By JESSIE STENSLAND
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES
Investigators with the Oak Harbor police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service took five suspected drug dealers off the streets of the city in the last two weeks, according to police.
Oak Harbor Police Detective Carl Seim said that officers seized significant amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana — as well as a car, guns, grow equipment and cash — in four separate, unrelated drug busts.
Seim said the investigators served the first search warrant at a home on Highway 20, just north of Ault Field Road, on March 17. He said he was able to obtain the search warrant after a confidential informant made multiple controlled buys of pot from the suspect, 43-year-old Robert Berka.
The officers discovered marijuana grow operations in two sheds. Seim indicated the set-up was somewhat sophisticated and included a giant exhaust fan and filter to reduce the pot odor on the outside.
The officers found 125 plants in various stages of growth, as well as a couple of ounces of pot in the house. In addition, there was marijuana-laced butter, pot-enhanced baked goods and liquor infused with the weed, according to police.
Berka had “a medical marijuana card,” Seim said, but he had more pot than the amount allowed under state law. Berka was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. The police seized the marijuana and the growing equipment.
Then on Friday, the police and NCIS team served three different search warrants. Seim said they saw one of the suspects, 43-year-old Lisa Kamiya, driving away, so they had a patrol officer pull her over. The officers found 4.5 grams of meth, along with a couple of unidentified pills and a small amount of pot, in a pouch she had in the front of her pants, according to Seim.
Investigators were able to obtain a search warrant of Kamiya’s home based on an informant’s previous controlled buys of meth from her, Seim said. They found drug paraphernalia, scales and numerous plastic baggies at her home.
The officers arrested Kamiya on suspicion of possession of meth with intent to deliver.
“She was well known in the meth community as a dealer and a user,” Lt. Tim Sterkel with the Oak Harbor Police Department said. “It’s a substantial arrest for the community.”
Next, the team turned their attention to 27-year-old Caleb Love and 25-year-old Joel Raymond. Seim said the two men, who “hang out together,” had sold both heroin and cocaine to an informant in controlled drug purchases.
On Friday, the investigators noticed Love driving away with Raymond, so they pulled them over. Seim said the officers saw a glass container with heroin in plain view in the car. Also, Love had a pouch that contained black tar heroin and a Visine bottle with liquid heroin, the detective indicated.
The police seized the 1996 Cadillac Deville and brought it to the police department to search. A stun gun and a laptop computer, possibly stolen, were found in the car, according to the police.
The detective said that the team also served a search warrant on Love’s residence and found more heroin, a loaded shotgun and a 9mm handgun. Love is a convicted felon, Seim said, and not allowed to possess firearms.
In all, the police reported they seized more than an ounce of heroin, which is worth around $800 on the street.
Both Love and Raymond were arrested on suspicion of possession of heroin with intent to deliver.
Finally, the team served a search warrant on the home of an 18-year-old man suspected of dealing pot to kids. The investigators had previously documented a confidential informant making controlled buys of pot from the suspect, Mark Delacruz, according to police.
“We received information from the high school that he was dealing to students outside the commissary on the Seaplane Base,” Seim said.
The investigators searched his home and found $640 in cash and drug paraphernalia. Seim said they arrested Delacruz on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver based on the prior controlled buys.
Experienced legal counsel to cannabis businesses, entrepreneurs, and patients.
Seattle, Washington (206) 728-0200
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
State trooper suspected of driving drunk and attempted cover-up
KOMO-TV STAFF
A veteran sergeant with the Washington State Patrol is accused of driving under the influence, then trying to get the help of a rookie trooper to cover it up.
WSP investigators said Sgt. Coy C. Clark was off duty early Saturday when he drove his car off the road in Puyallup along Canyon Road near 104th Street.
Clark, a 21-year veteran of the force, called his rookie trooper on duty.
"He called an on-duty trooper that works for him to respond, and assist him. And upon the trooper getting there, he got indications the off-duty sergeant may be possibly DUI," said Capt. Jason Berry.
Suspecting Clark was intoxicated, the young trooper called for backup.
Clark passed a breathalyzer test, but failed a field sobriety test and was placed under arrest.
The State Patrol said Clark's actions imply he wanted to cover up the fact he may have been drunk driving. The 22-year-old rookie had a tough decision to make, but ultimately decided to call in backup, officials said.
"Faced with a precarious situation of 'what do I do here with my sergeant that's called me to help?' he did the right thing reporting the potential misconduct," said Berry.
Clark has been placed on paid administrative leave. His case has been forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office.
A veteran sergeant with the Washington State Patrol is accused of driving under the influence, then trying to get the help of a rookie trooper to cover it up.
WSP investigators said Sgt. Coy C. Clark was off duty early Saturday when he drove his car off the road in Puyallup along Canyon Road near 104th Street.
Clark, a 21-year veteran of the force, called his rookie trooper on duty.
"He called an on-duty trooper that works for him to respond, and assist him. And upon the trooper getting there, he got indications the off-duty sergeant may be possibly DUI," said Capt. Jason Berry.
