P-I STAFF
One of two teens accused of sexually assaulting a female classmate in a Rainier Beach High School bathroom last year pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced Friday to eight months in jail and a year of probation.
Diojanique Davis, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree assault and one count of harassment but denied he had sexually assaulted the classmate.
Because he has been on electronic home detention since his arraignment, Davis will get credit for time served and won't spend time in jail, said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for the King County Prosecutor's Office. Davis has also been ordered not to have any contact with the female classmate.
The girl told her teacher in June 2007 that two male classmates had forced her into a men's bathroom at the school and that one guarded the door while the other sexually assaulted her. School officials had questioned the boys, who denied the allegations. The boys were suspended for three days, but police weren't notified until the girl's grandmother reported the incident nearly three weeks later. School staff members are considered "mandatory reporters" who must notify authorities of suspected child abuse or sexual abuse.
The school district didn't discipline any staff members after the incident but did issue "letters of direction" to them, outlining the mandatory reporting law and advising them how to handle such matters in the future, district spokesman David Tucker said Friday.
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Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Suit against treatment center loses again
P-I STAFF
The state Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal filed by two recovering drug addicts suing a South Seattle treatment center.
Former clients David Schodron and Leann Lafley sued Seattle Drug and Narcotic Center, saying they had been forced to work without pay in the center's recycling plant.
They argued in legal pleadings that they were made to work six days a week at the for-profit plant or face jail time for failing to complete court-ordered drug treatment.
SeaDruNar officials contended that clients working at the plant are volunteers engaged in a "work-therapy" program. Founder Nan Busby has received wide support from members of the Seattle legal community, including two King County Superior Court judges who sit on the SeaDruNar board.
The Supreme Court's July 8 decision not to hear the appeal effectively ended the lawsuit filed by Schodron and Lafley. The case had previously failed in Superior Court and the Court of Appeals, where judges found that SeaDruNar clients volunteered to work at the plant when they enrolled in the treatment program.
The state Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal filed by two recovering drug addicts suing a South Seattle treatment center.
Former clients David Schodron and Leann Lafley sued Seattle Drug and Narcotic Center, saying they had been forced to work without pay in the center's recycling plant.
They argued in legal pleadings that they were made to work six days a week at the for-profit plant or face jail time for failing to complete court-ordered drug treatment.
SeaDruNar officials contended that clients working at the plant are volunteers engaged in a "work-therapy" program. Founder Nan Busby has received wide support from members of the Seattle legal community, including two King County Superior Court judges who sit on the SeaDruNar board.
The Supreme Court's July 8 decision not to hear the appeal effectively ended the lawsuit filed by Schodron and Lafley. The case had previously failed in Superior Court and the Court of Appeals, where judges found that SeaDruNar clients volunteered to work at the plant when they enrolled in the treatment program.
Couple beats up armed robber with baseball bat
KING5.com Staff
MONROE, Wash. – A would-be robber armed with a gun was no match for a husband and wife and their baseball bat early Thursday morning.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says the 24-year-old Monroe man entered the home in the 21600 block of 164th Drive SE around 3:30 a.m. He apparently got in through an unlocked door.
The crook allegedly confronted the couple in their bedroom with a handgun. The couple fought back, beating the intruder on the head with a baseball bat.
The suspect was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious head injuries. Once released, he'll be booked into the Snohomish County Jail.
The couple has only minor injuries.
Even though the couple won in the end, sheriff's deputies say the incident is a reminder to lock all your doors and windows.
MONROE, Wash. – A would-be robber armed with a gun was no match for a husband and wife and their baseball bat early Thursday morning.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says the 24-year-old Monroe man entered the home in the 21600 block of 164th Drive SE around 3:30 a.m. He apparently got in through an unlocked door.
The crook allegedly confronted the couple in their bedroom with a handgun. The couple fought back, beating the intruder on the head with a baseball bat.
The suspect was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious head injuries. Once released, he'll be booked into the Snohomish County Jail.
The couple has only minor injuries.
Even though the couple won in the end, sheriff's deputies say the incident is a reminder to lock all your doors and windows.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Robber targets diners in upscale Tacoma restaurant
By AMY FINLEY / KING 5 News
TACOMA, Wash. – Diners at Pacific Grill, an upscale downtown Tacoma restaurant, were confronted by a man who was dining alone Monday evening.
According to Tacoma Police, the man sat down and ordered beer, then got up, went into a private dining area and demanded money from the diners.
He told them this was a robbery and demanded their wallets.
"He comes in the room and says, 'I want your wallet and your cash'," recalled Dr. Charles Weatherbee who was seated with fellow doctors and drug reps.
Another doctor handed over his wallet, but when he only found credit cards, he calmly returned to his table.
That's when kitchen staff and patrons surrounded the suspect.
Then the man got up and confronted the same diners in the private dining room again.
"I want your money and take care of my bill now," said the suspect.
One of the doctors, who had been at target practice earlier, pulled out his gun and ordered the suspect out, saying, "Get out of the restaurant now!"
The suspect left and was greeted by police officers outside.
Tacoma Police spokesperson Mark Fulghum says the armed doctor acted within the law, defending himself and others during a crime.
The suspect is now undergoing a mental evaluation. He faces one robbery charge and several attempted robbery charges.
TACOMA, Wash. – Diners at Pacific Grill, an upscale downtown Tacoma restaurant, were confronted by a man who was dining alone Monday evening.
According to Tacoma Police, the man sat down and ordered beer, then got up, went into a private dining area and demanded money from the diners.
He told them this was a robbery and demanded their wallets.
"He comes in the room and says, 'I want your wallet and your cash'," recalled Dr. Charles Weatherbee who was seated with fellow doctors and drug reps.
Another doctor handed over his wallet, but when he only found credit cards, he calmly returned to his table.
That's when kitchen staff and patrons surrounded the suspect.
Then the man got up and confronted the same diners in the private dining room again.
"I want your money and take care of my bill now," said the suspect.
One of the doctors, who had been at target practice earlier, pulled out his gun and ordered the suspect out, saying, "Get out of the restaurant now!"
The suspect left and was greeted by police officers outside.
Tacoma Police spokesperson Mark Fulghum says the armed doctor acted within the law, defending himself and others during a crime.
The suspect is now undergoing a mental evaluation. He faces one robbery charge and several attempted robbery charges.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Greg Wilson named new police chief in Mountlake Terrace
Greg Wilson, longtime Federal Way police officer, has been hired as chief of the Mountlake Terrace Police Department.
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
A longtime police commander in South King County has been selected as the new police chief for the city of Mountlake Terrace.
Greg Wilson, most recently a patrol commander at Federal Way police, will take over the position on Aug. 11. His annual salary will range between $91,380 to $114,216 and he will oversee 31 sworn officers, according to Mountlake Terrace.
Wilson has 21 years of law-enforcement experience with the cities of Renton and Federal Way. He retired from Federal Way police last August, according to Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.
Wilson, 46, earned his bachelor's degree in social sciences from Washington State University, Schrock said. His brother, Brian Wilson, is chief of the Federal Way Police Department.
Wilson will succeed Scott Smith, who left the department in December to become chief of the Tulalip Tribal Police Department.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
A longtime police commander in South King County has been selected as the new police chief for the city of Mountlake Terrace.
Greg Wilson, most recently a patrol commander at Federal Way police, will take over the position on Aug. 11. His annual salary will range between $91,380 to $114,216 and he will oversee 31 sworn officers, according to Mountlake Terrace.
Wilson has 21 years of law-enforcement experience with the cities of Renton and Federal Way. He retired from Federal Way police last August, according to Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.
Wilson, 46, earned his bachelor's degree in social sciences from Washington State University, Schrock said. His brother, Brian Wilson, is chief of the Federal Way Police Department.
Wilson will succeed Scott Smith, who left the department in December to become chief of the Tulalip Tribal Police Department.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Debit card scam drains dozens of bank accounts
By ELISA HAHN / KING 5 News & KING5.com Staff
PUYALLUP, Wash. – Dozens of victims have come forward after their bank accounts were drained by thieves.
At least 75 people fell victim to a scam by simply using their debit card at a Puyallup gas station and detectives expect many more reports to come in.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, a highly organized group using stolen debit card information withdrew thousands of dollars from Pierce County citizens' bank accounts.
The information was obtained by using electronic skimming machines placed on gas pumps at the ARCO gas Station at 11608 Meridian on Puyallup's South Hill.
Detectives believe the information was stolen in August 2007.
Almost a year later, the information was used at multiple banks to withdraw thousand of dollars from each account. This was done over the three-day weekend to avoid detection.
The card numbers and pins were trapped and stolen at the station and were used at ATMs throughout the King County area.
Most card loses are around $1,200, but some are much higher – up to $4,000, depending on account balance or overdraft rules.
Rhonda Hopkins first noticed the activity during the Fourth of July weekend.
"We pulled up our banking online and realized there were numerous withdrawals out of both our checking and our savings," she said.
The thieves stole $3,800 from her accounts.
"When we went to the bank to close out our account, there were three other people waiting to close their accounts because the same thing had happened," she said.
If anyone has used that ARCO station during that time frame, they should contact their financial institution and get a new card issued.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspects involved. Crime Stoppers 253-591-5959
PUYALLUP, Wash. – Dozens of victims have come forward after their bank accounts were drained by thieves.
At least 75 people fell victim to a scam by simply using their debit card at a Puyallup gas station and detectives expect many more reports to come in.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, a highly organized group using stolen debit card information withdrew thousands of dollars from Pierce County citizens' bank accounts.
The information was obtained by using electronic skimming machines placed on gas pumps at the ARCO gas Station at 11608 Meridian on Puyallup's South Hill.
Detectives believe the information was stolen in August 2007.
Almost a year later, the information was used at multiple banks to withdraw thousand of dollars from each account. This was done over the three-day weekend to avoid detection.
The card numbers and pins were trapped and stolen at the station and were used at ATMs throughout the King County area.
Most card loses are around $1,200, but some are much higher – up to $4,000, depending on account balance or overdraft rules.
Rhonda Hopkins first noticed the activity during the Fourth of July weekend.
"We pulled up our banking online and realized there were numerous withdrawals out of both our checking and our savings," she said.
The thieves stole $3,800 from her accounts.
"When we went to the bank to close out our account, there were three other people waiting to close their accounts because the same thing had happened," she said.
If anyone has used that ARCO station during that time frame, they should contact their financial institution and get a new card issued.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspects involved. Crime Stoppers 253-591-5959
Monday, July 21, 2008
Soccer mom accused of stealing from Pierce Co. league
By DREW MIKKELSEN / KING5 News
EDGEWOOD, Wash. - A soccer mom has been charged with stealing from her local youth soccer league.
According to court documents, besides being a mother and a former soccer coach, 42-year-old Deborah Angilley was the treasurer of the Fife-Milton-Edgewood Soccer Club. She's now accused of embezzling $72,000 from the league.
The documents say officials at Timberland Bank began investigating Angilley last fall after noticing some suspicious activity on soccer club's account.
A Pierce County Deputy who handled the case claims Angilley was writing checks to herself. She allegedly used funds at the Emerald Queen Casino where she was one of the casino's so-called "preferred players."
And investigators say she wrote checks to her 16-year-old son and landlord.
"If anybody got this cash knowing where it came from and helped cash the checks and spent the money knowing that it came from this account, and that it was not right, he could be held liable or as an accessory," said Det. Ed Troyer, Pierce Co. Sheriff's Office.
Angilley moved from the South Sound area last fall and now lives in Wenatchee.
The president of the league tells KING5 News dealing with the loss has been "difficult at best." The $72,000 taken is more than the league typically brings in each year.
“The club almost folded due to this theft, but has stayed in existence only through the generosity of those that have loaned us about $40,000,” League president Jeff Flesner said in a victim impact statement filed with Pierce County Superior Court.
Flesner says the loans cover this year's soccer games, camps and tournaments but it hasn't been easy. He says the league has now taken steps to prevent future treasurers from having that much unchecked access to the league's account.
EDGEWOOD, Wash. - A soccer mom has been charged with stealing from her local youth soccer league.
According to court documents, besides being a mother and a former soccer coach, 42-year-old Deborah Angilley was the treasurer of the Fife-Milton-Edgewood Soccer Club. She's now accused of embezzling $72,000 from the league.
