped and, within days, it was on YouTube and MySpace.

Now nearly a year after the beating, Laura is working two jobs, and working to move on. But while the bruises have healed, the emotional scars remain.

After the beating, Laura went to police. During their investigation, they took pictures, interviewed witnesses, and even got a confession.

But it was the video that would make the case. At least that's what Laura thought.

“Like what case? There never was a case. It was like in and out, a slap on the hand, here you go, like have a nice life,” she said.

Laura says, when it came time for trial, the judge never looked at the video, ultimately sentencing the aggressor simply to home monitoring and 8 hours of anger management classes.

Laura believes there need to be tougher penalties for those who decide to turn to violence and then turn around and share it with the world.

Laura says YouTube took the video down right away, but it took a lot more work with MySpace.

Woman drives SUV into building

By MIMI JUNG / KING 5 News

SHELTON, Wash. - A driver went on a rampage in Shelton Monday evening, using her SUV as a battering ram.

She took out several parked cars before driving straight through the Department of Corrections building.

The 39-year-old woman driving a Landrover played bumper cars, slamming into several vehicles before ramming her car into the building over and over again and driving into an office.

State trooper said the woman was intoxicated but refused a breath test.

Nobody was injured. The woman was arrested.

It was not immediately clear why she went on the rampage.

Teen to plead guilty in adult court

By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter

A 16-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a man during a burglary in White Center last fall has agreed to plead guilty in adult court to second-degree murder.

Jonathan Newman was 15 when he was charged with first-degree murder in King County Juvenile Court shortly after Craig Hoffman, 46, was killed when he interrupted a burglary in his home on Oct. 19.

During a hearing Monday in Juvenile Court, Deputy Prosecutor Amy Montgomery and defense attorney Christopher Carney signed off on an agreement that the case be handled in adult court with the stipulation that Newman would plead guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm. Juvenile Court Judge Leroy McCullough remanded Newman's case to adult court.

Montgomery said the Prosecutor's Office plans to seek a sentence of up to 23 years in prison. Newman is scheduled to enter his plea Wednesday morning at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Montgomery said Monday that prosecutors have a strong case against Newman. She said two other teens arrested in the burglary have pleaded guilty in juvenile court and promised to testify against Newman.

According to charging papers, the three teens saw Hoffman drive away from his home in the 11000 block of 14th Avenue Southwest on the morning of Oct. 19 and Newman entered through an open garage. He then let the other two boys in through the front door. When Hoffman returned a short time later, the boys raced out of the house with stolen items in hand, court documents said.

Montgomery said Newman shot Hoffman as the homeowner was chasing the teens off his property.

Montgomery also said in court that Newman committed nearly 20 burglaries in the months before Hoffman's death. She said he stored what he took in a mobile home on his parents' property, and that some items were sold and the rest were traded for drugs.

Newman's attorney declined to comment about the case after Monday's hearing.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Edmonds man pleads guilty to tax fraud

By Seattle Times staff

An Edmonds computer programmer faces up to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a charge that he filed a fraudulent tax return.

Lyle R. Larson, the 43-year-old owner of the software-development and computer-consulting company, Red Planet Corp., claimed he made less than $22,000 in 2000 — even though he earned more than $1.5 million that year, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Western Washington. He used his unreported earnings to buy cars, a yacht and real estate.

Larson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Friday. He is expected to be sentenced in July and faces a maximum punishment of three years behind bars, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Larson is also to pay full restitution and remains liable for civil penalties, interest and back taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

"Cheating on your federal income taxes is a good way to get yourself federally prosecuted," said Special Agent Dan Wardlaw, a spokesman for the FBI in Seattle, which investigated Larson's case.

15-year-old Burien girl arrested in connection with stabbing death of Kent man

By Seattle Times staff

King County sheriff's investigators have arrested a 15-year-old Burien girl for investigation of homicide in connection with the stabbing death of a 49-year-old Kent man on April 4.

Deputies were called to the man's home on Tuesday to check on him, said sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart. Deputies found the man slain in the garage, with apparent stab wounds.

Investigators tested fingerprints on a knife found near the man's body and the print came back to the girl, Urquhart said.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating the slaying, but is still trying to identify the man.

The girl, who is being held at the King County Youth Service Center, has had "numerous contacts" with police in the past, including an arrest for prostitution, Urquhart said. She was arrested on Thursday.

Two arrested in fatal stabbing outside bar

P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

SPANAWAY -- Two men have been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a man outside a bar in Spanaway, southeast of Tacoma.

A motorcycle gang is being blamed for the death of the 39-year-old Spanaway man late Saturday night in the parking lot of The Bullseye Sports Lounge.

Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said the man reportedly argued with a group at the bar and was jumped by several men in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.

Troyer said the killers apparently fled on three motorcycles and in a 1980s gold sedan. Two men were arrested Sunday, and an online jail roster shows that Barry Ford and Mike Robert McCreven were booked Sunday night for investigation of first-degree murder.

Woman charged in man's drug death

P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

MOUNT VERNON -- A 19-year-old Mount Vernon woman has been charged with providing a lethal mix of cocaine and heroin to a 52-year-old man.

According to court documents, Patrick Brady of Stanwood was found dead Feb. 23 in a Mount Vernon hotel room with syringes and needles. Brady had injection marks on his arm.

Tarah Lynn Deutsch will be arraigned April 10 on charges of controlled substance homicide, second-degree manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance.

Deutsch had been arrested Feb. 27 on unrelated charges.

Deutsch told police she bought heroin and cocaine that they both injected, and Brady was alive when she left the room.

Seattle man charged in hit-and-run death

By Seattle Times staff

A 21-year-old Seattle man was charged today with three felony counts in connection with the Monday hit-and-run death of a 92-year-old man on Rainier Avenue South.

Jeffrey Brouse was charged with vehicular homicide, hit-and-run and vehicle theft.

Police say that Brouse stole a 2004 GMC Envoy from his uncle and collided with Salvatore Vito Covello's vehicle at Rainier Avenue South and South Holly Street, according to charging documents filed in King County Superior Court.

Covello, who was returning home after visiting a nearby senior center, died at the scene. Brouse ran from the stolen vehicle to his uncle's house nearby and was arrested, court papers said. Police say that Brouse had a breath-alcohol content higher than the legal limit of 0.08.

Pre-screened border crosser busted for smuggling pot

By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER

Border Patrol agents arrested a man this week who was signed up for the Nexus program, an electronic pass program in which members submit to background checks in return for a speedier crossing at the border.

Despite that extra layer of security, the 41-year-old Lacey man was found with 4.4 pounds of what authorities said was high grade marijuana in the cargo area of his 1999 Jeep Cherokee.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that on Sunday night, the man was crossing the border into the United States and was selected for an intense search after entering one of the lanes set aside for people in the Nexus program. Authorities did not say why the man was selected to be searched.