Suspecting Clark was intoxicated, the young trooper called for backup.
Clark passed a breathalyzer test, but failed a field sobriety test and was placed under arrest.
The State Patrol said Clark's actions imply he wanted to cover up the fact he may have been drunk driving. The 22-year-old rookie had a tough decision to make, but ultimately decided to call in backup, officials said.
"Faced with a precarious situation of 'what do I do here with my sergeant that's called me to help?' he did the right thing reporting the potential misconduct," said Berry.
Clark has been placed on paid administrative leave. His case has been forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Investigators say drunken driver caused fatal I-5 crash
KOMO-TV
Investigators say a crash that killed a man on Interstate 5 in Everett early Monday was caused by a drunken driver.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary said a man driving a pickup truck in the southbound lanes of the freeway drifted out of his lane about 2:30 a.m. and slammed into an empty flatbed truck that was parked on the shoulder of the highway.
The passenger in the pickup truck died at the scene, and the driver was taken to Providence Colby Hospital.
Leary said the driver was believed to be drunk at the time of the crash, and investigators found several open beer containers in the wrecked truck.
No one was inside the flatbed truck that was hit.
Troopers shut down two of the southbound lanes of I-5 at the crash scene near the Everett Mall for several hours while they collected evidence and worked to clear the vehicles.
Leary said the crash was one of 60 suspected drunken driving cases troopers dealt with over the weekend.
"This is why we're out here every single day, to get these folks out and off the road so something like this doesn't happen," he said.
The driver was expected to be booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular homicide when he is released from the hospital.
The name of the man who was killed has not been released.
Investigators say a crash that killed a man on Interstate 5 in Everett early Monday was caused by a drunken driver.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary said a man driving a pickup truck in the southbound lanes of the freeway drifted out of his lane about 2:30 a.m. and slammed into an empty flatbed truck that was parked on the shoulder of the highway.
The passenger in the pickup truck died at the scene, and the driver was taken to Providence Colby Hospital.
Leary said the driver was believed to be drunk at the time of the crash, and investigators found several open beer containers in the wrecked truck.
No one was inside the flatbed truck that was hit.
Troopers shut down two of the southbound lanes of I-5 at the crash scene near the Everett Mall for several hours while they collected evidence and worked to clear the vehicles.
Leary said the crash was one of 60 suspected drunken driving cases troopers dealt with over the weekend.
"This is why we're out here every single day, to get these folks out and off the road so something like this doesn't happen," he said.
The driver was expected to be booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular homicide when he is released from the hospital.
The name of the man who was killed has not been released.
Federal Way police officer dies following incident with stolen vehicle
By FEDERAL WAY MIRROR
From the Federal Way Police Department:
At 1:15 a.m. March 21, Federal Way police were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle located in the 33300 Block of 26th Avenue SW in Federal Way. The vehicle was described as a dark colored Lincoln SUV with two persons sleeping in the back. The vehicle was backed up against an unoccupied residence.
Federal Way police officers responded to the area of the vehicle. Once officers were on-scene, it was determined the vehicle was reported as stolen by the King County Sheriff’s Office. As the officers approached, applied vehicle stopping devices, and initiated verbal commands, the driver of the vehicle started the engine and began to flee against the verbal commands of officers. As the vehicle left the area, it struck/rammed three Federal Way marked patrol vehicles. Two Federal Way police officers fired their weapons at the driver and the vehicle.
The vehicle was subsequently found nearby. The driver was found hiding in a carport area of a residence and was taken into custody without incident by Federal Way police officers. The suspect driver is a 17-year-old Hispanic male with an extensive criminal history and is a convicted felon. The suspect suffered a non-life threatening bullet wound to his arm and was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. There is currently one suspect occupant from the stolen vehicle at large.
The two Federal Way Police Officers who discharged their weapons were not injured. They have been placed on paid administrative leave (standard procedure) pending the outcome of an investigation.
While this officer Involved shooting incident was being investigated, Federal Way police officers maintained a perimeter around the crime scene. At approximately 6:45 a.m., one of the perimeter officers was found collapsed in his patrol vehicle.
Federal Way police officers initiated CPR, which continued with the arrival of the King County Medic One unit. Officers and medics were unable to revive the officer and he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:21 a.m. Saturday. The cause of death is unknown at this time and the officer's name has not been released. An autopsy is scheduled for March 22. The officer was 35 years old and had been with the Federal Way police for four and a half years. He is survived by his wife, two children and extended family. The couple had a third child due in May.
Stay tuned for an updated report as more information becomes available.
From the Federal Way Police Department:
At 1:15 a.m. March 21, Federal Way police were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle located in the 33300 Block of 26th Avenue SW in Federal Way. The vehicle was described as a dark colored Lincoln SUV with two persons sleeping in the back. The vehicle was backed up against an unoccupied residence.