The documents say officials at Timberland Bank began investigating Angilley last fall after noticing some suspicious activity on soccer club's account.
A Pierce County Deputy who handled the case claims Angilley was writing checks to herself. She allegedly used funds at the Emerald Queen Casino where she was one of the casino's so-called "preferred players."
And investigators say she wrote checks to her 16-year-old son and landlord.
"If anybody got this cash knowing where it came from and helped cash the checks and spent the money knowing that it came from this account, and that it was not right, he could be held liable or as an accessory," said Det. Ed Troyer, Pierce Co. Sheriff's Office.
Angilley moved from the South Sound area last fall and now lives in Wenatchee.
The president of the league tells KING5 News dealing with the loss has been "difficult at best." The $72,000 taken is more than the league typically brings in each year.
“The club almost folded due to this theft, but has stayed in existence only through the generosity of those that have loaned us about $40,000,” League president Jeff Flesner said in a victim impact statement filed with Pierce County Superior Court.
Flesner says the loans cover this year's soccer games, camps and tournaments but it hasn't been easy. He says the league has now taken steps to prevent future treasurers from having that much unchecked access to the league's account.
Two arrested sleeping on stolen goods
Police in Monroe say a trail of pillows and backpacks led to two sleeping men who were arrested in a department store break-in.
MONROE, Wash. —
Police in Monroe say a trail of pillows and backpacks led to two sleeping men who were arrested in a department store break-in.
Twenty-five-year-old Kyle Burress and 27-year-old Allen Pierce have been charged with charged with second-degree burglary.
Police spokeswoman Debbie Willis says a break-in was discovered July 9 at a Fred Meyer outlet on U.S. 2.
A surveillance videocamera showed two people going from one storage container to another, and police followed a trail of cardboard and items from the containers to Burress and Pierce - one sleeping in a stolen hammock and the other on a pile of stolen pillows.
Police took some photographs before waking and arresting the pair.
Willis says they apparently had been drinking and adds, "I'd say a lot of alcohol was involved."
---
Information from: The Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com
MONROE, Wash. —
Police in Monroe say a trail of pillows and backpacks led to two sleeping men who were arrested in a department store break-in.
Twenty-five-year-old Kyle Burress and 27-year-old Allen Pierce have been charged with charged with second-degree burglary.
Police spokeswoman Debbie Willis says a break-in was discovered July 9 at a Fred Meyer outlet on U.S. 2.
A surveillance videocamera showed two people going from one storage container to another, and police followed a trail of cardboard and items from the containers to Burress and Pierce - one sleeping in a stolen hammock and the other on a pile of stolen pillows.
Police took some photographs before waking and arresting the pair.
Willis says they apparently had been drinking and adds, "I'd say a lot of alcohol was involved."
---
Information from: The Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lands commish was focus of sex harassment complaint
By ALLEN SCHAUFFLER / KING 5 News
SEATTLE – It's only July, but we've already seen the race for Governor get publicly nasty with attack ads from both sides.
Now, another statewide race is heating up with accusations of sexual harassment at the Department of Natural Resources involving current Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland, who is up for re-election.
"I've dealt with negative campaigns before, but this is by far the lowest blow I've ever seen," said Sutherland.
It all stems from an incident in 2005, the details of which were first reported in a partisan liberal blog.
According to internal DNR documents, a new employee complains that during an informal breakfast meeting, Sutherland takes her by the shoulder and "feels it then twists me around so that my back is facing him and he holds me with one hand and feels my back (open palmed) from my neck down to my waist, shoulders, etc."
She goes on the claim Sutherland means he "could have felt up front or could have felt the other side."
Sutherland disputes that part of the report and others remember it differently.
"I don't believe I said that. That's out of my character," said Sutherland.
The commissioner acknowledges the incident happened, but says his intentions were misunderstood.
"I was being very joking, very humorous, asking to see where the arrows were in her back and saying 'you gotta be strong enough to deal with some of these folks,'" said Sutherland.
Sutherland, who has been in public service for more than two decades at the city, county and state level, says the incident has changed the way he deals with employees and people he doesn't know.
"I'm a very informal person. I'm a hugger. My whole family's huggers," said Sutherland.
The man trying to win Sutherland's job, Peter Goldmark, has a different take.
"Of course he's going to call it a cheap shot, but it wasn't something that was manufactured or created by anybody else but Mr Sutherland," said Goldmark. He calls the incident a completely appropriate campaign issue that should be aired for voters.
"I think they have every right and deserve to know how their agency leaders are treating the employees," said Goldmark.
The investigation was an internal investigation at the Department of Natural Resources. No other agency ever looked into it. There has never been any legal action taken as a result of the incident.
The employee has not been identified and has not spoken publicly about what happened. She left the agency after less than a month on the payroll.
SEATTLE – It's only July, but we've already seen the race for Governor get publicly nasty with attack ads from both sides.
Now, another statewide race is heating up with accusations of sexual harassment at the Department of Natural Resources involving current Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland, who is up for re-election.
"I've dealt with negative campaigns before, but this is by far the lowest blow I've ever seen," said Sutherland.
It all stems from an incident in 2005, the details of which were first reported in a partisan liberal blog.
According to internal DNR documents, a new employee complains that during an informal breakfast meeting, Sutherland takes her by the shoulder and "feels it then twists me around so that my back is facing him and he holds me with one hand and feels my back (open palmed) from my neck down to my waist, shoulders, etc."
She goes on the claim Sutherland means he "could have felt up front or could have felt the other side."
Sutherland disputes that part of the report and others remember it differently.
"I don't believe I said that. That's out of my character," said Sutherland.
The commissioner acknowledges the incident happened, but says his intentions were misunderstood.
"I was being very joking, very humorous, asking to see where the arrows were in her back and saying 'you gotta be strong enough to deal with some of these folks,'" said Sutherland.
Sutherland, who has been in public service for more than two decades at the city, county and state level, says the incident has changed the way he deals with employees and people he doesn't know.
"I'm a very informal person. I'm a hugger. My whole family's huggers," said Sutherland.
The man trying to win Sutherland's job, Peter Goldmark, has a different take.
"Of course he's going to call it a cheap shot, but it wasn't something that was manufactured or created by anybody else but Mr Sutherland," said Goldmark. He calls the incident a completely appropriate campaign issue that should be aired for voters.
"I think they have every right and deserve to know how their agency leaders are treating the employees," said Goldmark.
The investigation was an internal investigation at the Department of Natural Resources. No other agency ever looked into it. There has never been any legal action taken as a result of the incident.
The employee has not been identified and has not spoken publicly about what happened. She left the agency after less than a month on the payroll.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Seattle to pay $100,000 excessive force settlement
By BERNARD CHOI / KING 5 News
SEATTLE - The City of Seattle will pay more than $100,000 to settle a complaint of excessive police force.
A young woman sued the city, saying an officer kicked her legs out from under her during an arrest and sent her face-first to the ground.
Before Brittany Beaulieu's first run in with the law, she was working in marketing and excited about the next phase of her life.
Her encounter with Seattle Police left her face swollen, her cheekbone broken in three places.
"She was seriously injured, she was emotionally injured," said Allen Ressler, Beaulieu's attorney.
Ressler says the 30-year-old was with friends on Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood on April 21, 2006. They had just left a bar when Beaulieu saw one of her friends get pulled over for DUI. Trying to help, she walked up to her friend and offered legal advice.
An officer warned her to back away. When she didn't, Ressler said she was forced to the ground.
"All of a sudden for reasons she can't fathom, she's forcefully thrown to the ground," said Ressler.
The police officer had used a common maneuver called a leg sweep to subdue Beaulieu, basically grabbing her arms while trying to sweep her legs from underneath her. Somehow, the officer lost control of Beaulieu and she slammed face first into the cement.
An initial internal investigation concluded the officer had used unnecessary force and recommended he be disciplined. But in a follow-up, the head of the Office of Professional Accountability, which investigates police misconduct, exonerated the officer, suggesting instead he get more training.
This case follows previous complaints of excessive police force where the officer was not punished, like the 2005 arrest of Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes, a littering case that got out of control. In November, 2007 the city of Seattle settled a lawsuit brought on by Alley-Barnes for $185,000 against the police for use of excessive force.
In fact, last year, a citizen review board noted 23 cases where an officer was recommended for discipline, but Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske reversed the decision.
"Something's broken," said Ressler.
Ressler says while the latest settlement brings a close to Brittany Beaulieu's case, the larger issue remains.
"The police should not police the police," said Ressler. "You need someone to take a critical look at what happened…The process is skewed now towards exonerating the officer."
The Seattle Police Department, the city attorney's office and one Seattle City Council member all declined to comment for this story.
Earlier this year, the Seattle Police Department adopted 29 recommendations from the mayor's office aimed at more openness and police oversight.
SEATTLE - The City of Seattle will pay more than $100,000 to settle a complaint of excessive police force.
A young woman sued the city, saying an officer kicked her legs out from under her during an arrest and sent her face-first to the ground.
Before Brittany Beaulieu's first run in with the law, she was working in marketing and excited about the next phase of her life.
Her encounter with Seattle Police left her face swollen, her cheekbone broken in three places.
"She was seriously injured, she was emotionally injured," said Allen Ressler, Beaulieu's attorney.
Ressler says the 30-year-old was with friends on Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood on April 21, 2006. They had just left a bar when Beaulieu saw one of her friends get pulled over for DUI. Trying to help, she walked up to her friend and offered legal advice.
An officer warned her to back away. When she didn't, Ressler said she was forced to the ground.
"All of a sudden for reasons she can't fathom, she's forcefully thrown to the ground," said Ressler.
The police officer had used a common maneuver called a leg sweep to subdue Beaulieu, basically grabbing her arms while trying to sweep her legs from underneath her. Somehow, the officer lost control of Beaulieu and she slammed face first into the cement.
An initial internal investigation concluded the officer had used unnecessary force and recommended he be disciplined. But in a follow-up, the head of the Office of Professional Accountability, which investigates police misconduct, exonerated the officer, suggesting instead he get more training.
This case follows previous complaints of excessive police force where the officer was not punished, like the 2005 arrest of Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes, a littering case that got out of control. In November, 2007 the city of Seattle settled a lawsuit brought on by Alley-Barnes for $185,000 against the police for use of excessive force.
In fact, last year, a citizen review board noted 23 cases where an officer was recommended for discipline, but Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske reversed the decision.
"Something's broken," said Ressler.
Ressler says while the latest settlement brings a close to Brittany Beaulieu's case, the larger issue remains.
"The police should not police the police," said Ressler. "You need someone to take a critical look at what happened…The process is skewed now towards exonerating the officer."
The Seattle Police Department, the city attorney's office and one Seattle City Council member all declined to comment for this story.
Earlier this year, the Seattle Police Department adopted 29 recommendations from the mayor's office aimed at more openness and police oversight.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Man charged with pimping girl, 16, across state lines
By SCOTT GUTIERREZ
P-I REPORTER
A Washington man has been charged with pimping a 16-year-old girl he met in Tacoma across state lines.
Marquis J. Moon, 27, was indicted July 2 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on a charge of interstate transportation of a minor in the furtherance of prostitution.
Moon, who has been ordered to remain in federal custody, is scheduled for arraignment July 14 at the federal courthouse in Tacoma, court records say.
Moon, who has a lengthy criminal history, had been a fugitive since October 2007, when a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. Tacoma police nabbed him June 4 after stopping a vehicle in which he was a passenger. He initially gave police a false name and birthday, but investigators identified him through fingerprints, the FBI reported.
Moon recruited the girl in Tacoma and took her to Portland, where she briefly worked the streets before police arrested her on Sept. 29, 2007 and booked her into custody, according to court documents.
The girl's mother called authorities after her daughter ran away and told an FBI investigator that she suspected Moon was her daughter's pimp, court documents say.
Investigators fear that Moon may have victimized more young girls that they have not yet discovered, FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said.
P-I REPORTER
A Washington man has been charged with pimping a 16-year-old girl he met in Tacoma across state lines.
Marquis J. Moon, 27, was indicted July 2 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on a charge of interstate transportation of a minor in the furtherance of prostitution.
Moon, who has been ordered to remain in federal custody, is scheduled for arraignment July 14 at the federal courthouse in Tacoma, court records say.