But during the ensuing inspection, a box was found in the vehicle. When officers opened it, they allegedly found four sealed packages of marijuana, packed with coffee grounds. They immediately arrested the driver.

Nexus began in June 2002 and was meant to give people who cross the border frequently a way of avoiding the long lines at the U.S.-Candadian border. Participants undergo a background screening and are then issued a card with an embedded radio transponder. The drivers can wave the card at a receiver, which allows border agents to view the person's background information and photo.

Participants are generally considered to be low-risk travelers.

Suspect in high speed police chase had child on his lap

By BERNARD CHOI / KING 5 News

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. – A 19-month-old child was recovered safely after being caught in the middle of a high speed police chase with her father Saturday afternoon.

That chase reached speeds of 100 miles per hour down I-5 south of Mountlake Terrace. Police said the baby's father held the child on his lap the whole way.

He was arrested Saturday afternoon and is likely to be charged with eluding police and endangering a child.

Police say the incident started in a Mountlake Terrace Park, where they were called to help a baby having seizures.

"The individual refused to comply with officer's commands to hand over the child and surrender himself," said Sgt. Craig McCaul, of Mountlake Terrace Police.

Police say the man, who had outstanding warrants, got into his car with child on lap and raced down I-5, weaving through traffic.

"All the while the 19-month-old child is in the lap of the gentleman," McCaul said.

Detectives tracked down the father at a Lake City apartment, and he led police on a foot chase for several blocks before he was arrested.

Kitsap County WA man arrested twice in 1 day for drunk driving

A 48-year-old Kitsap County man was arrested twice in the same day by State Patrol troopers for drunken driving.

The Seabeck man's arrest on Friday night was his fifth drunken-driving arrest. He was found to have a blood-alcohol level of more than four times the legal limit.

The State Patrol says the man also was arrested on Friday morning, when he had a blood-alcohol level of nearly five times the legal limit.

Police name person of interest in Lakewood fatal shooting

By ROBERTA ROMERO / KING 5 News and KING5.com

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - Police have named a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a young man early Tuesday.

Police are looking for 19-year-old James Laron Ellis. Ellis is 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds.

Police warn that Ellis may be armed and dangerous. He has an outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrant.

Shooting at 2 a.m.

Early Tueday morning, officers responded to calls of shots fired at the Laurel Garden Apartments in the 6600 block of 150th St. SW in Lakewood.

When they arrived at an apartment, they found the 20-year-old male victim dead of a gunshot to the head. The victim's girlfriend and another friend, who both live at the apartment, were there at the time.

Police say three people, all known to the victim, had arrived at the apartment earlier and were let inside. An argument ensued, then one of the suspects pulled out a gun and shot the man. The suspects fled; the victim died at the scene.

"It looks like the motive was robbery," said Sgt. Mike Zaro, Lakewood Police Dept. "We had three suspects that knew the victim and he had something of value there."

Neighbors in the area awoke to police searching for the suspects.

"We've had canine tracks, we've had helicopters in the air, we've been doing everything we can to try and find them in this area," said Zaro.

The police canine unit found one of the suspects about a half a mile from the crime scene, hiding out in a garage. The shooter was on the run, but witnesses, including the victim's girlfriend, were able to tell police his name.

The Laurel Garden Apartments is known to police. Residents say there have been a number of crimes in the complex. Most residents keep to themselves, but some had met the 20-year-old victim.

Lakewood police believe the robbery may have been linked to drugs. They say if necessary, they will release a description of the suspects to the public Tuesday afternoon.

Supertrooper # 816

Washington State Case Law Update

State V. Burke : The Washington State Supreme Court held that Mr. Burke's refusal to speak to police on the night of his arrest for rape of a child, including his failure to provide police with evidence that he reasonably believed his partner was of legal age to consent, could not be commented on by the State during its case in chief as possible evidence of Mr. Burke's guilt. A copy of the decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/785287.opn.pdf

State V. Chavez : The Washington State Supreme Court held that a juvenile charged with a serious violent crime does not have the right to a jury trial. The court further held that the provision in the assault statute allowing the judiciary to define assault is not a violation of the separation of powers doctrine. A copy of the decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/792658.opn.pdf

State V. Abrams : The Washington State Supreme Court held that, in light of decisions by the United States Supreme Court requiring the materiality of a false statement in a perjury prosecution to be deteremined by the jury, the language of Washington's perjury statute, RCW 9A.72.010(1) is constitutionally infirm, as it requires the trial judge to determine the materiality of a false statement as a matter of law, thus depriving the defendant of a jury determination of an element of the crime charged. A copy of the decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/794812.opn.pdf

State V. McKague : The Division Two Court of Appeals held that marijuana seized during a search of defendant's home while looking for his brother, the subject of an outstanding DOC felony probation violation warrant, when the address on the search warrant did not match the address searched and officers searched areas known to be occupied only by the defendant who was not named on the warrant without defendant's permission. The Court noted that a subesequently obtained warrant did not cure the initial illegal entry into the residence. A copy of the decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/35336-9.08.doc.pdf

State V. Berrier : The Division Two Court of Appeals held that aggrivating factors justifying an exceptional sentence need not be included in the State's information when a case is filed, but may be set forth in a separate notice of intent to seek an exceptional sentence. The court did reverse the exceptional sentence in this case, however, holding that there was insufficient evidence to support the trial court's finding of three aggravating factors. A copy of the decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/35470-5.08.doc.pdf


Spokane v. Wilcox : The Division Three Court of Appeals held that the administrative suspension of a driver's license for a DUI conviction is not a punishment subject to Blakely protections, and the defendant is therefore not entitled to a jury determination of a refusal to submit to a breath test. A copy of the decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/240304.opn.doc.pdf

Woman pleads guilty to false rape report

By Peyton Whitely
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

A 22-year-old former Woodinville woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to making a false rape accusation against a local college professor last June.

King County District Court Judge Peter Nault called the case one of the "saddest" he'd ever seen in court and one that is likely to have long-term impact on future investigations.

"That we hurry to castigate a person who turns out to be entirely innocent ... I don't know how it could be worse," said Nault, saying the incident will make it harder for real sexual victims to bring their cases forward.

Nault accepted a guilty plea from Katherine M. Clifton, accused of making false statements to a public servant.

Those statements led to the rape charge last summer against the professor who subsequently spent nine days in jail and was placed on leave from his job.

Clifton declined to comment at the hearing but filed a detailed statement saying that she had been sexually abused by her grandfather, who was convicted of rape of a child in 1994.

"In order to understand why, I have to explain what has happened to me in my past that has forever affected me," she wrote.

Clifton, who now lives in Ellensburg, was sentenced to serve 365 days in jail, with 357 days suspended, and to pay a $5,000 fine, with $4,750 suspended, plus other conditions that include probation and community service. Nault also ordered her to pay the professor's attorney fees.