Federal Way police officers responded to the area of the vehicle. Once officers were on-scene, it was determined the vehicle was reported as stolen by the King County Sheriff’s Office. As the officers approached, applied vehicle stopping devices, and initiated verbal commands, the driver of the vehicle started the engine and began to flee against the verbal commands of officers. As the vehicle left the area, it struck/rammed three Federal Way marked patrol vehicles. Two Federal Way police officers fired their weapons at the driver and the vehicle.
The vehicle was subsequently found nearby. The driver was found hiding in a carport area of a residence and was taken into custody without incident by Federal Way police officers. The suspect driver is a 17-year-old Hispanic male with an extensive criminal history and is a convicted felon. The suspect suffered a non-life threatening bullet wound to his arm and was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. There is currently one suspect occupant from the stolen vehicle at large.
The two Federal Way Police Officers who discharged their weapons were not injured. They have been placed on paid administrative leave (standard procedure) pending the outcome of an investigation.
While this officer Involved shooting incident was being investigated, Federal Way police officers maintained a perimeter around the crime scene. At approximately 6:45 a.m., one of the perimeter officers was found collapsed in his patrol vehicle.
Federal Way police officers initiated CPR, which continued with the arrival of the King County Medic One unit. Officers and medics were unable to revive the officer and he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:21 a.m. Saturday. The cause of death is unknown at this time and the officer's name has not been released. An autopsy is scheduled for March 22. The officer was 35 years old and had been with the Federal Way police for four and a half years. He is survived by his wife, two children and extended family. The couple had a third child due in May.
Stay tuned for an updated report as more information becomes available.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Alleged cop killer launches into tirade in court
KOMO-TV STAFF
The man accused of murdering Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton launched a verbal barrage in court Thursday afternoon, stunning spectators and apparently even his own lawyer.
Christopher Monfort, accused of killing Brenton in cold blood on Oct. 31, lashed out against Paul Schene, the former King County deputy accused in a well-publicized November 2008 holding cell beating incident.
In his outburst, Monfort compared Schene to Adolf Hitler, and then referred to "the savage beating of Malika Calhoun," the teenage girl who was beaten in the holding cell incident.
Investigators believe that the holding cell beating, which was captured on videotape and broadcast widely across TV and the Internet, prompted Monfort's attack on Officer Brenton and his partner.
Monfort then launched into a rambling rant about the founding fathers and "the price of freedom."
Monfort's defense attorney, Julie Lawry, urged him to keep quiet.
"Don't do this, don't do this," she repeated at the start of his nearly eight-minute outburst, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.
All of this happened before the judge walked in - and before court started. Once the judge entered the courtroom, Monfort did not speak again.
Meanwhile, the accused killer's mother sat in the King County courtroom with her head in her hands.
Monfort has been charged with one count of aggravated first-degree murder in connection with Brenton's shooting death on Halloween night as he sat in his patrol car with a junior officer.
He also faces three counts of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly shooting at the junior officer on the same night, and also taking aim at two other officers on the day of his arrest.
In addition, Monfort is charged with first-degree arson in connection with the Oct. 22 firebombing of four Seattle police vehicles at a city maintenance yard.
Monfort has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The man accused of murdering Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton launched a verbal barrage in court Thursday afternoon, stunning spectators and apparently even his own lawyer.
Christopher Monfort, accused of killing Brenton in cold blood on Oct. 31, lashed out against Paul Schene, the former King County deputy accused in a well-publicized November 2008 holding cell beating incident.
In his outburst, Monfort compared Schene to Adolf Hitler, and then referred to "the savage beating of Malika Calhoun," the teenage girl who was beaten in the holding cell incident.
Investigators believe that the holding cell beating, which was captured on videotape and broadcast widely across TV and the Internet, prompted Monfort's attack on Officer Brenton and his partner.
Monfort then launched into a rambling rant about the founding fathers and "the price of freedom."
Monfort's defense attorney, Julie Lawry, urged him to keep quiet.
"Don't do this, don't do this," she repeated at the start of his nearly eight-minute outburst, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.
All of this happened before the judge walked in - and before court started. Once the judge entered the courtroom, Monfort did not speak again.
Meanwhile, the accused killer's mother sat in the King County courtroom with her head in her hands.
Monfort has been charged with one count of aggravated first-degree murder in connection with Brenton's shooting death on Halloween night as he sat in his patrol car with a junior officer.
He also faces three counts of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly shooting at the junior officer on the same night, and also taking aim at two other officers on the day of his arrest.
In addition, Monfort is charged with first-degree arson in connection with the Oct. 22 firebombing of four Seattle police vehicles at a city maintenance yard.
Monfort has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Shotgun-toting man threatens father at school bus stop
KOMO-TV STAFF
A scary scene unfolded at a school bus stop on Fox Island when a man with a gun threatened a father as he dropped off his son and then tried to run him off, the father says.
And the father, Mark Fowler, has got the photo to back him up his account of what happened.
Fowler says he was on the public easement - well outside anyone's private property - when he parked his car at the bus stop to drop off his son.
That's when he says a neighbor came out and threatened him with a shotgun.
Despite the possible danger, Fowler snapped a photo of the man with his cell phone. The photo shows the man gripping the shotgun in his right hand.