Moon, who has a lengthy criminal history, had been a fugitive since October 2007, when a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. Tacoma police nabbed him June 4 after stopping a vehicle in which he was a passenger. He initially gave police a false name and birthday, but investigators identified him through fingerprints, the FBI reported.
Moon recruited the girl in Tacoma and took her to Portland, where she briefly worked the streets before police arrested her on Sept. 29, 2007 and booked her into custody, according to court documents.
The girl's mother called authorities after her daughter ran away and told an FBI investigator that she suspected Moon was her daughter's pimp, court documents say.
Investigators fear that Moon may have victimized more young girls that they have not yet discovered, FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Woman stabbed with stiletto heel of her shoe
Seattle police are seeking a man who stabbed a woman with the stiletto heel of her own shoe, causing an infection that required emergency surgery.
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are seeking a man who stabbed a woman with the stiletto heel of her own shoe, causing an infection that required emergency surgery.
A 39-year-old Tukwila woman underwent emergency surgery on Saturday after contracting an "aggressive" bacterial infection, according to Seattle police. According to a police report, the woman was at a barbecue at a friend's house in the 7600 block of Rainier Avenue South in Seattle on June 29 when an acquaintance asked her to perform a sex act on him. When she refused, the man slapped her face, removed her boot and stabbed her in the left hand with the stiletto heel, police said.
The woman fled, police said.
Several days later the woman sought medical assistance from staff at Swedish Medical Center/Seattle after the wound became infected. Police said the woman was told by medical personnel that the aggressive bacterial infection would require immediate invasive surgery.
The woman's name was redacted from the police report and efforts to track her down were unsuccessful. Police said the woman described her assailant as a heavyset black man named Earl who possibly works at a business near Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street.
Seattle police said the investigation remains open.
Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are seeking a man who stabbed a woman with the stiletto heel of her own shoe, causing an infection that required emergency surgery.
A 39-year-old Tukwila woman underwent emergency surgery on Saturday after contracting an "aggressive" bacterial infection, according to Seattle police. According to a police report, the woman was at a barbecue at a friend's house in the 7600 block of Rainier Avenue South in Seattle on June 29 when an acquaintance asked her to perform a sex act on him. When she refused, the man slapped her face, removed her boot and stabbed her in the left hand with the stiletto heel, police said.
The woman fled, police said.
Several days later the woman sought medical assistance from staff at Swedish Medical Center/Seattle after the wound became infected. Police said the woman was told by medical personnel that the aggressive bacterial infection would require immediate invasive surgery.
The woman's name was redacted from the police report and efforts to track her down were unsuccessful. Police said the woman described her assailant as a heavyset black man named Earl who possibly works at a business near Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street.
Seattle police said the investigation remains open.
Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com
Monday, July 7, 2008
Civilian oversight part of King Co. police guild contract
By GREGORY ROBERTS
P-I REPORTER
King County has reached tentative agreement on a new labor contract with sheriff's deputies that would finally clear the way to establishing civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Office, County Executive Ron Sims said Monday.
But the County Council member who co-sponsored the 2006 legislation creating the oversight framework isn't ready to declare victory.
"It sounds like we're getting there," Councilman Bob Ferguson, D-Seattle, said. "But the devil's in the details."
The Office of Law Enforcement Oversight has not been activated because it would affect disciplinary procedures outlined in the prevailing contract with the deputies, and any changes to those procedures were subject to collective bargaining with the deputies' union.
The tentative deal on oversight differs from the legislation, a Sims spokeswoman said, but she was unable to provide more information before the deputies' union submits the deal to its membership for ratification. Any contract ultimately must be approved by the council as well.
The tentative labor agreement also includes pay raises for deputies in each of its five years, Sims' office said.
The 2006 legislation gives the oversight agency the authority to field complaints from the public about sheriff's deputies, to review Sheriff Sue Rahr's response to the complaints and to make suggestions to her about how to deal with them. Currently, complaints from citizens are handled within the Sheriff's Office.
Establishing civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Office was a key recommendation of the blue-ribbon panel appointed in 2006 by Sims, the council and then-Prosecutor Norm Maleng to investigate how the sheriff responds to citizen complaints. The panel was formed in reaction to "Conduct Unbecoming," a Seattle P-I series that reported on wrongdoing by deputies and lax internal discipline.
Other panel recommendations also have been put on hold pending the contract negotiations, including applying new performance standards and evaluations for deputies and setting up an "early intervention system" that would be triggered when problems first surface.
Rahr has moved ahead with reforms not restrained by the labor contract, such as posting complaint forms and procedures at the sheriff's web site (www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/), stressing accountability within the department, upgrading supervision and training and forming precinct-level citizens advisory committees.
As for the tentative deal with the deputies, a Rahr spokesman said, "We're very happy to have this finally settled," although he noted the union has yet to vote on it.
Deputies' union president Steve Eggert could not be reached for comment.
Under the provisions of the 2006 legislation:
# The oversight office will report directly to the council. Sims will nominate a full-time director, who will serve a four-year term, subject to council approval,
# The office can respond immediately to homicides or other "critical incidents," dispatching observers to the crime scene.
# A panel of 11 citizen volunteers will advise the director on issues of misconduct by deputies and will help inform the public about the office's work. Sims will appoint the members, subject to council confirmation.
# The sheriff and the oversight director will set up a voluntary procedure for mediation of citizen complaints about deputies..
# The county auditor will review the oversight agency and report regularly to the council.
The county has set aside $425,000 in its 2008 budget for an oversight office with a director and three staff members.
The Sheriff's Office polices the unincorporated areas of King County and also provides law enforcement by contract to a dozen suburban cities, the Metro bus system and some other agencies. It employs 1,150 people, including 650 deputies, and functions with an annual budget of $150 million.
The city of Seattle operates its own oversight system for its police department. A civilian director heads the Office of Professional Accountability, which includes a team of police officers who investigate complaints of misconduct. The director forwards the office's findings to the chief, who makes the final decision on discipline.
The system also includes a civilian auditor who reviews investigations for thoroughness and fairness and who looks for trends that might warrant remedial training. In addition, a three-member civilian review board examines a portion of closed misconduct cases and issues public reports on how the department handles internal investigations.
P-I reporter Scott Gutierrez contributed to this story.
P-I REPORTER
King County has reached tentative agreement on a new labor contract with sheriff's deputies that would finally clear the way to establishing civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Office, County Executive Ron Sims said Monday.
But the County Council member who co-sponsored the 2006 legislation creating the oversight framework isn't ready to declare victory.
"It sounds like we're getting there," Councilman Bob Ferguson, D-Seattle, said. "But the devil's in the details."
The Office of Law Enforcement Oversight has not been activated because it would affect disciplinary procedures outlined in the prevailing contract with the deputies, and any changes to those procedures were subject to collective bargaining with the deputies' union.
The tentative deal on oversight differs from the legislation, a Sims spokeswoman said, but she was unable to provide more information before the deputies' union submits the deal to its membership for ratification. Any contract ultimately must be approved by the council as well.
The tentative labor agreement also includes pay raises for deputies in each of its five years, Sims' office said.
The 2006 legislation gives the oversight agency the authority to field complaints from the public about sheriff's deputies, to review Sheriff Sue Rahr's response to the complaints and to make suggestions to her about how to deal with them. Currently, complaints from citizens are handled within the Sheriff's Office.
Establishing civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Office was a key recommendation of the blue-ribbon panel appointed in 2006 by Sims, the council and then-Prosecutor Norm Maleng to investigate how the sheriff responds to citizen complaints. The panel was formed in reaction to "Conduct Unbecoming," a Seattle P-I series that reported on wrongdoing by deputies and lax internal discipline.
Other panel recommendations also have been put on hold pending the contract negotiations, including applying new performance standards and evaluations for deputies and setting up an "early intervention system" that would be triggered when problems first surface.
Rahr has moved ahead with reforms not restrained by the labor contract, such as posting complaint forms and procedures at the sheriff's web site (www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/), stressing accountability within the department, upgrading supervision and training and forming precinct-level citizens advisory committees.
As for the tentative deal with the deputies, a Rahr spokesman said, "We're very happy to have this finally settled," although he noted the union has yet to vote on it.
Deputies' union president Steve Eggert could not be reached for comment.
Under the provisions of the 2006 legislation:
# The oversight office will report directly to the council. Sims will nominate a full-time director, who will serve a four-year term, subject to council approval,
# The office can respond immediately to homicides or other "critical incidents," dispatching observers to the crime scene.
# A panel of 11 citizen volunteers will advise the director on issues of misconduct by deputies and will help inform the public about the office's work. Sims will appoint the members, subject to council confirmation.
# The sheriff and the oversight director will set up a voluntary procedure for mediation of citizen complaints about deputies..
# The county auditor will review the oversight agency and report regularly to the council.
The county has set aside $425,000 in its 2008 budget for an oversight office with a director and three staff members.
The Sheriff's Office polices the unincorporated areas of King County and also provides law enforcement by contract to a dozen suburban cities, the Metro bus system and some other agencies. It employs 1,150 people, including 650 deputies, and functions with an annual budget of $150 million.
The city of Seattle operates its own oversight system for its police department. A civilian director heads the Office of Professional Accountability, which includes a team of police officers who investigate complaints of misconduct. The director forwards the office's findings to the chief, who makes the final decision on discipline.
The system also includes a civilian auditor who reviews investigations for thoroughness and fairness and who looks for trends that might warrant remedial training. In addition, a three-member civilian review board examines a portion of closed misconduct cases and issues public reports on how the department handles internal investigations.
P-I reporter Scott Gutierrez contributed to this story.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Ex-boyfriend wouldn't move out, now he's dead
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
Snohomish County sheriff's detectives have arrested a woman and a man suspected of killing the woman's ex-boyfriend.
Investigators allege the man carried out the slaying with the woman's knowledge.
Both were booked into the Snohomish County Jail early on July 4 for investigation of first-degree murder. Jail records indicate the woman is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
There is not yet any bail set for the male suspect.
The victim, a 49-year-old Sultan man, was found dead on June 26. At the time, sheriff's officials said they were investigating his death as suspicious, but did not release any information about the manner of his death.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office has not released the victim's name saying the release is pending positive identification and further investigation.
Detectives say the victim had broken up with a 46-year-old Sultan woman several months ago, but refused to move out of her home in the 12800 block of 311th Avenue Southeast where the two lived with the woman's mother.
The woman began dating a 30-year-old Gold Bar man, who sometimes stayed over at the home, but still the ex-boyfriend refused to leave.
Early on June 26, the woman called Sultan police and said she arrived home to find her former boyfriend dead in his bed. Sultan police asked the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office to investigate the death.
Sheriff's investigators have said the man died from homicidal violence, but have released no details.
Neither of the two suspects has any apparent criminal record, though the man was the subject of a domestic violence protection order in 2006.
P-I REPORTER
Snohomish County sheriff's detectives have arrested a woman and a man suspected of killing the woman's ex-boyfriend.
Investigators allege the man carried out the slaying with the woman's knowledge.
Both were booked into the Snohomish County Jail early on July 4 for investigation of first-degree murder. Jail records indicate the woman is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
There is not yet any bail set for the male suspect.
The victim, a 49-year-old Sultan man, was found dead on June 26. At the time, sheriff's officials said they were investigating his death as suspicious, but did not release any information about the manner of his death.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office has not released the victim's name saying the release is pending positive identification and further investigation.
Detectives say the victim had broken up with a 46-year-old Sultan woman several months ago, but refused to move out of her home in the 12800 block of 311th Avenue Southeast where the two lived with the woman's mother.
The woman began dating a 30-year-old Gold Bar man, who sometimes stayed over at the home, but still the ex-boyfriend refused to leave.
Early on June 26, the woman called Sultan police and said she arrived home to find her former boyfriend dead in his bed. Sultan police asked the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office to investigate the death.
Sheriff's investigators have said the man died from homicidal violence, but have released no details.
Neither of the two suspects has any apparent criminal record, though the man was the subject of a domestic violence protection order in 2006.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Police looking for man who snatched elderly woman's purse
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
Investigators are looking for help in locating a man who shoved an 86-year-old woman to the ground before making off with her purse earlier this week.