The professor declined to discuss the charges, saying he wants to put the past behind him, and asked not to be identified.

The King County Prosecutor's Office concedes a mistake was made in the original prosecution but said it was acting on the best information available at the time.

"In hindsight, what was presented to us was an allegation of a violent rape," said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff. "That doesn't mean the investigation stopped."

Clifton was "an extremely articulate and credible victim," said Sgt. John Urquhart, Sheriff's Office spokesman. "There was no reason to suspect she wasn't telling the truth."

The investigation started July 9, when Clifton met with a detective, according to court records.

She described a series of contacts with the professor beginning the previous March. She showed police e-mail messages she said were from the professor which said he had "romantic feelings" and seemed to promise to raise her grade if she agreed "to a few conditions."

Clifton also told detectives the professor "randomly showed up at locations she frequented" at least 15 times.

She said that at 7 a.m. on July 5 the professor went into her Woodinville house and raped her.

On July 10, detectives contacted the professor, who denied all the charges and said he'd never seen Clifton off the school campus. He acknowledged exchanging e-mails with her but said the ones she provided to police had been altered.

The professor was charged with first-degree rape and burglary on July 12. The Prosecutor's Office asked for $500,000 bail, describing the professor as "an extreme threat to the victim and the community."

But as detectives continued working, it became clear that the text in the e-mails had been changed. None of the professor's fingerprints were found at Clifton's house. A sexual-assault examination found no evidence of rape.

The detective also checked on a supposed court order shown by Clifton to people at the college that seemed to bear the heading "In the Superior Court of Washington State for King County" and apparently ordered her not to talk about the professor.

But the judge's signature was illegible and the case number didn't match any King County filings.

On July 25, Clifton told detectives she had forged a judge's signature and made up a legal document on her computer.

On July 26 the charges were dismissed, and a day later Clifton was charged with making false statements to a public servant.

Clifton's attorney, Kelly Faoro, said her client has "extremely deep remorse" for the false statements and realizes that "none of this makes it any better" for the professor.

The professor now has his job back, but said in court documents that the experience would stay with him.

"Even though I did absolutely nothing wrong ... my rape and burglary with sexual-motivation charges, albeit false, will remain in the court records forever," he swore in one filing.

King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Shelby Smith said Clifton's actions will also "harm the community of sexual-assault victims," who will find their cases more difficult to pursue.

"Other victims will be treated with more scrutiny," she said.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com.

King County Councilmember Jane Hague gets 6 months probation for DUI charge

By Peyton Whitely
Seattle Times Eastside burea

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Jane Hague was placed on six months of probation today for a driving-under-the-influence charge brought against her last summer, with the expectation that if she meets the conditions of the court continuance, the charge will be reduced to reckless driving.

Hague said she was pleased with the legal outcome of the charge filed after she was stopped while driving on Highway 520 on her way back to Bellevue from Seattle in June.

"I'm very happy to have this concluded," she said. "It's been a learning experience. I'm really sorry this did occur."

Hague said she now looks forward to working with law-enforcement agencies and nonprofit organizations to warn against the dangers of drunken driving.

"I've learned a tremendous amount of humility," Hague added. "This is an opportunity to use my public position to a greater good."

The continuance of Hague's case was approved by King County District Court Judge Peter Nault in Redmond after he was presented with an agreed order negotiated by the defense and prosecution in the case.

Special Prosecutor Lynn Moberly, named to bring the charges to prevent possible conflicts of interest with the King County Prosecutor's Office, said the recommendation was arranged through extended negotiations.

Moberly said she had little choice but to agree to the probationary conditions because Hague had no previous criminal history and because Nault had earlier ruled that blood-alcohol readings taken at the time of the arrest couldn't be admitted as evidence during a trial.

Hague was arrested June 2 by a King County deputy sheriff just west of Interstate 405 after he reported seeing her car being driven erratically on Highway 520.

She was arrested and charged on July 16 with DUI after an investigation, with the filing made under her married name of Jane Hague Springman.

The case had gone through several continuances before the latest court session.

Under the new continuance, which Nault described as a "contract between you and the state," Hague will appear again before the court in about six months to face a sentence through the agreed disposition, with the DUI charge then to be reduced to reckless driving if she meets the conditions of the continuance.

The conditions include 75 hours of community service, installation of an ignition-interlock device,an alcohol-and-drug evaluation, alcohol-information school, attendance at a DUI victims' panel, three public-service announcements and no criminal violations.

If those terms are met, Moberly said she will recommend that Hague be sentenced to 365 days in jail, to be suspended; pay a $5,000 fine, with about $4,600 suspended, leaving a payment of about $900 for court costs and other penalties, and undergo a 30-day license suspension.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com

WASHINGTON CASE LAW UPDATE

State v. Enlow: The Division Three Court of Appeals overturned David Enlow's conviction for manufacture of methamphetamine, holding that Mr. Enlow was not in direct or constructive possession of the truck in whose bed he was found hiding, and therefore was not in possession of the methamphetamine-making supplies also found in the bed of the truck.

State v. Schaller: The Division One Court of Appeals held that multiple requests to dismiss assigned counsel does not, without more, justify substitution of new counsel. Rather, the court held, there must be good cause to warrant substitution, such as a conflict of interest, an irreconcilable conflict, or a complete breakdown in communication between the defendant and counsel. The court found that the trial court in this case had sufficiently questioned the defendant regarding his communications with his attorneys, and had acted appropriately in finding that new counsel need not be appointed.

Man reports "theft by escort" to police

By BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTER

A Seattle man who hired an escort to "have fun" told police that she stole $170 from him after she went to her car to fetch some condoms.

The man, who is in his 50s and lives on Whitman Avenue North near Lake Union, had called the escort after spotting an advertisement in the Feb. 21 edition of The Stranger, a police report filed Thursday said.

The woman arrived at his apartment late last month for the rendezvous. He agreed to pay her $150 to "have fun" and $20 to cover her gas.

"At some point into the fun," the woman asked the man whether he had condoms, according to the report.

Upon hearing that he did not, she said she would get some from her car.

As the man waited for her to return, he looked out his window and realized the escort was driving away in a silver car.

Since that night, he has called her "numerous times" to get his money back. "But she has not answered or returned his calls," the report said.

The man even called The Stranger to inform the newspaper of what happened.

The police officer who took the report told the man it is against the law in Seattle and the state of Washington to pay someone for sex.

But the man wanted to file a police report in case the woman "was doing this to more of her customers.

City seeking applicants for police review board

By KATHY MULADY
P-I REPORTER

Applications are being accepted by the Seattle City Council for three open seats on a review board charged with civilian oversight of the police.

The Office of Professional Accountability Review Board oversees how citizen misconduct complaints against police officers are handled. All three positions are appointed by the City Council.