Cell phone photo shows a man approaching the Fox Island school bus stop with a shotgun. Fowler says: "I ask him what he's going to do with it. And he tells me if I don't get off his property, he's going to show me what he's going to do with it. Now, that sounds like a threat to me."
Pierce County sheriff's detectives say the man in the photo is Kevin Wray, whose house is behind the bus stop.
Fowler says if he's going to be threatened - what could Wray do to his son or to the other children who wait at the stop for the school bus to come.
"Why would anybody in their right mind bring a shotgun to a bus stop if they're not planning on trying to intimidate somebody, or plan on using it?" says Fowler.
Deputies showed up and arrested Wray, who got out on bond later that day.
KOMO News tried to contact Wray but he didn't answer his door or return phone calls.
Wray's next-door neighbor, Hank Weber, thinks things just got out of hand.
"I don't think anybody around here condones that," Weber says. "And I'm sure, if you asked Kevin right now, I'm sure he would say that was a bad mistake."
Weber says parents dropping off their kids do a lot of damage along the private road where Wray lives.
He says they use front lawns as turnarounds, which rips up the grass and damages landscaping - and Wray has spent years trying to change it.
"I think Kevin has tried in the past to be as cordial as possible, and has in a lot of instances not gotten anywhere," says Weber.
Since the shotgun incident, the school district has created alternative bus stop locations so parents who don't feel safe using the one near Wray's house have somewhere else to go.
A scary scene unfolded at a school bus stop on Fox Island when a man with a gun threatened a father as he dropped off his son and then tried to run him off, the father says.
And the father, Mark Fowler, has got the photo to back him up his account of what happened.
Fowler says he was on the public easement - well outside anyone's private property - when he parked his car at the bus stop to drop off his son.
That's when he says a neighbor came out and threatened him with a shotgun.
Despite the possible danger, Fowler snapped a photo of the man with his cell phone. The photo shows the man gripping the shotgun in his right hand.
Cell phone photo shows a man approaching the Fox Island school bus stop with a shotgun. Fowler says: "I ask him what he's going to do with it. And he tells me if I don't get off his property, he's going to show me what he's going to do with it. Now, that sounds like a threat to me."
Pierce County sheriff's detectives say the man in the photo is Kevin Wray, whose house is behind the bus stop.
Fowler says if he's going to be threatened - what could Wray do to his son or to the other children who wait at the stop for the school bus to come.
"Why would anybody in their right mind bring a shotgun to a bus stop if they're not planning on trying to intimidate somebody, or plan on using it?" says Fowler.
Deputies showed up and arrested Wray, who got out on bond later that day.
KOMO News tried to contact Wray but he didn't answer his door or return phone calls.
Wray's next-door neighbor, Hank Weber, thinks things just got out of hand.
"I don't think anybody around here condones that," Weber says. "And I'm sure, if you asked Kevin right now, I'm sure he would say that was a bad mistake."
Weber says parents dropping off their kids do a lot of damage along the private road where Wray lives.
He says they use front lawns as turnarounds, which rips up the grass and damages landscaping - and Wray has spent years trying to change it.
"I think Kevin has tried in the past to be as cordial as possible, and has in a lot of instances not gotten anywhere," says Weber.
Since the shotgun incident, the school district has created alternative bus stop locations so parents who don't feel safe using the one near Wray's house have somewhere else to go.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Marijuana petitioners clash with ACLU over legalization effort
By ANDY HOBBS
COVINGTON REPORTER
A grass-roots campaign is under way to legalize marijuana in Washington state.
Sensible Washington is the political committee behind Initiative 1068, which seeks to remove criminal penalties involving adult use, possession and cultivation of marijuana. I-1068 needs 241,153 valid voter signatures by the July 2 deadline in order to appear on November's election ballot.
Despite a well-known stance for the reform of marijuana laws, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington has drawn criticism from activists for not supporting the initiative.
ACLU of Washington issued a statement regarding its stance on I-1068, citing the absence of regulatory measures.
"While a large majority of Washingtonians support reducing the penalty for adult possession of marijuana from a crime to a civil penalty, support for legalization is less solid," according to the statement. "And those who do support full legalization understand that ‘legalization’ means treating marijuana similarly to alcohol – taxing and regulating it. Passing an initiative that does not provide for any regulation would be distinctly difficult."
An ACLU of Washington spokesman deferred all comments to the statement, which said a rejection of the initiative would be a setback for "our ongoing reform movement."
Philip Dawdy, campaign director and co-author of I-1068, is disappointed in the ACLU's stance. He said a regulation mechanism in addition to the legalization proposal could have jeopardized the initiative by opening the door to a legal challenge for "single issue violation."
"They've got time and money and institutional prestige invested in legalization. We're a challenge to them in terms of the ownership of this issue," Dawdy said of the ACLU. "We didn't set it up like that."
The recently failed marijuana decriminalization bill in the state Legislature is proof that the decision should go directly to Washington voters, Dawdy said.
"People have just hit the wall with marijuana prohibition," he said. "It's time for the people to do this."