King County sheriff's detectives have very little to go on and only a vague description of the purse snatcher. "Not much to go on," Sgt. John Urquhart said.
The robbery happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday at South 152nd Street and International Boulevard in SeaTac.
The victim had just disembarked from Metro bus 174 when she was confronted by a man who ordered her to give him her purse. When she refused, the man pushed the woman to the ground and ripped her purse away.
The woman lost her purse, her driver's license and her checkbook. She suffered scrapes and bruises to her knees, forearms and head.
She told detectives the man may have been on the bus with her. The victim was traveling from her North Seattle home to visit her 92-year-old sister in SeaTac when she got lost changing buses in downtown and ended up riding the bus later than she had planned.
Urquhart said the woman and her older sister have been victimized before. Just last year, the two lost more than $20,000 in a roofing scam, he aid.
Investigators made an arrest in that case.
Anyone with information about this purse snatching is urged to contact the sheriff's office at 206-296-3311.
P-I REPORTER
Investigators are looking for help in locating a man who shoved an 86-year-old woman to the ground before making off with her purse earlier this week.
King County sheriff's detectives have very little to go on and only a vague description of the purse snatcher. "Not much to go on," Sgt. John Urquhart said.
The robbery happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday at South 152nd Street and International Boulevard in SeaTac.
The victim had just disembarked from Metro bus 174 when she was confronted by a man who ordered her to give him her purse. When she refused, the man pushed the woman to the ground and ripped her purse away.
The woman lost her purse, her driver's license and her checkbook. She suffered scrapes and bruises to her knees, forearms and head.
She told detectives the man may have been on the bus with her. The victim was traveling from her North Seattle home to visit her 92-year-old sister in SeaTac when she got lost changing buses in downtown and ended up riding the bus later than she had planned.
Urquhart said the woman and her older sister have been victimized before. Just last year, the two lost more than $20,000 in a roofing scam, he aid.
Investigators made an arrest in that case.
Anyone with information about this purse snatching is urged to contact the sheriff's office at 206-296-3311.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
24-ounce limit proposed for medical marijuana
Patients authorized to possess or grow marijuana for medical reasons under Washington law would be limited to 24 ounces of harvested marijuana..
By Carol M. Ostrom
Seattle Times health reporter
Patients authorized to possess or grow marijuana for medical reasons under Washington law would be limited to 24 ounces of harvested marijuana, plus six mature plants and 18 immature plants, according to an official draft rule filed by the state Department of Health today.
The filing of the draft rule starts a rule-making process and a public-comment period. A hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 25 in Tumwater, Thurston County.
The draft reduces amounts earlier considered by the health department and revealed in a "talking points" memo used to brief Gov. Christine Gregoire in February. Health-department officials said in the February memo that they planned to recommend 35 ounces of harvested marijuana plus 100 square feet of plant-growing area.
Gregoire's staff told health-department officials the amount appeared to be on the high side, and that law enforcement and medical providers should be consulted. The health department convened an advisory panel that included law-enforcement officials, advocates and a single doctor — a public-health HIV/AIDS expert who does not care for patients directly.
Law-enforcement officials have said their main concern is being able to distinguish legitimate patients from those who are hiding behind the law to grow and sell large amounts of marijuana. They said they consider 3 ounces a reasonable amount for the 60-day supply specified in Washington's law, passed by voters in 1998.
That law allows patients with certain chronic, fatal or debilitating diseases to possess a 60-day supply with a doctor's authorization.
Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com
By Carol M. Ostrom
Seattle Times health reporter
Patients authorized to possess or grow marijuana for medical reasons under Washington law would be limited to 24 ounces of harvested marijuana, plus six mature plants and 18 immature plants, according to an official draft rule filed by the state Department of Health today.
The filing of the draft rule starts a rule-making process and a public-comment period. A hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 25 in Tumwater, Thurston County.
The draft reduces amounts earlier considered by the health department and revealed in a "talking points" memo used to brief Gov. Christine Gregoire in February. Health-department officials said in the February memo that they planned to recommend 35 ounces of harvested marijuana plus 100 square feet of plant-growing area.
Gregoire's staff told health-department officials the amount appeared to be on the high side, and that law enforcement and medical providers should be consulted. The health department convened an advisory panel that included law-enforcement officials, advocates and a single doctor — a public-health HIV/AIDS expert who does not care for patients directly.
Law-enforcement officials have said their main concern is being able to distinguish legitimate patients from those who are hiding behind the law to grow and sell large amounts of marijuana. They said they consider 3 ounces a reasonable amount for the 60-day supply specified in Washington's law, passed by voters in 1998.
That law allows patients with certain chronic, fatal or debilitating diseases to possess a 60-day supply with a doctor's authorization.
Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Bail set in fatal hit-and-run
P-I STAFF
Bail was set at $250,000 Friday for a Tukwila man suspected of running over and killing a pedestrian and leaving the scene of the accident.
The suspect, 29, made his first appearance at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, where he remained in custody. He could face charges of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors have until Monday to make a charging decision, spokesman Dan Donohoe said.
Deputies were called around 11:30 p.m. Thursday after someone reported a body in the road in the 9700 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive, near Boulevard Park. Witnesses said the victim, identified as Albi Mendez-Perez, 22, of Renton, had been struck at least twice by a minivan that sped off, court documents say.
Earlier, the suspect and Mendez-Perez were spotted fighting at nearby Rascal's Casino. They were told to leave and continued fighting in the parking lot. Deputies were called about the fighting but were unable to find either man at the casino.
Security guards recorded the suspect's license plate, which deputies used to track him down after they suspected the victim was one of the two men fighting.
Bail was set at $250,000 Friday for a Tukwila man suspected of running over and killing a pedestrian and leaving the scene of the accident.
The suspect, 29, made his first appearance at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, where he remained in custody. He could face charges of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors have until Monday to make a charging decision, spokesman Dan Donohoe said.
Deputies were called around 11:30 p.m. Thursday after someone reported a body in the road in the 9700 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive, near Boulevard Park. Witnesses said the victim, identified as Albi Mendez-Perez, 22, of Renton, had been struck at least twice by a minivan that sped off, court documents say.
Earlier, the suspect and Mendez-Perez were spotted fighting at nearby Rascal's Casino. They were told to leave and continued fighting in the parking lot. Deputies were called about the fighting but were unable to find either man at the casino.
Security guards recorded the suspect's license plate, which deputies used to track him down after they suspected the victim was one of the two men fighting.
river arrested for DUI in fatal head-on crash
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
A woman involved in a fatal head-on collision Friday night has been arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.
Washington State Patrol trooper Cliff Pratt said the woman suffered a broken ankle in the crash, but was booked into the King County Jail after treatment.
"She didn't even know her ankle was broken," Pratt said.
The collision happened around 10 p.m. on state Route 18 near the Tiger Mountain Summit, the State Patrol reported.
A woman driving a sedan near the summit crossed into the opposing lanes of traffic and collided head-on with a Volkswagen bug, Pratt said.
While the driver of the sedan was easily extricated, the driver of the bug, a 27-year-old woman, and a male passenger in the sedan, were trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters had to cut both victims out of the vehicles.
Both were said to be in critical condition and one later died, but Pratt was unclear which of the victims was deceased.
The highway was closed in both directions for several hours after the collision to allow troopers to investigate.
P-I REPORTER
A woman involved in a fatal head-on collision Friday night has been arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.
Washington State Patrol trooper Cliff Pratt said the woman suffered a broken ankle in the crash, but was booked into the King County Jail after treatment.
"She didn't even know her ankle was broken," Pratt said.
The collision happened around 10 p.m. on state Route 18 near the Tiger Mountain Summit, the State Patrol reported.
A woman driving a sedan near the summit crossed into the opposing lanes of traffic and collided head-on with a Volkswagen bug, Pratt said.
While the driver of the sedan was easily extricated, the driver of the bug, a 27-year-old woman, and a male passenger in the sedan, were trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters had to cut both victims out of the vehicles.
Both were said to be in critical condition and one later died, but Pratt was unclear which of the victims was deceased.
The highway was closed in both directions for several hours after the collision to allow troopers to investigate.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Registered sex offender sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison in child porn case
A registered sex offender from Des Moines was sentenced today to 17 ½ years in prison for possessing hundreds of images of child pornography...
By Noelene Clark
Seattle Times staff reporter
A registered sex offender from Des Moines was sentenced today to 17 ½ years in prison for possessing hundreds of images of child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik sentenced Kenneth Gouin, 49, to near the 20-year maximum for the offense "for the safety of whatever community Mr. Gouin is released into," he said. Gouin's twin brother, Kevin Gouin, was sentenced in 2006 to 37 months in prison for possession of child pornography for the same incident.
The brothers' sister-in-law alerted Des Moines police that her adolescent son had seen child pornography on the computer the brothers shared, according to testimony and court records. Police found hundreds of printed images and numerous CDs and floppy disks containing child pornography.
Kenneth Gouin admitted he had acquired child pornography via the Internet. He told police that he had saved the images on his computer for years, and that he would regularly spend eight hours a day on the computer, according to court papers.
"He has molested children in the past, and his recent criminal conduct using the most graphic of photographs of child sexual molestation for his own sexual gratification fixes him on the very slippery slope leading to a return to actual molestation when the images no longer suffice," prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
Kenneth Gouin, who holds Canadian citizenship, fled to Canada following the search and was extradited in October. He was convicted in a bench trial in U.S. District Court in Seattle in March.
He will likely be deported after he serves his prison sentence in the U.S., according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Kenneth Gouin was previously convicted of molesting children between November 1986 and January 1987. Kevin Gouin held no prior convictions, said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.
Noelene Clark: 206-464-2321 or nclark@seattletimes.com
By Noelene Clark
Seattle Times staff reporter
A registered sex offender from Des Moines was sentenced today to 17 ½ years in prison for possessing hundreds of images of child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik sentenced Kenneth Gouin, 49, to near the 20-year maximum for the offense "for the safety of whatever community Mr. Gouin is released into," he said. Gouin's twin brother, Kevin Gouin, was sentenced in 2006 to 37 months in prison for possession of child pornography for the same incident.
The brothers' sister-in-law alerted Des Moines police that her adolescent son had seen child pornography on the computer the brothers shared, according to testimony and court records. Police found hundreds of printed images and numerous CDs and floppy disks containing child pornography.
Kenneth Gouin admitted he had acquired child pornography via the Internet. He told police that he had saved the images on his computer for years, and that he would regularly spend eight hours a day on the computer, according to court papers.
"He has molested children in the past, and his recent criminal conduct using the most graphic of photographs of child sexual molestation for his own sexual gratification fixes him on the very slippery slope leading to a return to actual molestation when the images no longer suffice," prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
Kenneth Gouin, who holds Canadian citizenship, fled to Canada following the search and was extradited in October. He was convicted in a bench trial in U.S. District Court in Seattle in March.
He will likely be deported after he serves his prison sentence in the U.S., according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Kenneth Gouin was previously convicted of molesting children between November 1986 and January 1987. Kevin Gouin held no prior convictions, said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.
Noelene Clark: 206-464-2321 or nclark@seattletimes.com
Monday, June 23, 2008
Investigators: Court system unwittingly helping ID thieves
By CHRIS INGALLS / KING 5 News
TACOMA, Wash. – Federal prosecutors have charged a man the KING 5 Investigators profiled last year with identity theft.
But that capture may reveal a more serious problem in the Washington state court system.
Curtis Leon Craft is charged with stealing 13 identities and about $120,000. mostly in Pierce County.
"The criminals are in the imagination business. If they can think up a way to commit identity theft. they will and they'll use it," said Social Security agent Joe Belling.
Craft is one of what the feds say is a growing number of identity thieves using legal name changes to commit their crimes.
In one afternoon, with few questions asked, a citizen can get a new name order signed by a judge and then take it to the Department of Licensing for a new identification.
"Not only are you using the courts. you're using the Department of Licensing, so you're getting legitimate agencies to assist you in committing a fraud." said Belling.
Last July. the KING 5 Investigators found more than 20 legal name changes by Craft, who used the new identities to open bank and credit card accounts. At that time, Social Security agents and King County Sheriff's detectives arrested a ring of identity thieves doing the same thing. They wrote bad checks and ran up credit cards until the accounts were closed and then started over again with a brand new court-ordered name change.