The review board was established in May 2002 as part of a city response to community complaints about the police.

One seat on the board is available to someone with a law enforcement background, another seat will go to a lawyer, and the third will be filled by a resident with a background in community involvement, said Nigel Herbig, an aide to Councilman Tim Burgess.

Herbig said applicants should send a letter describing their qualifications and why they want to be on the board. They should also send a resume and contact information for three references. The deadline is March 28 at 5 p.m.

Mail packets to Councilmember Tim Burgess, Seattle City Council, P. O. Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025, or e-mail the information to tim.burgess@seattle.gov. The letters can also be faxed to 206-684-8587.

Robbery victim now accused in crime

By ELISA HAHN / KING 5 News

BREMERTON, Wash. – One of the apparent victims in an armed robbery at a grocery store is now accused of taking part in an inside job. Police believe the grocery store clerk planned the crime with two of his friends.

"I was closing up the store and I went to throw some cardboard out and I was met with a gun,” said the former grocery store employee in a KING 5 interview last week.

The 21-year-old worked at Red Apple Market in Bremerton and was one of two employees who were held at gunpoint when robbers entered a back door and forced him to open the safe.

He claimed he was too stressed to return to work.

"It was just way too much looking at where I was zip-tied and where I had a gun to my head, and it was just stressful,” he said.

Now this worker is behind bars, accused of being an accomplice of what police say was an inside job.

The market’s owner and manager says right away he had his suspicions.

"It was just too easy, too staged. It was rehearsed,” said store owner Tim Garguiles.

Garguiles says the accused employee has worked on and off as a clerk and bagger for him for four years.

Police say the two alleged armed robbers were his friends and they used the money for a weeklong spending spree that ended with all of them behind bars, soon to be charged with robbing the store.

"I didn't want to quit. I love that store, I love working there, I love the employees, I love the community, I love all the people,” the employee said.

Garguiles says he felt like a father figure to him, but now he feels betrayed.

"He's going to have a long time to think about what he did and it was very foolish,” he said.

Police say a search of the suspect's home turned up cash, a handgun, and clothing used in the robbery.

Detectives believe the suspects used some of the money for the purchase of a car and for a night of gambling at a casino.

Murder charge filed in shooting death of Renton man

P-I STAFF

A Tacoma man accused of shooting to death a 20-year-old man in Renton last month was charged Monday with second-degree murder.

Police say Kyle Pinney, 18, killed Stephen Brewer on Feb. 23 and left his body in an alley in the 600 block of Index Avenue Northeast next to the guitar case that Brewer had been seen carrying.

Witnesses suggested robbery may have been the motive; they told police Pinney hid the gun in some bushes but was unable to find it when he returned later, according to court documents. Investigators found the weapon Feb. 25.

Pinney, whose criminal history includes a malicious mischief conviction and two gun charges, is set to be arraigned March 12 in King County Superior Court.

Woman's car seized, ripped up

By LINDA BRILL / KING 5 News

ENUMCLAW, Wash. – An Enumclaw woman who purchased an '06 Ford Fusion on Craigslist said police seized the car as evidence and returned it in poor condition.

When the 21-year-old interior design student purchased the car, she did not know it had been involved in a crime. Four young men are charged with luring a 16-year-old girl into the car and raping her.

After the crime, one of the suspect's relatives sold the car to the Enumclaw woman for $9,000.

A month later, police seized it as evidence - and ripped it up.

"They've taken the upholstery off the seat," she said. They've damaged the pad, they've damaged the head rest and the carpeting."

The bill is estimated at $2,000 in damages.

Her insurance, Country Insurance, has denied a claim, and the city of Bellevue has declined to pay.

"It's completely unfair. Because I'm a complete victim," she said. "I had nothing to do with the crime. Now I'm stuck with the bill I have to pay."

A police spokesman said: "The state crime lab worked hard to do as little damage as possible."

Police had her car for two weeks. They say they had to go over it with a fine tooth comb, and it paid off. The four suspects are charged with rape and awaiting trial.

The car owner says she may try to collect damages from the suspects if they're convicted.

Three more suspects wanted in North Kitsap burglaries

By JIM FORMAN / KING 5 News

KINGSTON, Wash. – Kitsap County Sheriff's Department officers continue with their investigation into the property crimes that have victimized residents of all communities within North Kitsap.

Detectives arrested another suspect this week, making it half a dozen already captured and charged in the theft of a quarter of a million dollars in property.

Shawn M. Jessep II of Silverdale, 19, is the most recent person charged in connection with these crimes.

New names and faces were released Friday by detectives trying to hunt down three more fugitives linked to the crimes:

Christopher Ryan Berg is 23 and from Poulsbo is wanted for trafficking stolen property.

Jacob Lewis Dubek, 23 and from Poulsbo is a parolee wanted for running from police and violating his parole.

Donald Lloyd Pugh of South Kitsap, 44, is wanted on three counts of burglary and one of trafficking.

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Department says all three were part of the ring targeting Kitsap Sun subscribers who went on vacation. They were targeted because their deliveryman who was given instructions to hold their papers was in on the crimes.

Detectives have finished photographing, compiling and cataloging all the stolen property items that have so far been recovered.

Starting Monday in Port Orchard, and Tuesday in Kingston, victims can go to the sheriff's office to view the catalogue of those stolen items. Victims will need a police report and an appointment to view it and retrieve their stolen goods.

Detectives say the theft ring traded the stolen property for drugs, and it apparently was the drug dealers who turned on the crooks, cracking the case.

Rabbi who hit, killed pedestrian gets two years deferred

By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter

Last Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz's anguished prayers went on for eight hours.

It illustrated the despair the West Seattle rabbi felt over the death of Tatsuo Nakata — the man he struck and killed the previous November, one of Schwartz's faithful said Thursday in Seattle Municipal Court, where his rabbinical colleagues, congregants and family packed the court to beg Municipal Court Judge George Holifield for mercy.

In the Nakata family's view, leniency was what Schwartz got.

"It's not enough," sobbed Bernadette Nakata, the victim's sister, after the sentencing.

The morning of Nov. 14, 2006, Schwartz struck Tatsuo Nakata, who was crossing Southwest Admiral Way in a crosswalk at 47th Avenue Southwest. Nakata, 29, who was an aide to then-City Councilman David Della, later died at Harborview Medical Center.

There were no skid marks to show Schwartz tried to brake, Senior Assistant City Attorney Kevin Kilpatrick said. "He wasn't paying attention."

Schwartz, the director of the West Seattle Torah Learning Center, was on his cellphone at the time, according to court testimony.

It was the second time Schwartz had struck someone with his car. The first time was in May 2005, when he struck Ilsa Govan, who was riding her bike along Interlaken Drive East. Schwartz's car crossed the lane and collided with her, she testified at the sentencing.

"I just wish there was something that could have been done after he hit me," Govan said through her tears.