Signatures
Federal Way resident Ray Arment will lead signature-gathering efforts in Federal Way, Fife, Milton and Des Moines. So far, a handful of volunteers have joined Arment, a medical marijuana patient himself.
Four years ago, Arment injured his neck and back in a fall, eventually becoming hooked on pain medication until trying marijuana as medicine.
"I'm completely off prescription drugs," said Arment, 48. "I feel like I'm an example that it can work. It's all about responsibility and accountability."
However, his involvement with I-1068 is aimed at another form of relief: Fear of arrest.
"Of course I'm nervous. I got two kids and a house," he said.
Rally
CannaCare, a medical marijuana clinic based in Kirkland, led a press conference Feb. 24 on the Legislature steps in Olympia.
In addition to supporting I-1068, speakers at the rally called on state legislators to provide more legal protection for medical marijuana patients.
Steve Sarich, executive director of CannaCare, said legislators have outright failed to address the issue while tackling more trivial bills such as SB 6284, which recognizes "Leif Erickson Day," or SB 5192, which allows dogs in bars.
Sarich also criticized State v. Fry, the Jan. 21 State Supreme Court decision ruling regarding one patient whose marijuana supply was seized by police during a home search. The court upheld that police had probable cause to search the home after smelling marijuana, and that the patient exceeded the 60-day supply limit of 24 ounces and 15 plants.
"It's time to finally provide protection to arrest and prosecution of patients," he said. "The State v. Fry case has now proven to us we have no constitutional rights in the state of Washington."
Sarich is among local marijuana activists at odds with the ACLU, citing a lack of communication between the organization and the citizens. Patient registries, $100 tickets under a decriminalization bill and similar regulation processes are a violation of privacy that could lead to arrest and more, he said.
"That would be the ultimate shopping list," Sarich said. "Let the ACLU know that we will picket outside their offices the first time they bring it up."
Renton resident Don Skakie, a South King County coordinator for Sensible Washington, noted that I-1068 will likely need revision by lawmakers.
"We're gonna give the Legislature something to deal with that they have to deal with. They won't be able to duck us anymore," he said. "We're going to get people out of prison, we're going to get money back into the economy and we're going to put farmers in Eastern Washington to work."
One activist credits medical marijuana for saving his life. Ric Smith, a patient advocate for Green Cross and a Sensible Washington initiative co-sponsor, was dying of AIDS in the mid-1990s. Marijuana helped restore his appetite, and by eating more food, his body was able to tolerate doctor-prescribed steroids, which made his body strong enough to then tolerate medications.
"Munchies save lives," said Smith, 46, who hopes to someday see marijuana legalized and taxed. "As a taxpayer, let me pay for something I use."
Background
In 1998, Washington state voters approved a law that removed criminal penalties and established a defense for qualified patients who possess or cultivate cannabis for medicinal use.
In 2008, the "60-day" supply for patients was defined as 24 ounces and 15 plants; both numbers have attracted intense debate from medical marijuana advocates. The law allows patients to exceed these limits if the patient can prove medical need, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
Technically, the cannabis clinics are illegal. Federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, in the same league as heroin. Washington's medical marijuana laws help patients with a legal defense in local or state courts. Federal laws ultimately trump state laws, however, and do not recognize the medical use of marijuana.
Learn more
• To learn more about Sensible Washington and I-1068, visit sensiblewashington.org.
• To learn more about volunteering, contact Bonnie Fond, field director for Western Washington, at bonnfong@gmail.com or (206) 718-7316.
• Other information specific to South King County is available by e-mailing sensiblesouthkingcounty@gmail.govaclu.jpgsteve.sarich.jpg
This article was originally published in the Covington Reporter on February 26, 2010.
Andy Hobbs can be reached at editor@federalwaymirror.com.
COVINGTON REPORTER
A grass-roots campaign is under way to legalize marijuana in Washington state.
Sensible Washington is the political committee behind Initiative 1068, which seeks to remove criminal penalties involving adult use, possession and cultivation of marijuana. I-1068 needs 241,153 valid voter signatures by the July 2 deadline in order to appear on November's election ballot.
Despite a well-known stance for the reform of marijuana laws, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington has drawn criticism from activists for not supporting the initiative.
ACLU of Washington issued a statement regarding its stance on I-1068, citing the absence of regulatory measures.
"While a large majority of Washingtonians support reducing the penalty for adult possession of marijuana from a crime to a civil penalty, support for legalization is less solid," according to the statement. "And those who do support full legalization understand that ‘legalization’ means treating marijuana similarly to alcohol – taxing and regulating it. Passing an initiative that does not provide for any regulation would be distinctly difficult."
An ACLU of Washington spokesman deferred all comments to the statement, which said a rejection of the initiative would be a setback for "our ongoing reform movement."
Philip Dawdy, campaign director and co-author of I-1068, is disappointed in the ACLU's stance. He said a regulation mechanism in addition to the legalization proposal could have jeopardized the initiative by opening the door to a legal challenge for "single issue violation."