After King County courts realized what was happening. they made some changes to try and close the loophole. Pierce County has not made any changes. but a spokesperson says that system does do a background check on the criminal history of those who try to get their names changed.
TACOMA, Wash. – Federal prosecutors have charged a man the KING 5 Investigators profiled last year with identity theft.
But that capture may reveal a more serious problem in the Washington state court system.
Curtis Leon Craft is charged with stealing 13 identities and about $120,000. mostly in Pierce County.
"The criminals are in the imagination business. If they can think up a way to commit identity theft. they will and they'll use it," said Social Security agent Joe Belling.
Craft is one of what the feds say is a growing number of identity thieves using legal name changes to commit their crimes.
In one afternoon, with few questions asked, a citizen can get a new name order signed by a judge and then take it to the Department of Licensing for a new identification.
"Not only are you using the courts. you're using the Department of Licensing, so you're getting legitimate agencies to assist you in committing a fraud." said Belling.
Last July. the KING 5 Investigators found more than 20 legal name changes by Craft, who used the new identities to open bank and credit card accounts. At that time, Social Security agents and King County Sheriff's detectives arrested a ring of identity thieves doing the same thing. They wrote bad checks and ran up credit cards until the accounts were closed and then started over again with a brand new court-ordered name change.
After King County courts realized what was happening. they made some changes to try and close the loophole. Pierce County has not made any changes. but a spokesperson says that system does do a background check on the criminal history of those who try to get their names changed.
Motorist shot dead on I-5 near Tukwila
By GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News
TUKWILA, Wash. - Gunfire on Interstate 5 left an 18-year-old man dead and the shooter at large.
The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m., northbound on I-5 at the Boeing Access Road.
Police say it was no random crime.
"All we know is that the suspect vehicle followed the victim vehicle onto the freeway," said Sgt. Mark Howie. "And as they entered the ramp, the suspect vehicle took several shots at the victim vehicle ahead of him.
The other people in the car then drove the wounded driver to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died.
"I'm not sure if the victim himself was targeted, but the vehicle was targeted. There were several occupants in the vehicle," said Howie.
Police are trying to determine if this is gang related. They still don't have a suspect.
They don't believe there is any connection between the I-5 shooting and another case where shots were fired near the Seattle City limits Saturday night.
"We don't see any connection at this time," said Howie.
Shootings have happened along I-5 before. In 2005, friends on their way out to a late night snack were fired at and the two women in the car were wounded. That was a possible case of road rage.
In 2001, I-5 was shut down shortly after nine in the morning after a convertible carrying two men and a dog was shot at in what police say was a definite case of road range. The men and the dog survived.
But police say in most cases freeway shootings are not random, but are cars that are specifically targeted.
If you were a witness to this crime or have any information, you're asked to call Tukwila Police detectives at 206-431-3891.
TUKWILA, Wash. - Gunfire on Interstate 5 left an 18-year-old man dead and the shooter at large.
The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m., northbound on I-5 at the Boeing Access Road.
Police say it was no random crime.
"All we know is that the suspect vehicle followed the victim vehicle onto the freeway," said Sgt. Mark Howie. "And as they entered the ramp, the suspect vehicle took several shots at the victim vehicle ahead of him.
The other people in the car then drove the wounded driver to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died.
"I'm not sure if the victim himself was targeted, but the vehicle was targeted. There were several occupants in the vehicle," said Howie.
Police are trying to determine if this is gang related. They still don't have a suspect.
They don't believe there is any connection between the I-5 shooting and another case where shots were fired near the Seattle City limits Saturday night.
"We don't see any connection at this time," said Howie.
Shootings have happened along I-5 before. In 2005, friends on their way out to a late night snack were fired at and the two women in the car were wounded. That was a possible case of road rage.
In 2001, I-5 was shut down shortly after nine in the morning after a convertible carrying two men and a dog was shot at in what police say was a definite case of road range. The men and the dog survived.
But police say in most cases freeway shootings are not random, but are cars that are specifically targeted.
If you were a witness to this crime or have any information, you're asked to call Tukwila Police detectives at 206-431-3891.
Man sentenced in Bellevue jewelry robbery
P-I STAFF
U.S. District Judge James Robart sentenced Sergio Santamaria, 38, of Mexico to 70 months in a federal prison Monday for the September 2007 armed robbery of a jewelry courier in the parking lot of a Bellevue McDonald's restaurant.
Santamaria and two confederates followed the courier from a Seattle hotel to the restaurant in the Factoria neighborhood, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The robbers used their van to block the courier's vehicle, pointed what appeared to be a gun at him and ordered him to turn over his wallet and keys. Then they smashed a back window and stole a pack containing about $221,000 in jewelry. All three robbers were captured after a police chase that ended off Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Brown told the court in a sentencing memo that agents had been conducting surveillance on Santamaria and others who had traveled to the Seattle area from California with the intent to commit jewelry robberies.
U.S. District Judge James Robart sentenced Sergio Santamaria, 38, of Mexico to 70 months in a federal prison Monday for the September 2007 armed robbery of a jewelry courier in the parking lot of a Bellevue McDonald's restaurant.
Santamaria and two confederates followed the courier from a Seattle hotel to the restaurant in the Factoria neighborhood, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The robbers used their van to block the courier's vehicle, pointed what appeared to be a gun at him and ordered him to turn over his wallet and keys. Then they smashed a back window and stole a pack containing about $221,000 in jewelry. All three robbers were captured after a police chase that ended off Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Brown told the court in a sentencing memo that agents had been conducting surveillance on Santamaria and others who had traveled to the Seattle area from California with the intent to commit jewelry robberies.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Three dead in separate weekend shootings
Two homicides occurred in King County, one in Pierce
By BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTER
Two men died from fatal shootings over the weekend in King and Pierce counties, making a total of three gun-related homicides in the area since Friday evening.
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday morning on Interstate 5 near the Boeing Access Road, Tukwila police reported. The shooting occurred about 2:30 a.m. as the man was driving northbound with friends, who were not injured.
His friends rushed him to Harborview Medical Center, where he died, police spokesman Mike Murphy said. Early Sunday, detectives did not have a description of the suspect or the person's vehicle.
In Pierce County on Saturday evening, sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic violence shooting in which they believe an 81-year-old father shot his 58-year-old son.
Deputies arrested the father and said there was a verbal and physical fight between the two men, Detective Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said. They believe one shot was fired.
The shooting occurred in the 22300 block of 30th Avenue East, near Fort Lewis.
In the Friday night incident, a 21-year-old man killed at a party in SeaTac has been identified as Brandon Wilkins, the King County Medical Examiner's Office said Sunday.
A spokesman said Wilkins' death has been ruled a homicide and that he died from a gunshot wound to his head.
King County sheriff's deputies were called at 9:30 p.m. to a home in north SeaTac, said Sgt. John Urquhart, an office spokesman. The man was dead when they arrived. Urquhart said deputies initially were investigating the shooting as accidental.
He said the shooter fled the house.
By BRAD WONG
P-I REPORTER
Two men died from fatal shootings over the weekend in King and Pierce counties, making a total of three gun-related homicides in the area since Friday evening.
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday morning on Interstate 5 near the Boeing Access Road, Tukwila police reported. The shooting occurred about 2:30 a.m. as the man was driving northbound with friends, who were not injured.
His friends rushed him to Harborview Medical Center, where he died, police spokesman Mike Murphy said. Early Sunday, detectives did not have a description of the suspect or the person's vehicle.
In Pierce County on Saturday evening, sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic violence shooting in which they believe an 81-year-old father shot his 58-year-old son.
Deputies arrested the father and said there was a verbal and physical fight between the two men, Detective Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said. They believe one shot was fired.
The shooting occurred in the 22300 block of 30th Avenue East, near Fort Lewis.
In the Friday night incident, a 21-year-old man killed at a party in SeaTac has been identified as Brandon Wilkins, the King County Medical Examiner's Office said Sunday.
A spokesman said Wilkins' death has been ruled a homicide and that he died from a gunshot wound to his head.
King County sheriff's deputies were called at 9:30 p.m. to a home in north SeaTac, said Sgt. John Urquhart, an office spokesman. The man was dead when they arrived. Urquhart said deputies initially were investigating the shooting as accidental.
He said the shooter fled the house.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
$100,000 bail for man who pretended he was a cop
Bail was set at $100,000 for a Vancouver, Wash., man charged with assaulting his prostitute girlfriend's client and claiming he was a cop...
By Kristin M. Kraemer
Tri-City Herald
Bail was set at $100,000 for a Vancouver, Wash., man charged with assaulting his prostitute girlfriend's client and claiming he was a cop when he tried to handcuff the man.
Jason Scott Williams, 35, pleaded innocent in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery, first-degree criminal impersonation and second-degree promoting prostitution.
Williams is scheduled for trial Aug. 4.
It all started June 11 when a 67-year-old Irrigon man had a late-night rendezvous at the Clover Island Inn with a woman he contacted through an ad she posted on Craigslist. Williams reportedly was staying in the hotel room with his girlfriend, Julie Proper, but he was not there at the time.
After the Irrigon, Ore., man and the prostitute "finished their transaction," the man left the hotel only to run in to Williams outside, court documents said.
Williams "identified himself as a police officer and attempted to handcuff" the man, documents said.
The client resisted, but Williams eventually got him in cuffs, forced him into the man's car and took off driving, court documents said. "Fearing for his life, [the man] jumped out of the car as it was moving," Deputy Prosecutor Scott Johnson wrote in court documents.
The man eventually was flown to a Portland hospital with numerous injuries, including broken bones in his face and road rash.
The prostitute reportedly told police that her boyfriend likely became jealous and assaulted her client.
Williams allegedly helped his girlfriend run an Internet prostitution business.
By Kristin M. Kraemer
Tri-City Herald
Bail was set at $100,000 for a Vancouver, Wash., man charged with assaulting his prostitute girlfriend's client and claiming he was a cop when he tried to handcuff the man.
Jason Scott Williams, 35, pleaded innocent in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery, first-degree criminal impersonation and second-degree promoting prostitution.
Williams is scheduled for trial Aug. 4.
It all started June 11 when a 67-year-old Irrigon man had a late-night rendezvous at the Clover Island Inn with a woman he contacted through an ad she posted on Craigslist. Williams reportedly was staying in the hotel room with his girlfriend, Julie Proper, but he was not there at the time.
After the Irrigon, Ore., man and the prostitute "finished their transaction," the man left the hotel only to run in to Williams outside, court documents said.
Williams "identified himself as a police officer and attempted to handcuff" the man, documents said.
The client resisted, but Williams eventually got him in cuffs, forced him into the man's car and took off driving, court documents said. "Fearing for his life, [the man] jumped out of the car as it was moving," Deputy Prosecutor Scott Johnson wrote in court documents.
The man eventually was flown to a Portland hospital with numerous injuries, including broken bones in his face and road rash.
The prostitute reportedly told police that her boyfriend likely became jealous and assaulted her client.
Williams allegedly helped his girlfriend run an Internet prostitution business.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Seattle police are investigating a string of rapes in the SoDo neighborhood, including two this morning.
Seattle police are investigating a string of rapes in the SoDo neighborhood, including two this morning.
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are investigating four sexual assaults in and around the SoDo neighborhood, including two this morning.
Officers are increasing patrols in SoDo and the densely wooded area at the base of Beacon Hill, known as "The Jungle," said police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb.
"We will be proactively searching for additional witnesses and any new victims who have not reported similar crimes," Whitcomb said..
Police said it appears that at least two men are responsible for the assaults.
Officers arrested a 42-year-old man this morning in connection with a 4:35 a.m. rape. He's also suspected in another attack today at 1:48 a.m., Whitcomb said.
But police do not think he is linked to the first two reported assaults.
The first rape occurred on June 8 in the 7000 block South Spokane Street. In that incident the victim was homeless, Whitcomb said.
Police received a report of an attempted rape on June 10 in the 3200 block of 3rd Avenue South. That victim also was homeless.
This morning's attacks occurred in the 1100 block of 14th Avenue South and 1700 block of Occidental Avenue South. Both victims told police they are not homeless, Whitcomb said.
Investigators with department's Sexual Assault Unit are investigating.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are investigating four sexual assaults in and around the SoDo neighborhood, including two this morning.