Schwartz was cited for driving on the wrong side of the road, but the charge was later removed from his record. "I feel lucky to be here. I wish Mr. Schwartz would make the decision never to drive again."

The deferred sentence means that if Schwartz, 37, has no infractions of the law after two years the charge will be dropped from his record.

"I'm outraged," City Attorney Tom Carr said. "To be given a deferred sentence after a trial ... ."

In January, a jury found Schwartz guilty of assault-injury by vehicle and the prosecutor wanted him to spend time in jail. Schwartz could have been jailed up to a year.

But Holifield said no jail time would bring Nakata back.

Holifield on Thursday suspended Schwartz's license for two years and told him he would have to reapply through the Department of License, pay any funeral or medical costs from the accident, and do 500 hours of community service outside his Jewish community.

Some 100 letters supporting Schwartz were sent to the judge, and supporters spoke about his care and support. He told the court that as a result of publicity about the case, he's also received anti-Semitic mail.

One of Schwartz's congregants, Carmen Crincoli, said that on Yom Kippur last September it was agonizing to watch Schwartz's prayers go on and on, evidence, he believed, of the rabbi's inner turmoil. He begged the judge not to incarcerate Schwartz.

The judge said that protecting the public from Schwartz's driving was his main concern.

"Regardless or not if he's a good person," Holifield said, "he's a lousy driver."

The King County Prosecutor's Office declined to prosecute Schwartz because he wasn't intoxicated or driving recklessly. Instead, Schwartz was charged with assault-injury by vehicle, a gross misdemeanor, filed by the Seattle city attorney in Seattle Municipal Court.

When speaking to the court, Schwartz at times was tearful and said that a DVD of Nakata's life — sent to him by Nakata's family — rests beside his bed.

"It haunts my night," he said. "Those thoughts were with me on Yom Kippur."

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com

A Violent Seattle Arrest

Murder charge filed in Maple Valley shooting

P-I STAFF

King County prosecutors charged a 23-year-old Ravensdale man with second-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death of his friend.

Prosecutors say David Dunn killed Kelly Culp, 47, on Feb. 21, soon after the two picked up breakfast at McDonald's and returned to Culp's Maple Valley house.

Dunn had been doing occasional mechanic work for Culp, who sold used cars and did odd jobs for a repair shop, according to a police document filed in court.

After Culp was found dead with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, King County sheriff's detectives tracked Dunn through surveillance videos and interviews.

Speaking as if referring to a dream, Dunn admitted to police that he killed his friend with a bolt-action rifle, which he said he may have tossed, the court document said.

Police later found Culp's laptop computer under Dunn's bed. No motive for the killing was detailed in the charging papers.

Dunn, who has a juvenile conviction for child molestation, remained in custody on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 10.

Prosecutors won't file felony charges in fatal bike accident

By Seattle Times staff

Prosecutors have decided not to file felony charges against a driver whose dump truck killed 19-year-old bicyclist Bryce Lewis last summer near Seattle's University Bridge.

The truck was turning right, on a green light, from northbound Eastlake Avenue East to Fuhrman Avenue East on Sept. 7. Lewis and a friend were riding straight in the bike lane of Eastlake, toward the bridge, when the truck rolled into their path. There is no evidence the driver was drunk, using drugs or speeding, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Witnesses said the trucker was using his turn signal, and apparently did not see the cyclists approaching, Donohoe said. The case is being referred to the city attorney's office for a potential misdemeanor charge.

Renton man faces murder charge in party shooting

P-I STAFF

An 18-year-old Renton man accused of shooting another young man at a South Seattle party last month was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder.

Jonathan James Hall will be arraigned March 4 in King County Superior Court in the Jan. 26 death of Perry Henderson, also 18.

Police say the two men had been feuding over a young woman for weeks before they got into an argument outside the party. Henderson took of his shirt and got ready to fight, but several people pulled him away.

Police say Henderson eventually broke free, threw a rock at the young woman's car and kicked Hall's car as they drove past him. Hall is accused of firing at Henderson, shooting him at least four times.

Online chats lead to arrest in rape of Bellevue teen

By JANE McCARTHY / KING 5 News

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Detectives say online chats proved to be key evidence in a case of a Bellevue teen who was raped four times.

The path to the crime began online, when the 16-year-old victim began chatting with the 17-year-old suspects on MySpace.com.

After a while, she thought they'd become friends, and they convinced her to meet them.

They provided her with alcohol, according to detectives, and she consumed a great deal of it in a short amount of time, to the point where she was unable to make any decisions or resist.

That's when the boys pulled their car into a dark parking lot in Bellevue, the victim - and later one of the suspects - told police.

"She was there raped by all four males in the back of the car they were riding in," said Greg Grannis, spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department.

The suspects might have gotten away with it, but police served a search warrant on the suspects' MySpace pages. Police discovered the chat logs, which then led to the four arrests.

The victim was able to point police to the suspects' MySpace pages, where court documents say they "callously bragged about the assault," and wrote that they "feared (the victim) would contact the police and said they would kill her if she did."

"Not only did they talk about the crime they committed, but they thought that it had worked so well, that they might try it again with another victim," Grannis said.

Allan Kush, of the Internet safety group Wiredsafety.org, is not surprised by the case. He describes a certain naiveté among young online users.

"Because they're very trusting and they think they click, you know, that type of thing," he said. "But what ends up happening are things they never expected or dreamt of."

He says parents must monitor their child's online activities and make it clear that it's never OK to meet privately with someone they've met online.

All four suspects are 17 years old, and have been charged as juveniles.

However, based on the seriousness of the crime, the King County prosecutor may decide to charge them as adults instead.

Applebee's waitress arrested in credit card scam

By LINDA BRILL / KING 5 News

LAKEWOOD, Wash. – Police have arrested an Applebee's waitress for stealing customers' credit card numbers. Eight victims have been identified and police are still looking for three other suspects involved in the operation.

Police are telling customers who ate at the Lakewood Applebee's during the holiday season to take a good look at their credit card bills. They say the waitress skimmed some customers' credit cards.

"Somewhere between taking the credit card, running it to pay for the meal and returning the credit card, she would slide the card through what is called a skimmer. It's a little electronic device that can be palmed easily and hidden easily, and what that device would do would copy all the information that's on the magnetic strip on the back of the credit cards," said Sgt. Mike Zaro, Lakewood Police. "Something like this takes seconds to swipe a card through a skimmer and steal all of your information."

The waitress allegedly passed those numbers on to three men who made false credit cards.

Surveillance video from a Spanaway Wal-Mart shows a man who police say bought a game system using a fraudulent credit card obtained through the scam. More surveillance video from the Lakewood Wal-Mart shows two men buying a flat-screen TV with another phony credit card.

If you recognize the suspects or ate at the Lakewood Applebee's between December and January and you notice something wrong with your credit card bill, contact Lakewood Police.