"They've got time and money and institutional prestige invested in legalization. We're a challenge to them in terms of the ownership of this issue," Dawdy said of the ACLU. "We didn't set it up like that."
The recently failed marijuana decriminalization bill in the state Legislature is proof that the decision should go directly to Washington voters, Dawdy said.
"People have just hit the wall with marijuana prohibition," he said. "It's time for the people to do this."
Signatures
Federal Way resident Ray Arment will lead signature-gathering efforts in Federal Way, Fife, Milton and Des Moines. So far, a handful of volunteers have joined Arment, a medical marijuana patient himself.
Four years ago, Arment injured his neck and back in a fall, eventually becoming hooked on pain medication until trying marijuana as medicine.
"I'm completely off prescription drugs," said Arment, 48. "I feel like I'm an example that it can work. It's all about responsibility and accountability."
However, his involvement with I-1068 is aimed at another form of relief: Fear of arrest.
"Of course I'm nervous. I got two kids and a house," he said.
Rally
CannaCare, a medical marijuana clinic based in Kirkland, led a press conference Feb. 24 on the Legislature steps in Olympia.
In addition to supporting I-1068, speakers at the rally called on state legislators to provide more legal protection for medical marijuana patients.
Steve Sarich, executive director of CannaCare, said legislators have outright failed to address the issue while tackling more trivial bills such as SB 6284, which recognizes "Leif Erickson Day," or SB 5192, which allows dogs in bars.
Sarich also criticized State v. Fry, the Jan. 21 State Supreme Court decision ruling regarding one patient whose marijuana supply was seized by police during a home search. The court upheld that police had probable cause to search the home after smelling marijuana, and that the patient exceeded the 60-day supply limit of 24 ounces and 15 plants.
"It's time to finally provide protection to arrest and prosecution of patients," he said. "The State v. Fry case has now proven to us we have no constitutional rights in the state of Washington."
Sarich is among local marijuana activists at odds with the ACLU, citing a lack of communication between the organization and the citizens. Patient registries, $100 tickets under a decriminalization bill and similar regulation processes are a violation of privacy that could lead to arrest and more, he said.
"That would be the ultimate shopping list," Sarich said. "Let the ACLU know that we will picket outside their offices the first time they bring it up."
Renton resident Don Skakie, a South King County coordinator for Sensible Washington, noted that I-1068 will likely need revision by lawmakers.
"We're gonna give the Legislature something to deal with that they have to deal with. They won't be able to duck us anymore," he said. "We're going to get people out of prison, we're going to get money back into the economy and we're going to put farmers in Eastern Washington to work."
One activist credits medical marijuana for saving his life. Ric Smith, a patient advocate for Green Cross and a Sensible Washington initiative co-sponsor, was dying of AIDS in the mid-1990s. Marijuana helped restore his appetite, and by eating more food, his body was able to tolerate doctor-prescribed steroids, which made his body strong enough to then tolerate medications.
"Munchies save lives," said Smith, 46, who hopes to someday see marijuana legalized and taxed. "As a taxpayer, let me pay for something I use."
Background
In 1998, Washington state voters approved a law that removed criminal penalties and established a defense for qualified patients who possess or cultivate cannabis for medicinal use.
In 2008, the "60-day" supply for patients was defined as 24 ounces and 15 plants; both numbers have attracted intense debate from medical marijuana advocates. The law allows patients to exceed these limits if the patient can prove medical need, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
Technically, the cannabis clinics are illegal. Federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, in the same league as heroin. Washington's medical marijuana laws help patients with a legal defense in local or state courts. Federal laws ultimately trump state laws, however, and do not recognize the medical use of marijuana.
Learn more
• To learn more about Sensible Washington and I-1068, visit sensiblewashington.org.
• To learn more about volunteering, contact Bonnie Fond, field director for Western Washington, at bonnfong@gmail.com or (206) 718-7316.
• Other information specific to South King County is available by e-mailing sensiblesouthkingcounty@gmail.govaclu.jpgsteve.sarich.jpg
This article was originally published in the Covington Reporter on February 26, 2010.
Andy Hobbs can be reached at editor@federalwaymirror.com.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Man sentenced in Island County’s first felony DUI case
By JESSIE STENSLAND
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES
Island County’s first drunk driver to be charged with a felony DUI under a relatively new state law was recently sent to prison for more than four years.
Kelly Wayne Shields, a 45-year-old Oak Harbor resident, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Feb. 16 to felony driving under the influence, driving while license suspended or revoked and possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana.
Judge Vickie Churchill sentenced Shields to four years and three months in prison, which was the recommendation set forth by the prosecution and defense under a plea bargain.
“Mr. Shields’ life is marked by poor decisions and a complete disregard for the safety of others,” Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme said. “Hopefully, this guilty plea will be the start of better decisions in the future.”
Normally, driving under the influence is a misdemeanor offense, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail. But a 2007 state law turned a DUI into a felony offense under certain circumstances. Prosecutors can charge someone with a felony DUI if he or she has four or more prior DUI offenses or a single past conviction of an intoxication-related vehicular assault or vehicular homicide charge.