Officers are increasing patrols in SoDo and the densely wooded area at the base of Beacon Hill, known as "The Jungle," said police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb.
"We will be proactively searching for additional witnesses and any new victims who have not reported similar crimes," Whitcomb said..
Police said it appears that at least two men are responsible for the assaults.
Officers arrested a 42-year-old man this morning in connection with a 4:35 a.m. rape. He's also suspected in another attack today at 1:48 a.m., Whitcomb said.
But police do not think he is linked to the first two reported assaults.
The first rape occurred on June 8 in the 7000 block South Spokane Street. In that incident the victim was homeless, Whitcomb said.
Police received a report of an attempted rape on June 10 in the 3200 block of 3rd Avenue South. That victim also was homeless.
This morning's attacks occurred in the 1100 block of 14th Avenue South and 1700 block of Occidental Avenue South. Both victims told police they are not homeless, Whitcomb said.
Investigators with department's Sexual Assault Unit are investigating.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Former WA state employee pleads guilty to drug dealing
A former manager for the state Department of Labor and Industries faces more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to selling prescription drugs to a 16-year-old girl.
OLYMPIA, Wash. —
A former manager for the state Department of Labor and Industries faces more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to selling prescription drugs to a 16-year-old girl.
The 41-year-old man, James Loren Sanford, had enlisted his daughter's friend in a scheme to sell his pain medication at school and split the profit.
That girl's father blames Sanford for getting her hooked on OxyContin. She's now in rehab.
Sanford made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Tuesday in Olympia to five counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 18 and to one count of involving a person under 18 in an unlawful controlled substance transaction.
He was fired in March.
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Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com
OLYMPIA, Wash. —
A former manager for the state Department of Labor and Industries faces more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to selling prescription drugs to a 16-year-old girl.
The 41-year-old man, James Loren Sanford, had enlisted his daughter's friend in a scheme to sell his pain medication at school and split the profit.
That girl's father blames Sanford for getting her hooked on OxyContin. She's now in rehab.
Sanford made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Tuesday in Olympia to five counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 18 and to one count of involving a person under 18 in an unlawful controlled substance transaction.
He was fired in March.
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Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Plea agreement in beating of grandfather in Wapato
A man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter in the beating of his grandfather near Wapato 11 1/2 years ago.
YAKIMA, Wash. —
A man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter in the beating of his grandfather near Wapato 11 1/2 years ago.
The plea agreement in the case of 31-year-old Gary Riggs was filed last week. He originally was charged with second-degree murder in the beating of 74-year-old Paul Lopez, a retired irrigation worker. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Yakima because both men were members of the Yakama Indian Nation.
Lopez died at his home outside Wapato of a torn liver after being badly beaten in January 1997. Investigators say the beating followed a bar-hopping celebration in honor of Riggs' 21st birthday.
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Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakima-herald.com
YAKIMA, Wash. —
A man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter in the beating of his grandfather near Wapato 11 1/2 years ago.
The plea agreement in the case of 31-year-old Gary Riggs was filed last week. He originally was charged with second-degree murder in the beating of 74-year-old Paul Lopez, a retired irrigation worker. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Yakima because both men were members of the Yakama Indian Nation.
Lopez died at his home outside Wapato of a torn liver after being badly beaten in January 1997. Investigators say the beating followed a bar-hopping celebration in honor of Riggs' 21st birthday.
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Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakima-herald.com
Man crashes into police gate, asks to be jailed
Authorities say a man drove into a security gate at the Moses Lake police parking lot, then asked to be jailed.
MOSES LAKE, Wash. —
Authorities say a man drove into a security gate at the Moses Lake police parking lot, then asked to be jailed.
Officers in the building heard the crash, went outside and saw 54-year-old Allen J. Pavese of Moses Lake backing away in a 1977 Chevrolet pickup truck.
Only the gate was damaged.
Pavese was arrested for investigation of first-degree malicious mischief, driving under the influence of alcohol and hit-and-run with property damage.
Capt. Dave Ruffin told the Columbia Basin Herald, "He wanted to go to jail. He said he did it on purpose."`
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Information from: Columbia Basin Herald, http://www.columbiabasinherald.com
MOSES LAKE, Wash. —
Authorities say a man drove into a security gate at the Moses Lake police parking lot, then asked to be jailed.
Officers in the building heard the crash, went outside and saw 54-year-old Allen J. Pavese of Moses Lake backing away in a 1977 Chevrolet pickup truck.
Only the gate was damaged.
Pavese was arrested for investigation of first-degree malicious mischief, driving under the influence of alcohol and hit-and-run with property damage.
Capt. Dave Ruffin told the Columbia Basin Herald, "He wanted to go to jail. He said he did it on purpose."`
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Information from: Columbia Basin Herald, http://www.columbiabasinherald.com
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Woman gets 14 years for torturing grandson
By MIMI JUNG / KING 5 News
TACOMA, Wash. – A Puyallup woman continues to deny she ever laid a hand on her grandson, even at her sentencing Friday for torturing the child.
Loni Venegas was found guilty of abusing the boy, who is now 13-years old.
"I realize that, like, how I was treated there wasn't really how normal kids are treated," said the boy, who KING 5 News is not identifying.
The boy moved in with his grandparents after his mother died in a car accident, only to endure years of abuse at the hands of Venegas.
"The tragedy didn't end there because he was placed into a family where he suffered horrific and unimaginable abuse that is detailed throughout this trial," said –
The boy testified Venegas punched him, choked him and used forks to hurt him. The case was made more egregious because the Department of Social and Health Services admitted it didn't investigate claims of abuse.
At her sentencing, Venegas' loved ones asked for leniency.
"And I don't understand what's happening right now because she did nothing wrong to anyone. She's a wonderful mother," said Jasmine Venegas, Loni's daughter.
Venegas herself claimed her innocence.
"I did nothing wrong and I love him like my own, she said.
But the judge ended up giving her the maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The boy's grandfather, Remil Venegas, is also charged in the case and is scheduled to go on trial next week.
TACOMA, Wash. – A Puyallup woman continues to deny she ever laid a hand on her grandson, even at her sentencing Friday for torturing the child.
Loni Venegas was found guilty of abusing the boy, who is now 13-years old.
"I realize that, like, how I was treated there wasn't really how normal kids are treated," said the boy, who KING 5 News is not identifying.
The boy moved in with his grandparents after his mother died in a car accident, only to endure years of abuse at the hands of Venegas.
"The tragedy didn't end there because he was placed into a family where he suffered horrific and unimaginable abuse that is detailed throughout this trial," said –
The boy testified Venegas punched him, choked him and used forks to hurt him. The case was made more egregious because the Department of Social and Health Services admitted it didn't investigate claims of abuse.
At her sentencing, Venegas' loved ones asked for leniency.
"And I don't understand what's happening right now because she did nothing wrong to anyone. She's a wonderful mother," said Jasmine Venegas, Loni's daughter.
Venegas herself claimed her innocence.
"I did nothing wrong and I love him like my own, she said.
But the judge ended up giving her the maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The boy's grandfather, Remil Venegas, is also charged in the case and is scheduled to go on trial next week.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Suspected auto thief aims rifle at trooper
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
A state trooper took evasive action when a man in an SUV he was attempting to stop pointed a rifle at him at a Federal Way parking lot early Thursday.
The trooper was not hurt and no shots were fired, but the patrol car was briefly disabled by a flat tire, and the SUV sped off, Washington State Patrol Trooper Curt Boyle said.
State troopers, King County sheriff's deputies and Federal Way police later found the vehicle at an apartment complex, along with the rifle and some clothing. The two men who had been in the SUV got away.
The exchange happened at 12:30 a.m. in a shopping complex parking lot at South 312th Street and state Route 99.
The trooper was attempting to stop a red Ford Explorer, which was slowly driving through the lot, and could see the driver and passenger exchanging seats, Boyle said.
As the trooper pulled alongside the Explorer, the man now in the passenger seat pointed a rifle at the trooper. The trooper swerved out of the way, and that's when he hit a curb, flattening a tire.
The SUV sped off.
Officers found the vehicle, which turned out to be stolen, at the Tree Point Apartments near 18th Avenue South and South 308th Court. A K9 unit tracked down the rifle, hidden in some bushes, and two caps.
P-I REPORTER
A state trooper took evasive action when a man in an SUV he was attempting to stop pointed a rifle at him at a Federal Way parking lot early Thursday.
The trooper was not hurt and no shots were fired, but the patrol car was briefly disabled by a flat tire, and the SUV sped off, Washington State Patrol Trooper Curt Boyle said.
State troopers, King County sheriff's deputies and Federal Way police later found the vehicle at an apartment complex, along with the rifle and some clothing. The two men who had been in the SUV got away.
The exchange happened at 12:30 a.m. in a shopping complex parking lot at South 312th Street and state Route 99.
The trooper was attempting to stop a red Ford Explorer, which was slowly driving through the lot, and could see the driver and passenger exchanging seats, Boyle said.
As the trooper pulled alongside the Explorer, the man now in the passenger seat pointed a rifle at the trooper. The trooper swerved out of the way, and that's when he hit a curb, flattening a tire.
The SUV sped off.
Officers found the vehicle, which turned out to be stolen, at the Tree Point Apartments near 18th Avenue South and South 308th Court. A K9 unit tracked down the rifle, hidden in some bushes, and two caps.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Bainbridge vandals slash tires, spray-paint cop cars
By DEBORAH FELDMAN / KING 5 News
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. – High school seniors are suspected of vandalizing eight police cars early Wednesday morning on Bainbridge Island.
Vandals slashed a dozen police tires, splashed paint, and keyed the doors of squad cars -- destruction estimated at about $12,000.
The vandalism occurred sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. while most of the cars were parked at the police station.
Among the damaged vehicles are several new cars not even in service yet. In addition, the chief's car was vandalized in front of his home.
"Well its not the first time there's been damage to police cars, but I think it's the first there's been anything of this magnitude," said Deputy Chief Mark Duncan.
But the culprits left behind several clues, including shoe imprints in the paint and their class year of 2008 painted all over the place.
During their lunch hour Wednesday, carloads of high school seniors drove by to gawk at the damage.
"This is not a class prank," said Ian Powell, senior class president. "I think this reflects individuals, not our entire school or grade. I think this went way too far if this was trying to be a prank."
The school superintendent says since it was likely the work of just a few people, there are no plans to penalize the whole class.
Some residents say there may be tension because police have been cracking down on a long held tradition of Bainbridge seniors painting their graduating year on streets and intersections.
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. – High school seniors are suspected of vandalizing eight police cars early Wednesday morning on Bainbridge Island.
Vandals slashed a dozen police tires, splashed paint, and keyed the doors of squad cars -- destruction estimated at about $12,000.
The vandalism occurred sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. while most of the cars were parked at the police station.
Among the damaged vehicles are several new cars not even in service yet. In addition, the chief's car was vandalized in front of his home.
"Well its not the first time there's been damage to police cars, but I think it's the first there's been anything of this magnitude," said Deputy Chief Mark Duncan.
But the culprits left behind several clues, including shoe imprints in the paint and their class year of 2008 painted all over the place.
During their lunch hour Wednesday, carloads of high school seniors drove by to gawk at the damage.
"This is not a class prank," said Ian Powell, senior class president. "I think this reflects individuals, not our entire school or grade. I think this went way too far if this was trying to be a prank."
The school superintendent says since it was likely the work of just a few people, there are no plans to penalize the whole class.
Some residents say there may be tension because police have been cracking down on a long held tradition of Bainbridge seniors painting their graduating year on streets and intersections.
Boys accused in Lynden fire appear in cour
By ROB PIERCY and KING5.com Staff
LYNDEN, Wash. – Just two days after flames devoured a historic Lynden building, the two boys accused of starting the fire walked into court to face a judge.
Prosecutors say on Monday, one of the boys was celebrating his 14th birthday. He and his 13-year old friend went to the Delft Square Mall to smoke marijuana.
Up on the third floor they set fire to some papers in a frying pan, then set fire to a box and a shirt.
At that point, the fire got out of control. According to court papers, the boys tried to stomp it out, then tried using a fire extinguisher. When that failed, they left the building.
The two boys apparently talked with classmates about the fire, the classmates then told school security, who told police.