The waitress and three other suspects are being investigated for felony identity theft, forgery and fraud.

Riot erupts on Evergreen College campus

By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Thurston County Sheriff's deputies have sent blood and fingerprint samples to the state crime lab in their quest to find suspects in an early Friday morning riot at Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Roughly 200 people were involved in the melee on the campus following a rap concert in the school gym. Sheriff's deputies made no arrests in the riot, but they want to hold someone accountable.

Authorities claim this was far more serious than first reported, that concert goers tried to grab guns from deputy holsters, pelted them with rocks and caused a fair amount of destruction at the campus.

Video captured by The Olympian newspaper shows the wild scene just before 2 a.m. SWAT teams stormed the Evergreen State College campus after a mob overturned a deputy's cruiser.

Alvina Wong was at the Dead Prez concert inside the school gym and watched as an Evergreen campus officer broke up a fight and tried to arrest one of the participants, which sparked a mob mentality.

"The crowd just kept getting bigger and bigger," said Wong. "The band did kind of egg it on and questioned why he was being detained."

"From what I understand the band was encouraging people to take care of the situation to stop the person from making the arrest," said Trooper Brandy Kessler, Washington State Patrol.

A group of concertgoers surrounded the officer, causing her to call for backup. When Thurston County Sheriff's deputies arrived, they say they found a group of 200 people, some throwing rocks, garbage cans and bent on destruction.

"The gang just went at the car and tore it up," said Wong.

A sheriff's deputy's car got tagged, its windows smashed, and was flipped over. Vandals tagged two college buildings. Three other cop cars also suffered minor damage.

A SWAT team tear gassed the group and the mob left the area. The college believes the group was not made up entirely of evergreen students.

"The crowed for this event came from all over the entire region," said Jason Wettstein, Evergreen State College. "The original person who started the fight wasn't even an Evergreen student."

One student said the rap act Dead Prez did not encourage the crowd.

The one police cruiser is a complete loss. It was also looted. A police laptop and radar gun were missing, but no one was seriously injured and no weapons were taken.

Recent Washington Court Decisions

State v. Lilyblad: The Washington Supreme Court held that under RCW 9.61.230, the telephone harassment statute, an intent to harass must be formed prior to the initiation of the telephone call for a guilty finding to ensue. The decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/791147.opn.pdf

State v. Quinliven: The Division Three Court of Appeals affirmed that a vehicle may not be searched pursuant to the search incident to arrest exception to the warrant requirement when the suspect has, prior to the arrest, exited his vehicle and locked the car. Immediately after the stop in this case, Mr. Quinliven exited his vehicle, locked it, and sat on the curb, refusing to give the deputy the keys to the vehicle. His subsequent conviction for possession of methamphetamine was overturned when the court found that this action barred Mr. Quinliven from having access to the passenger compartment of his vehicle and negated the need for a search of the truck incident to arrest. The decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/257967.opn.doc.pdf

State v. Dow: The Division Two Court of Appeals upheld, albeit with some reservations, the constitutionality of RCW 10.58.035, allowing a defendant's trustworthy statement to be admitted as substantive evidence when the alleged victim of a crime has died or is incompetent to testify at trial. The decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/34802-1.08.doc.pdf

State v. Bello/Lopez: The Division One Court of Appeals upheld a search incident to arrest of a CD case within a vehicle that had been in the immediate reach of the passenger prior to his arrest when the driver made no assertion that the case belonged to him, not the passenger, prior to the search. The decision may be viewed at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/58463-4.pub.doc.pdf

Police dump quadriplegic from wheelchair

Man sent to detox after showing up drunk at DUI hearing

By Peyton Whitely

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

A Woodinville man who went to court in Redmond to face a drunken-driving charge Monday showed up drunk at the hearing and ended up at a detox center instead.

King County District Court Judge Linda Jacke ordered Joseph T. Longfellow, 35, to take an alcohol breath test after his attorney informed her that Longfellow appeared to be intoxicated.

Longfellow recorded a 0.32 in a portable breath test at the courthouse — four times the state level for intoxication of 0.08, court filings note.

Jacke ordered Longfellow taken into custody, but jail guards refused to accept him after paramedics said he needed to be taken to a detox center to prevent possible alcohol poisoning.

The hearing was continued to Feb. 27 at the East Division of King County District Court in Redmond.

Longfellow was arrested Dec. 2 on Highway 202 near Sahalee Way east of Redmond after being involved in an accident in a construction zone, said Trooper Jeff Merrill, Washington State Patrol public-information officer.

He refused to submit to a Breathalyzer test, was charged with driving under the influence on Dec. 5, and pleaded not guilty.

Longfellow had pleaded guilty to another DUI case in Cascade District Court in Arlington, Snohomish County, in April 2003 and was sentenced to probation and a $1,915 fine. A check to pay the fine bounced in November 2003 and five years of court maneuvers followed.

Longfellow was supposed to appear in Cascade District Court in connection with that case on Tuesday, but he failed to show up and a $5,040 bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Longfellow's attorney, Gregory Fullington, says his client was taken to Harborview Medical Center on Monday and has since been discharged.

"He's getting into treatment," he said. "He knows he has a drinking problem."

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com

WA bill requires yellow license plate for DUI drivers

By BERNARD CHOI / KING 5 News

SEATTLE – Drunk drivers in Washington state could soon have their own Scarlet Letter in the form of a fluorescent yellow license plate.

More than year after a drunk driver killed her niece, Jeri Mallory is still haunted by the memories.

"The thing I remember most was I don't remember when I told her I love you last and that just broke my heart," said Mallory.

She says what's worse is that drunk drivers keep getting behind the wheel.

"It's just unconscionable to me that they would do that," said Mallory.

Republican state senator Mike Carrell wants to target the conscience of would-be drunk drivers. He is sponsoring a bill that would require a person convicted of DUI to drive a vehicle with front and rear fluorescent yellow license plates.

Ohio started requiring the same thing four years ago.

"I believe shame will keep people from doing it. Looking at somebody who is driving around with a fluorescent yellow license plate should be a good reason for others to decide 'I don't want to have my neighbors knowing that I'm a drunk,'" said Carrell.

Under the proposal, if you're a convicted DUI offender and you're caught driving without the special license plate, you could be slapped with a misdemeanor.

But Mothers Against Drunk Driving says it's not in favor of the idea because there's no scientific data showing the special plates reduce drunk driving. Plus, innocent family members would have to ride in the car would bare the shame.

"I think sometimes shaming people is not the right thing to do," said Mallory.

Still, at Monday's senate committee hearing, Sen. Carrell said sometimes a little shame goes a long way.

"Giving the public knowledge of who might be out on the roads with them that might be potentially dangerous is a benefit to the public," said Carrell.