In Shields’ case, he was previously convicted of vehicular assault, though he also has a history of driving-related crimes.
In 2004, Shields rolled a car on Campbell Road and injured his passenger after drinking at a South Whidbey bar, according to court documents. The car went off the road, hit a dirt embankment and rolled onto its top. The female passenger suffered a laceration to the head and three of her fingers were crushed severely enough that they had to be amputated.
Shields’ blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.13 at two hours and 38 minutes after the crash. On June 24, 2005, Judge Churchill sentenced him to a year and two months in prison.
According to Ohme, Shields’ criminal history also included convictions for two DUIs, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, reckless driving, hit and run, and possession of heroin.
In the recent incident, State Patrol Trooper Larry Provoncha saw a car weaving and breaking erratically just outside of Oak Harbor on Heller Road Jan. 29. The trooper pulled the car over and arrested Shields on suspicion of DUI. His blood-alcohol content was 0.23, which is nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.
In addition, Shields’ license was suspended and he had a small amount of pot in his pocket.
Shields’ attorney, Darrin Hall of Coupeville, said his client quickly agreed to the plea bargain with a sentence recommendation at the bottom of the standard sentencing range.
“He understood it was an uphill battle and took the high road,” Hall said.
In prison, Shields is required to undergo an evaluation for substance abuse and comply with treatment recommendations.
This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on February 23, 2010.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES
Island County’s first drunk driver to be charged with a felony DUI under a relatively new state law was recently sent to prison for more than four years.
Kelly Wayne Shields, a 45-year-old Oak Harbor resident, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Feb. 16 to felony driving under the influence, driving while license suspended or revoked and possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana.
Judge Vickie Churchill sentenced Shields to four years and three months in prison, which was the recommendation set forth by the prosecution and defense under a plea bargain.
“Mr. Shields’ life is marked by poor decisions and a complete disregard for the safety of others,” Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme said. “Hopefully, this guilty plea will be the start of better decisions in the future.”
Normally, driving under the influence is a misdemeanor offense, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail. But a 2007 state law turned a DUI into a felony offense under certain circumstances. Prosecutors can charge someone with a felony DUI if he or she has four or more prior DUI offenses or a single past conviction of an intoxication-related vehicular assault or vehicular homicide charge.
In Shields’ case, he was previously convicted of vehicular assault, though he also has a history of driving-related crimes.
In 2004, Shields rolled a car on Campbell Road and injured his passenger after drinking at a South Whidbey bar, according to court documents. The car went off the road, hit a dirt embankment and rolled onto its top. The female passenger suffered a laceration to the head and three of her fingers were crushed severely enough that they had to be amputated.
Shields’ blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.13 at two hours and 38 minutes after the crash. On June 24, 2005, Judge Churchill sentenced him to a year and two months in prison.
According to Ohme, Shields’ criminal history also included convictions for two DUIs, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, reckless driving, hit and run, and possession of heroin.
In the recent incident, State Patrol Trooper Larry Provoncha saw a car weaving and breaking erratically just outside of Oak Harbor on Heller Road Jan. 29. The trooper pulled the car over and arrested Shields on suspicion of DUI. His blood-alcohol content was 0.23, which is nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.
In addition, Shields’ license was suspended and he had a small amount of pot in his pocket.
Shields’ attorney, Darrin Hall of Coupeville, said his client quickly agreed to the plea bargain with a sentence recommendation at the bottom of the standard sentencing range.
“He understood it was an uphill battle and took the high road,” Hall said.
In prison, Shields is required to undergo an evaluation for substance abuse and comply with treatment recommendations.
This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on February 23, 2010.
South Whidbey activist restarts drive to decriminalize marijuana
By ROY JACOBSON
SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD
South End activist Steve Erickson has put himself on the business end of the statewide push to decriminalize marijuana.
“Unfortunately, the Legislature has failed to act,” Erickson said on Monday.
“If the politicians don’t have the courage to act, then the people will,” he said.
Erickson said several bills that would change the law were submitted during the past Legislative session, “but none of them came up for a vote.”
Erickson is the volunteer field organizer for Island County in the effort to put Initiative 1068 on the November ballot.
He has called a meeting this week to explain the measure and how to gather signatures, and to pass out petitions.
The meeting will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Freeland Library, 5495 Harbor Ave.
Erickson is working for free on behalf of Sensible Washington, the statewide group gathering signatures in support of I-1068. He said about 80 people attended a recent organizational meeting in Seattle.
“There are meetings being held all over the state,” he said.
The measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons 18 years or older who “cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana.”
Restrictions and penalties for persons younger than 18 would be retained.
Erickson said he got involved because he thinks there are better things to do than to keep more than a million people in jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
He said he’s also opposed to law enforcement officials harassing people who have pot prescriptions, and to having farmers miss out on a profitable new crop.
I-1068 needs 241,000 valid signatures by Friday, July 2, to be placed on the November ballot.