Court papers say one boy admitted involvement in the fire.
The fire destroyed the nearly block-long building, which has stood for 100 years.
In town on Wednesday, people were still talking about the fire and the loss.
"If it would have been during the night, we could have lost the whole downtown core," said Joel Kok.
"It's definitely sad," said Lean Hill. "There's a lot of people that are going to be struggling for a long time just because of one mistake."
The owner of an antique shop destroyed by the fire said his collection spanned 40 years, less than a quarter of it is insured and he doesn't know what he might be able to salvage.
"Everybody shopped in that store, everybody went there for everything they needed before the big malls came in," said Carol Preson, who owns a shop next door.
Smoke and water damage will keep her closed until July.
Like so many, she can't believe a piece of town history was lost to what one of the boys described to police as "messing around."
"I hope it teaches them a hard lesson, this is just not the thing they need to be doing," said Preston.
Bail was set at $1,500 for both teens. They will be arraigned next week on charges of first degree arson and first degree burglary.
LYNDEN, Wash. – Just two days after flames devoured a historic Lynden building, the two boys accused of starting the fire walked into court to face a judge.
Prosecutors say on Monday, one of the boys was celebrating his 14th birthday. He and his 13-year old friend went to the Delft Square Mall to smoke marijuana.
Up on the third floor they set fire to some papers in a frying pan, then set fire to a box and a shirt.
At that point, the fire got out of control. According to court papers, the boys tried to stomp it out, then tried using a fire extinguisher. When that failed, they left the building.
The two boys apparently talked with classmates about the fire, the classmates then told school security, who told police.
Court papers say one boy admitted involvement in the fire.
The fire destroyed the nearly block-long building, which has stood for 100 years.
In town on Wednesday, people were still talking about the fire and the loss.
"If it would have been during the night, we could have lost the whole downtown core," said Joel Kok.
"It's definitely sad," said Lean Hill. "There's a lot of people that are going to be struggling for a long time just because of one mistake."
The owner of an antique shop destroyed by the fire said his collection spanned 40 years, less than a quarter of it is insured and he doesn't know what he might be able to salvage.
"Everybody shopped in that store, everybody went there for everything they needed before the big malls came in," said Carol Preson, who owns a shop next door.
Smoke and water damage will keep her closed until July.
Like so many, she can't believe a piece of town history was lost to what one of the boys described to police as "messing around."
"I hope it teaches them a hard lesson, this is just not the thing they need to be doing," said Preston.
Bail was set at $1,500 for both teens. They will be arraigned next week on charges of first degree arson and first degree burglary.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Jail staff raising the alarm on proposed budget cuts
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
The King County Corrections Guild is taking to the air to fight proposed budget cuts that would affect county jail facilities.
Beginning Monday, 60-second radio ads paid for by the guild began to play on several Seattle-area stations, urging listeners to contact the King County Council and Executive Ron Sims to oppose cuts that are being made to balance a budget shortfall. The county is facing a $68 million deficit.
Sims is proposing $33.3 million in cuts to criminal justice agencies alone, including the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. Under the proposal, staff will likely be trimmed from Jail Health Services and alternative detention programs will be reduced.
The cuts could also force the King County Sheriff's Office to lay off 75 deputies and reduce the number of property crimes prosecuted in the courts. Sims must have a budget proposal ready for the County Council by this fall.
P-I REPORTER
The King County Corrections Guild is taking to the air to fight proposed budget cuts that would affect county jail facilities.
Beginning Monday, 60-second radio ads paid for by the guild began to play on several Seattle-area stations, urging listeners to contact the King County Council and Executive Ron Sims to oppose cuts that are being made to balance a budget shortfall. The county is facing a $68 million deficit.
Sims is proposing $33.3 million in cuts to criminal justice agencies alone, including the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. Under the proposal, staff will likely be trimmed from Jail Health Services and alternative detention programs will be reduced.
The cuts could also force the King County Sheriff's Office to lay off 75 deputies and reduce the number of property crimes prosecuted in the courts. Sims must have a budget proposal ready for the County Council by this fall.
Othello WA man dead after being hit by deputy's car
OTHELLO, Wash. —
The State Patrol is investigating the death of an Othello man who apparently fell or jumped from a car he was a passenger in and was hit by an Adams County sheriff's deputy.
Leonel Maldonado Gonzalez was killed on Saturday night.
The Sheriff's Office reports deputy Kurt Berry was following two vehicles when the vehicle in front of him swerved sharply to the left into the lane of an oncoming vehicle.
It says the deputy then saw something dark in his lane and could not avoid hitting it.
When the 24-year-old Berry stopped, he discovered it was a person.
Paramedics were called, but the 33-year-old Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers were asked to investigate the accident.
After talking with several witnesses, investigators believe Gonzalez fell or jumped from a car.
The Adams County Coroner's Office is planning an autopsy.
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Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com
The State Patrol is investigating the death of an Othello man who apparently fell or jumped from a car he was a passenger in and was hit by an Adams County sheriff's deputy.
Leonel Maldonado Gonzalez was killed on Saturday night.
The Sheriff's Office reports deputy Kurt Berry was following two vehicles when the vehicle in front of him swerved sharply to the left into the lane of an oncoming vehicle.
It says the deputy then saw something dark in his lane and could not avoid hitting it.
When the 24-year-old Berry stopped, he discovered it was a person.
Paramedics were called, but the 33-year-old Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers were asked to investigate the accident.
After talking with several witnesses, investigators believe Gonzalez fell or jumped from a car.
The Adams County Coroner's Office is planning an autopsy.
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Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Noise complaint leads to police shooting
P-I STAFF
A Redmond police officer shot and wounded a man armed with a knife early Saturday.
The shooting happened at 12:41 a.m. in the 8200 block of 149th Way Northeast, Redmond police reported.
The officer, 27, was responding to a noise complaint at the residence. He arrived to find that there had been a fight and that at least one of the men involved had a knife. The officer tried to arrest the knife-wielding man, and shot him when that man allegedly threatened him with the weapon.
Redmond police did not report how many times the man was shot, nor where he was hit. He was treated at the scene before being taken to a local hospital. His condition was unavailable.
The man who was shot is a 27-year-old Redmond man.
The officer, who has been with Redmond police for two years, was placed on paid leave while the shooting is reviewed. Redmond police have asked the King County Sheriff's Office to investigate.
A Redmond police officer shot and wounded a man armed with a knife early Saturday.
The shooting happened at 12:41 a.m. in the 8200 block of 149th Way Northeast, Redmond police reported.
The officer, 27, was responding to a noise complaint at the residence. He arrived to find that there had been a fight and that at least one of the men involved had a knife. The officer tried to arrest the knife-wielding man, and shot him when that man allegedly threatened him with the weapon.
Redmond police did not report how many times the man was shot, nor where he was hit. He was treated at the scene before being taken to a local hospital. His condition was unavailable.
The man who was shot is a 27-year-old Redmond man.
The officer, who has been with Redmond police for two years, was placed on paid leave while the shooting is reviewed. Redmond police have asked the King County Sheriff's Office to investigate.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Woman shot, man stabbed outside SeaTac bar
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
SEATAC -- Two people were hurt in a melee outside a sports bar early Saturday, though investigators are still trying to determine what happened.
King County sheriff's deputies were called to the bar in the 16300 block of International Boulevard around 2 a.m. after witnesses reported hearing gunshots, Sgt. John Urquhart said.
Deputies arrived and found a woman who had been shot and a man who had been stabbed. Neither of the injuries was considered life-threatening, Urquhart said.
The two victims were unable to provide deputies with any description of the assailants, nor much detail about what led to their injuries.
The case remains under investigation.
P-I REPORTER
SEATAC -- Two people were hurt in a melee outside a sports bar early Saturday, though investigators are still trying to determine what happened.
King County sheriff's deputies were called to the bar in the 16300 block of International Boulevard around 2 a.m. after witnesses reported hearing gunshots, Sgt. John Urquhart said.
Deputies arrived and found a woman who had been shot and a man who had been stabbed. Neither of the injuries was considered life-threatening, Urquhart said.
The two victims were unable to provide deputies with any description of the assailants, nor much detail about what led to their injuries.
The case remains under investigation.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Driver charged with vehicular homicide
P-I STAFF
A 26-year-old Redmond man was legally drunk when his vehicle struck a motorcycle on state Route 202 on Monday, killing its rider, King County prosecutors said.
Prosecutors charged Kyle Dalan on Thursday with vehicular homicide. They said he only recently had his driver's license reinstated, on a probationary basis, after a 2006 drunken driving conviction.
Dalan's Geo Tracker drifted across the center line near Fall City on Monday afternoon, crashing into Mark Stolle's motorcycle. Investigators say the 74-year-old Samammish man, who tried to get out of the vehicle's path, died within minutes.
Dalan told police he'd been trying to adjust furniture he was transporting and didn't realize his vehicle had crossed into oncoming traffic, according to court documents.
Dalan remained in the King County Jail Thursday on $250,000 bail.
A 26-year-old Redmond man was legally drunk when his vehicle struck a motorcycle on state Route 202 on Monday, killing its rider, King County prosecutors said.
Prosecutors charged Kyle Dalan on Thursday with vehicular homicide. They said he only recently had his driver's license reinstated, on a probationary basis, after a 2006 drunken driving conviction.
Dalan's Geo Tracker drifted across the center line near Fall City on Monday afternoon, crashing into Mark Stolle's motorcycle. Investigators say the 74-year-old Samammish man, who tried to get out of the vehicle's path, died within minutes.
Dalan told police he'd been trying to adjust furniture he was transporting and didn't realize his vehicle had crossed into oncoming traffic, according to court documents.
Dalan remained in the King County Jail Thursday on $250,000 bail.
Police nab suspected carjackers
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
Seattle police nabbed three young men suspected of taking part in an early morning carjacking.
The victim called 911 around 1:20 a.m. to report that his 1995 Honda Accord had been taken from him at gunpoint in the 7500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.
Officers responding to the area soon spotted the stolen vehicle driving north on Interstate 5, and stopped the vehicle near the Spokane Street exit.
Police took three men in their 20s into custody.
Spokesman Jeff Kappel said the incident remains under investigation.
P-I REPORTER
Seattle police nabbed three young men suspected of taking part in an early morning carjacking.
The victim called 911 around 1:20 a.m. to report that his 1995 Honda Accord had been taken from him at gunpoint in the 7500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.
Officers responding to the area soon spotted the stolen vehicle driving north on Interstate 5, and stopped the vehicle near the Spokane Street exit.
Police took three men in their 20s into custody.
Spokesman Jeff Kappel said the incident remains under investigation.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Woman suffers minor injury in drive-by shooting
By Seattle Times staff
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting early this morning in South Seattle that left one woman injured.
At 3:39 a.m., a 911 call came in reporting that shots had been fired near 32nd Avenue South and South Atlantic Street, said police department spokesman Jeff Kappel.
It appears that two groups of people, in two separate cars, were arguing, he said. As the exchange grew more heated, someone from one car fired shots at the other vehicle three times.
The car that was hit sped off to a nearby residence and someone — it's not clear who — called 911, Kappel said. After officers arrived, they found the woman in the car had suffered a minor injury to her back. It's unclear if the injury was caused by a bullet or glass shrapnel, Kappel said.
Police have no description of the other car or the people inside it. Gang unit detectives are "actively investigating," Kappel said.
By Seattle Times staff
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting early this morning in South Seattle that left one woman injured.
At 3:39 a.m., a 911 call came in reporting that shots had been fired near 32nd Avenue South and South Atlantic Street, said police department spokesman Jeff Kappel.
It appears that two groups of people, in two separate cars, were arguing, he said. As the exchange grew more heated, someone from one car fired shots at the other vehicle three times.
The car that was hit sped off to a nearby residence and someone — it's not clear who — called 911, Kappel said. After officers arrived, they found the woman in the car had suffered a minor injury to her back. It's unclear if the injury was caused by a bullet or glass shrapnel, Kappel said.
Police have no description of the other car or the people inside it. Gang unit detectives are "actively investigating," Kappel said.