If the bill passes, DUI drivers would have to drive with the special plates for one year. There would be an exemption when driving work vehicles.

It would go effect January 1, 2009.

Jury chosen in UW arson case

P-I STAFF

A jury was chosen Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma in the case of Briana Waters, a 32-year-old mother and violin teacher accused of acting as a lookout in the May 2001 firebombing of the UW Center for Urban Horticulture.

A cell of the Earth Liberation Front/Animal Liberation Front -- characterized as ecoterrorists by the government -- conducted the bombing, under the mistaken belief that the center contained genetically modified trees.

If found guilty of using a destructive device in the arson and other felony charges, Waters -- who has no criminal history -- faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in federal prison. Opening arguments are expected Tuesday morning.

Defendant Slugs Lawyer

Upset defendant smacks his attorney on video. . .ouch!!

Trooper busts YouTube 'drifters' in Bellevue

By TRAVIS PITTMAN / KING5.com

BELLEVUE, Wash. – Police frown upon someone driving recklessly. They tend to get a little more upset when someone does it to show off on camera.

Imagine the reaction of a trooper when it happened right next door to a Washington State Patrol office in Bellevue.

The state patrol says two men who work at a local auto dealership decided to take a late model Infiniti G35 from the dealership Sunday and do a stunt known as "drifting" in a vacant parking lot. At the same time, the men were videotaping the stunt driving to post on YouTube. Troopers say a 21-year-old North Bend man was driving and 21-year-old Bothell man, who was a passenger, also shot some video from the curb.

Their antics caught the attention of a trooper who was pulling into the WSP office next door. The trooper arrested the driver for reckless driving then spotted a video camera on the floorboard of the car which had captured the entire incident.

It turns out, the Infiniti had just been handed over to the car dealership on a trade in. Both men were fired.

The driver was booked on felony malicious mischief and reckless driving charges. The other man was booked on a felony malicious mischief charge.

Drifting, which started in Japan about 10 years ago, is basically trying to get your car to go sideways down a road. It was a key part of the 2006 film "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."

Washington State Toxicology Lab Fiasco

KING 5 - WSP Breath Test Story

A look at 'force' incidents in which cops weren't disciplined

By ERIC NALDER
P-I INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

Most police officers accused of using excessive force by citizens are either exonerated because their actions were lawful or the charges are ruled unfounded, meaning the event never happened. If the evidence is inconclusive, the finding is not sustained. If the department feels there was wrongdoing, the finding is sustained, which means misconduct occurred. If policy violations are deemed not willful, or if errors do not rise to the level of misconduct, then the officer is given retraining under a nondisciplinary category called supervisory intervention.

Here are cases in which supervisory intervention was ordered:

# An officer Tased an apparent bystander "before assessing the situation," admitting later she wanted to avoid having to chase the man and leave "other people" at the scene of a disturbance. She also claimed she didn't feel she had to file the normal use-of-force report because "the only force used was to protect the complainant from hurting himself."

# A witness complained an officer Tased a man too long. The witness said her wrist was bent back and she was arrested when she tried to intervene.

# An uninvolved couple told investigators that an officer slammed a skateboarder against a light pole downtown. The investigators rejected the officer's claim that when he confronted the young man over jaywalking he had taken a "bladed stance" with his legs apart and at an angle, and that he held his skateboard across his body, indicating aggression. "For the record, the 'bladed stance' argument is overworked and is not necessarily an indicator of preparation to attack offensively," investigators wrote. Though they didn't buy the officer's claims, the department rejected a recommendation that he be disciplined, and he got supervisory intervention.

# Two officers were parked side by side in their patrol cars when one sarcastically broadcast to a curious passer-by over his loudspeaker, "Haven't you ever seen a police car before?" The exchange ended with the citizen, who taunted the officers, bent over the hood of the car and searched for weapons before being released. Supervisory intervention was imposed on one of the officers who used profanity.

# A woman complained that she was forcefully escorted to a patrol car for violating the dog scoop ordinance, bruising her arm in the process.

# A man complaining about a bad haircut was escorted out of the barbershop by an officer who twisted his arm. When the man reached for the cop's nametag, the officer bumped him and yelled at him, the man said. No supervisor was called to the scene, and the man had a right to have his 'bad haircut' remedied, the department concluded in ordering supervisory intervention.

Outrage in the courtroom as Skyway shooter is freed

KING5.com staff

SEATTLE - The man who shot and killed three people and wounded three others in an infamous Skyway shootout is a free man tonight.

As part of a plea deal, Dimitri Sicorchuk, 24, was sentenced to 24 months in jail, a sentence he has already completed while awaiting trial.

That has some family members of victims outraged.

Moments after the sentencing, an angry mob approached the prosecutor.

"You should of tried harder," said Don Raz. "We have community members in our community who have been deported to Cambodia for crimes less heinous than this."

Prosecutors say Sicorchuk admits to opening fire during a scuffle at Skyway Bowl on June 20, 2006. One of his best friends was among the dead.

Sicorchuk and his lawyer argued that the shootings were done in self defense. But after two juries couldn't agree on whether he acted in self defense, a plea deal was reached.

The Sun family of West Seattle is outraged. Their loved one, 20-year-old Sophea, was killed in the shooting.

"It broke my heart because my son so young," said Savoeun Keo, Sophea's mother. "It's not fair."

Man, 23, is charged with child rape in forced-prostitution case

P-I STAFF

A Seattle man who allegedly had sex with a 12-year-old girl he met downtown and forced her into prostitution was charged Tuesday in King County Superior Court with two counts of second-degree child rape and one count of promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor.

Steven Leonard, 23, is being held in the King County Jail with bail set at $250,000.

Port Angeles man accused of Craigslist scam

By AKIKO FUJITA
KOMO-TV

Police have arrested a Port Angeles man for stealing thousands from users of the Web site Craigslist.org.

Investigators said the man used bad checks to buy diamond rings on the site, scamming a number of victims from Seattle to Everett.

It all began with one engagement ring. A Snoqualmie man posted an ad on Craigslist, asking for $5,400 for the ring.

Police say the Port Angeles man saw the posting as an opportunity to cash in.

"He portrayed himself as a jewelry broker from Elegance Jewelry Design and so the victim met with him (and) they looked at the ring through a jewelry glass," said Rebecca Munson with the Snoqualmie Police Department.

The two struck a deal at $5,200 and the suspect wrote the seller a business check. But that check turned out to be fake.

"He made it look like he knew what he was talking about," Munson said.

The victim e-mailed every Craigslist user with a posting for a ring for sale and warned them about the scam. He learned the suspect targeted two others.

"Then they had a contact from someone in Seattle who had set up a meeting with our suspect," said Munson.

That's when police jumped in. They set up a sting operation at a Starbucks coffee shop in Queen Anne, where the seller was to meet the suspect. When the man showed up, undercover officers arrested him.

The man was booked at the King County Jail for investigation of first degree theft, financial fraud, forgery and unlawful issuance of a bank check.

News of the latest Craigslist scam has users on high alert.

"I've used it for everything, it's just reliable," said Michael Mathias.

Mathias said he's using Craigslist to sell his grandmother's ring. He doesn't have a buyer yet, but knows what to do when that person comes calling.

"You take the money first, you always ask for cash," he said.

Routine arrest in Lynnwood area ends with car chase, shot fired

RAY LANE / KING 5 News

LYNNWOOD, Wash. - Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies were getting ready to arrest a man on outstanding felony warrants at an apartment in the Lynnwood area Saturday night when the man took off.

Police say as they were moving in, the 24-year old man, along with a 20-year old woman, jumped into a stolen SUV and drove off, leading deputies on a short car chase.

Before long, the couple drove themselves into a road block.

"The suspects ended up on a dead-end road. The male suspect, who was driving the stolen car, backed the car into a deputy's car. Another deputy at the scene got out of his patrol vehicle and a fired a shot," said Sgt. Jerry Strieck.

The Everett Police Dept. is handling the investigation involving Snohomish County deputies. They say only one shot was fired, and that was by one of the deputies.

Somehow, the bullet shattered the window of an unmarked deputy's car, which was responding to the call. It's not clear how that happened.

Police say the suspect did not fire a weapon.

Both the man and woman were arrested.

The male suspect faces the original charges on those warrants that were issued against him, plus new felony charges, including running from police, and ramming his vehicle into a police car.

The deputy, who has been with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office for five years, is now on paid administrative leave, a routine procedure in this type of situation.

Ex-hotel manager surrenders to the FBI

$1.4 million in guest payments allegedly stolen

P-I STAFF

A former Tukwila hotel manager accused of stealing $1.4 million by diverting guest payments into his personal bank account turned himself in to the FBI on Monday.

Brian Fleet, 41, had been on the run for more than a year, federal authorities said.

Fleet used his position as general manager of the Residence Inn in Tukwila to defeat the hotel's computerized accounting system and steal checks submitted by month-to-month guests, according to court papers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said he doesn't know why Fleet decided to turn himself in or what his life as a fugitive was like.

An FBI "wanted" poster said "Fleet is known to enjoy golf, gambling (and) attending professional sporting events."

According to court papers, Fleet began intercepting checks and depositing them in his own business account in 1999, continuing until April 2005.

Fleet, who made his first federal court appearance in Seattle on Monday, will remain in custody on four counts of wire fraud pending a detention hearing Friday.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Shots fired outside Seattle nightclub

P-I STAFF

Bullets tore into a downtown Seattle business early Sunday morning just feet away from throngs of club-goers.

Just after 1:30 a.m., police were called to the 1900 block of Fourth Avenue after witnesses reported hearing more than a dozen gunshots ring out. Officers were unable to find any victims of the shooting, but the bullets did shatter two large glass windows at an auto shop across the street from Toi Restaurant and Lounge.

Witnesses at the club told police that a man who'd been standing across the street may have been the intended target, according to police. The man did not appear to be injured in the shooting, but had left the scene before police arrived.

According to police reports, security at the nightspot reported seeing a silver Chevy Impala sedan leaving the scene about the time of the shooting. No arrests were made immediately after the incident.

Former Tacoma cop sentenced for child sex crimes

KING5.com Staff

TACOMA, Wash. – A retired Tacoma police officer was sentenced Friday to nearly 20 years in prison for a litany of child sex crimes.

Lee William Giles Jr., 61, received 19 years, 8 months after pleading guilty late last year to first- and second-degree child rape, first-degree child molestation and third-degree assault.

His girlfriend, Maureen Wear, pleaded guilty to the same charges. She will be sentenced at a later date.

From the very beginning, the allegations against Giles were stunning. Prosecutors say Giles repeatedly raped his own girlfriend's young son over a period of years, videotaped the crimes, and that Wear – the victim's own mother – was involved in the attacks.

Court papers indicated that other female family members were also victimized. It was Mounting, gut-wrenching evidence that would doom either defendant during a trial.

Giles faced 17 different counts altogether, but because of the plea deal, that was knocked down to four counts.

Since Giles was a police officer, he most likely will not serve his prison time in a Washington state prison, but rather be sent out of state.

Poulsbo cop accused of abusing authority to meet wome

By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News

POULSBO, Wash – A Poulsbo Police detective is out of a job following a lengthy investigation into his alleged misuse of his police authority, including efforts to meet women.

The detective resigned after an internal affairs investigation cited several specific instances of abuse.

KING 5 received the 61 page report after filing a public disclosure request into the activities of the detective.

The internal affairs investigation, which was launched in September, was conducted by the Bremerton Police Department. It determined the Poulsbo detective used his access to private police databases to gather information on people for his own personal gain.

Among the findings, the detective:

-- Abused law enforcement authority.

-- Violated harassment policies.

-- Made untruthful statements about his behavior.

The report claims the detective "improperly accessed law enforcement databases for other than official purposes." The report says sometimes, the detective accessed the databases from home "likely… out of curiosity and personal reasons."

The report doesn't explain why he did it, but it says the detective ran checks on a former waitress "he had shown romantic interest in," and that records showed that he "ran the name of a Bremerton Police officer" that "many would consider attractive."

The report does not say what the detective was using the information for, but that others within the Poulsbo Police Department had concerns that he was using his position to meet women and that "he was pursuing women in an unprofessional manner."

The report concludes "his actions nearly meet the elements of the crime of stalking."

The report also attacks the credibility of the detective and his statements about past cases and incidents.

He resigned December 11, 2007 after being confronted with the report.

New Poulsbo Police chief Dennis Swiney says the resignation was not forced and that he does not believe a crime occurred.

The Kitsap County Prosecutor's Office says it was unaware of the allegations until being contacted by KING 5 News.

Bank robber caught after dye pack explode

P-I STAFF

A suspected bank robber was arrested Monday after a dye pack placed with the money exploded on him as he was exiting the bank, Bellevue police reported.

The robbery was reported about 12:20 p.m. at a Washington Mutual at 106th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Eighth Street, Bellevue police reported.

The robber handed a note to the teller implying that he had a weapon. Police and the FBI were investigating.

Police shoot at suspected drunk driver who tried to run down officer

P-I STAFF

BREMERTON -- Police shot at a suspected drunken driver Monday night after they say he tried to run down a police officer.

Police encountered the man around 7:40 p.m. when a 911 call reported a woman trying to jump out of his car. When police arrived at the scene, the woman jumped out and fled into nearby woods. An officer pursued her, and that's when the driver accelerated his car towards a second Bremerton police officer trying to stop him, police said.

That officer fired at the car and the driver jumped out and fled on foot.

Police later found the man and arrested him on charges of drunken driving and first degree assault.