By Seattle Times staff
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Seattle man sentenced to 20 years for officer's slaying
By Natalie Singer
Seattle Times staff reporter
A 31-year-old Seattle man was sentenced to 20 years in prison this morning for the 1994 slaying of Seattle police Officer Antonio Terry. Quentin Ervin was serving time for a second-degree-murder conviction in Terry's slaying when the case was refiled as aggravated first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after King County prosecutors last year were given a green light to pursue the more serious charges by a state Supreme Court decision.
Ervin last week pleaded guilty to the first-degree-murder charge, and in exchange prosecutors reduced the charge from aggravated murder and dropped an attempted-murder charge.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O'Toole said his office would seek a 20-year sentence.
On June 4, 1994, Terry stopped to help Ervin and his friend Eric Smiley, whose vehicle had broken down on an Interstate 5 offramp. Terry was in plainclothes when he was fatally shot with a bullet prosecutors said came from a gun fired either by Ervin or Smiley.
"To this day we don't know who fired the fatal shot," O'Toole said after Ervin pleaded guilty.
Smiley was convicted of first-degree murder in 1997 and was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Ervin originally faced three separate charges: aggravated first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and second-degree felony murder — based on the commission of an assault during the crime.
A jury was required to deliberate each charge individually. According to the jurors' instructions, if they couldn't agree or found Ervin not guilty on one charge, they were to move on to the next, less serious charge. If they reached a guilty verdict for any charge, they were to stop.
Unable to come to a verdict on aggravated first-degree murder and then on the attempted first-degree-murder charge after five weeks of deliberation, jurors convicted Ervin in 1996 of second-degree felony murder.
But in 2002, a Supreme Court ruling known as the Andress decision nullified Ervin's conviction by throwing out the law that covered the felony-murder crime. In Andress, the justices said that an assault leading to an unintended death cannot be a murder but instead must be prosecuted as manslaughter.
The state decided to retry him on the first two charges — aggravated first-degree and attempted first-degree murder.
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report
Seattle Times staff reporter
A 31-year-old Seattle man was sentenced to 20 years in prison this morning for the 1994 slaying of Seattle police Officer Antonio Terry. Quentin Ervin was serving time for a second-degree-murder conviction in Terry's slaying when the case was refiled as aggravated first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after King County prosecutors last year were given a green light to pursue the more serious charges by a state Supreme Court decision.
Ervin last week pleaded guilty to the first-degree-murder charge, and in exchange prosecutors reduced the charge from aggravated murder and dropped an attempted-murder charge.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O'Toole said his office would seek a 20-year sentence.
On June 4, 1994, Terry stopped to help Ervin and his friend Eric Smiley, whose vehicle had broken down on an Interstate 5 offramp. Terry was in plainclothes when he was fatally shot with a bullet prosecutors said came from a gun fired either by Ervin or Smiley.
"To this day we don't know who fired the fatal shot," O'Toole said after Ervin pleaded guilty.
Smiley was convicted of first-degree murder in 1997 and was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Ervin originally faced three separate charges: aggravated first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and second-degree felony murder — based on the commission of an assault during the crime.
A jury was required to deliberate each charge individually. According to the jurors' instructions, if they couldn't agree or found Ervin not guilty on one charge, they were to move on to the next, less serious charge. If they reached a guilty verdict for any charge, they were to stop.
Unable to come to a verdict on aggravated first-degree murder and then on the attempted first-degree-murder charge after five weeks of deliberation, jurors convicted Ervin in 1996 of second-degree felony murder.
But in 2002, a Supreme Court ruling known as the Andress decision nullified Ervin's conviction by throwing out the law that covered the felony-murder crime. In Andress, the justices said that an assault leading to an unintended death cannot be a murder but instead must be prosecuted as manslaughter.
The state decided to retry him on the first two charges — aggravated first-degree and attempted first-degree murder.
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Two shot at Folklife Festival
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
Seattle police are investigating a shooting that happened early Saturday evening at the Seattle Center during Northwest Folklife Festival activities.
Police reported that around 6:40 p.m. a man and woman were shot near the center's fountain, though neither person suffered life-threatening injuries.
A suspected gunman was taken into custody and a firearm recovered, police reported.
P-I REPORTER
Seattle police are investigating a shooting that happened early Saturday evening at the Seattle Center during Northwest Folklife Festival activities.
Police reported that around 6:40 p.m. a man and woman were shot near the center's fountain, though neither person suffered life-threatening injuries.
A suspected gunman was taken into custody and a firearm recovered, police reported.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Penalty urged for lewd e-mails at jail
By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter
Five King County corrections officers are facing three-day suspensions for passing sexually explicit videos, cartoons and photos through the county e-mail.
It's the latest in a string of sexual-misconduct offenses and medical complaints that have plagued the jail over the past few years. Jail Superintendent Reed Holtgeerts recommended the suspension for the officers, who have not been named. But before it goes into effect, they have the right to present evidence that might explain their actions.
The e-mails were found in September and a decision to discipline the employees was reached in November. The officers all work at the downtown Seattle jail, said jail spokesman Maj. William Hayes.
The jail issued a statement on the incident only on Wednesday. Hayes said it took the department time to complete its investigation.
A U.S. Department of Justice report released in November criticized the jail for not controlling infectious diseases and for exposing inmates to sexual assaults. The jail has a no-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct, said Hayes.
The jail administration did not agree with the findings of the Justice Department's report, which threatened the county with a lawsuit if the jail's problems were not corrected. At least two inmates died from inadequate medical care and there were three jail suicides in the past three years that were likely preventable, the report noted.
Since then, a former inmate, Matthew Wisecarver, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging jail conditions were so unsanitary he contracted MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant infection. One inmate died of an infection in 2004. In 2003, the number of infections at the jail increased from 291 to 623.
Four King County corrections officers have been convicted of sexual misconduct and related charges over the past several years.
Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com
Seattle Times staff reporter
Five King County corrections officers are facing three-day suspensions for passing sexually explicit videos, cartoons and photos through the county e-mail.
It's the latest in a string of sexual-misconduct offenses and medical complaints that have plagued the jail over the past few years. Jail Superintendent Reed Holtgeerts recommended the suspension for the officers, who have not been named. But before it goes into effect, they have the right to present evidence that might explain their actions.
The e-mails were found in September and a decision to discipline the employees was reached in November. The officers all work at the downtown Seattle jail, said jail spokesman Maj. William Hayes.
The jail issued a statement on the incident only on Wednesday. Hayes said it took the department time to complete its investigation.
A U.S. Department of Justice report released in November criticized the jail for not controlling infectious diseases and for exposing inmates to sexual assaults. The jail has a no-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct, said Hayes.
The jail administration did not agree with the findings of the Justice Department's report, which threatened the county with a lawsuit if the jail's problems were not corrected. At least two inmates died from inadequate medical care and there were three jail suicides in the past three years that were likely preventable, the report noted.
Since then, a former inmate, Matthew Wisecarver, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging jail conditions were so unsanitary he contracted MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant infection. One inmate died of an infection in 2004. In 2003, the number of infections at the jail increased from 291 to 623.
Four King County corrections officers have been convicted of sexual misconduct and related charges over the past several years.
Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Man arrested after assault, car theft and South Everett chase
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
Snohomish County sheriff's deputies arrested a man this morning for reportedly attacking two people, stealing a woman's BMW and leading officers on a pursuit through South Everett.
Shortly after 7 a.m., deputies were dispatched to an assisted-living center in the 11300 block of Third Place West after a report of a man walking into the facility and hitting an employee in the face, said sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover.
The suspect left the center and went to a parking lot across the street and asked a woman to help jump-start his car. The man then pushed the woman out of the way, grabbed her keys and drove off in her BMW, Hover said.
Deputies chased the man to a dead-end street, where he jumped out of the car and ran, Hover said. Deputies set up a containment scene and brought in tracking dogs.
Around 9:30 a.m., a woman in the 9600 block of Lowell-Larimer Road, close to the containment scene, called 911 to report a strange man on her property. The carjacking and assault suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on a variety of charges, Hover said.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Seattle Times staff reporter
Snohomish County sheriff's deputies arrested a man this morning for reportedly attacking two people, stealing a woman's BMW and leading officers on a pursuit through South Everett.
Shortly after 7 a.m., deputies were dispatched to an assisted-living center in the 11300 block of Third Place West after a report of a man walking into the facility and hitting an employee in the face, said sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover.
The suspect left the center and went to a parking lot across the street and asked a woman to help jump-start his car. The man then pushed the woman out of the way, grabbed her keys and drove off in her BMW, Hover said.
Deputies chased the man to a dead-end street, where he jumped out of the car and ran, Hover said. Deputies set up a containment scene and brought in tracking dogs.
Around 9:30 a.m., a woman in the 9600 block of Lowell-Larimer Road, close to the containment scene, called 911 to report a strange man on her property. The carjacking and assault suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on a variety of charges, Hover said.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Latest "groper" attack provides more clues
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
For two years, Seattle police have been a few steps behind a man they say has attacked nearly two dozen women in Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley.
But after an attack on Saturday morning in the 7500 block of Renton Avenue South, police say they might have a better line on the man they call "the groper." South Precinct Capt. Les Liggins said witnesses to the recent attack have provided sexual-assault-unit detectives with better descriptions of the assailant and the vehicle he was seen driving.
"We're very much on this," Liggins said Monday.
Witnesses to the attack around 10 a.m. Saturday told police they saw a man grope an Asian or Asian-American woman who was walking with a toddler. The woman screamed.
A witness tried to take photos of the man's car and license plate with a cellphone camera, but the suspect knocked the witness down and stole the phone, police said.
The man is described as black, about 5-foot-10, with light-colored shaving bumps on the left side of his face. Earlier descriptions were even more sketchy, and no one had previously provided a vehicle description.
Witnesses said the woman ran north with the child after she was attacked. Police have not yet spoken with her and hope that she comes forward.
Seattle police Lt. James Koutsky said this was the 23rd attack on girls and women in the area since August 2006. None of the victims, who range from teenagers to 52, has been raped or critically injured in the attacks. Most were Asian or Asian American.
Police said the man normally runs off after his victims have screamed for help. Many of the attacks have occurred at bus stops.
Police said this is the first time the man has attacked since March, and the sixth time since January. In January, the suspect grabbed and chased two girls ages 13 and 14.
The attacks have generated fear in several South Seattle neighborhoods. The Chinese Information and Service Center in Seattle has warned women about the attacks and even offered lessons on self-defense tactics. In March, when the center offered a community meeting about the attacks, more than 100 people attended.
Police are asking that anyone with information about the suspect or the most recent attack call the department's sexual-assault unit at 206-684-5575.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Seattle Times staff reporter
For two years, Seattle police have been a few steps behind a man they say has attacked nearly two dozen women in Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley.
But after an attack on Saturday morning in the 7500 block of Renton Avenue South, police say they might have a better line on the man they call "the groper." South Precinct Capt. Les Liggins said witnesses to the recent attack have provided sexual-assault-unit detectives with better descriptions of the assailant and the vehicle he was seen driving.
"We're very much on this," Liggins said Monday.
Witnesses to the attack around 10 a.m. Saturday told police they saw a man grope an Asian or Asian-American woman who was walking with a toddler. The woman screamed.
A witness tried to take photos of the man's car and license plate with a cellphone camera, but the suspect knocked the witness down and stole the phone, police said.
The man is described as black, about 5-foot-10, with light-colored shaving bumps on the left side of his face. Earlier descriptions were even more sketchy, and no one had previously provided a vehicle description.
Witnesses said the woman ran north with the child after she was attacked. Police have not yet spoken with her and hope that she comes forward.
Seattle police Lt. James Koutsky said this was the 23rd attack on girls and women in the area since August 2006. None of the victims, who range from teenagers to 52, has been raped or critically injured in the attacks. Most were Asian or Asian American.
Police said the man normally runs off after his victims have screamed for help. Many of the attacks have occurred at bus stops.
Police said this is the first time the man has attacked since March, and the sixth time since January. In January, the suspect grabbed and chased two girls ages 13 and 14.
The attacks have generated fear in several South Seattle neighborhoods. The Chinese Information and Service Center in Seattle has warned women about the attacks and even offered lessons on self-defense tactics. In March, when the center offered a community meeting about the attacks, more than 100 people attended.
Police are asking that anyone with information about the suspect or the most recent attack call the department's sexual-assault unit at 206-684-5575.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
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