Erickson said that means that 330,000 or more signatures probably need to be collected.
“I really think people are going to get a lot more,” he said. “This really cuts across political lines.
All the polls say its time to end this war on people,” he added.
He said when the issue was raised in California, a drive to collect
400,000 signatures wound up with 700,000.
“It’s going to happen sooner or later,” Erickson predicted. “And the later is this November.”
For information about Thursday’s meeting, the petition drive or Sensible Washington, contact Erickson at Sensible.WA.Whidbey@gmail.com or call 579-2332.
This article was originally published in the South Whidbey Record on February 24, 2010.
Roy Jacobson can be reached at rjacobson@southwhidbeyrecord.com.
SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD
South End activist Steve Erickson has put himself on the business end of the statewide push to decriminalize marijuana.
“Unfortunately, the Legislature has failed to act,” Erickson said on Monday.
“If the politicians don’t have the courage to act, then the people will,” he said.
Erickson said several bills that would change the law were submitted during the past Legislative session, “but none of them came up for a vote.”
Erickson is the volunteer field organizer for Island County in the effort to put Initiative 1068 on the November ballot.
He has called a meeting this week to explain the measure and how to gather signatures, and to pass out petitions.
The meeting will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Freeland Library, 5495 Harbor Ave.
Erickson is working for free on behalf of Sensible Washington, the statewide group gathering signatures in support of I-1068. He said about 80 people attended a recent organizational meeting in Seattle.
“There are meetings being held all over the state,” he said.
The measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons 18 years or older who “cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana.”
Restrictions and penalties for persons younger than 18 would be retained.
Erickson said he got involved because he thinks there are better things to do than to keep more than a million people in jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
He said he’s also opposed to law enforcement officials harassing people who have pot prescriptions, and to having farmers miss out on a profitable new crop.
I-1068 needs 241,000 valid signatures by Friday, July 2, to be placed on the November ballot.
Erickson said that means that 330,000 or more signatures probably need to be collected.
“I really think people are going to get a lot more,” he said. “This really cuts across political lines.
All the polls say its time to end this war on people,” he added.
He said when the issue was raised in California, a drive to collect
400,000 signatures wound up with 700,000.
“It’s going to happen sooner or later,” Erickson predicted. “And the later is this November.”
For information about Thursday’s meeting, the petition drive or Sensible Washington, contact Erickson at Sensible.WA.Whidbey@gmail.com or call 579-2332.
This article was originally published in the South Whidbey Record on February 24, 2010.
Roy Jacobson can be reached at rjacobson@southwhidbeyrecord.com.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
11 Redmond High students arrested in drug bust
By BILL CHRISTIANSON
REDMOND REPORTER
Redmond High School is the center of attention this afternoon after Redmond Police arrested and charged 11 students for violation of the uniform controlled substance act following a seven-month undercover operation.
Starting around 8:30 this morning, police officers swept through the school and city, finding and arresting two 15-year-olds, six 16-year-olds and three 17-year-olds, according to Redmond Police spokesperson, Jim Bove. There may be more arrests as the investigation is ongoing, Bove said.
It was the biggest school drug bust since 2003, when police arrested five Redmond High students for illegal drugs, according to Bove.
During the undercover operation, officers purchased marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA, and a variety of prescription medications.
Redmond Police and Lake Washington School District officials along with Mayor John Marchione are calling it a "wake-up call" for the community.
"Adults are naive if they think there's not drugs in every high school," Marchione told The Reporter following a ribbon cutting ceremony at Eastside Basketball Club Friday afternoon. "The fact that we can be proactive in reaching out to kids in both rehabilitation and enforcement is important. To pretend drugs don't exist in high school perpetuates the problem. They're there and if people are shocked if they are found at Redmond High — or any high school — I think they are naive."
The most alarming part about the bust was "the variety of drugs," Bove said.
"We hope it's a wake-up call to what's going on in our society," Bove said. "We hope families use this as a learning opportunity and have conversations with their children, know who their friends are, and educate them on the negative effects of using controlled substances.
"This school is a large and positive part of our community and we share in the school’s no-tolerance mission," Bove continued. "This in no way reflects the overall student body.”
The undercover operation was a collaborative effort with the Redmond High School administration and part of a well-planned undercover operation, targeting the use, possession, and distribution of illegal substances on and off campus since the beginning of the school year.
Bove said all of the charges, which includes use, possession and distribution of illegal substances, "stemmed from the students delivering the drugs to our staff." In other words, the undercover officers never sold drugs to the students, they only bought them from the students, Bove said.
Bove did confirm that the teenage suspects were processed and released this afternoon following the morning arrests. Redmond Police will forward the charging documents to the King County Prosecutor's Office, probably sometime early next week, Bove said.
"It was a collaborative effort," Bove said. "The Lake Washington School District has a zero tolerance for drugs and so do we. We are not happy this is occurring in our schools, but we hope this makes an impact of getting (drugs) out of our schools and city."
School administrators will sit down with the arrested students and their families and conduct their own investigation, according to Kathryn Reith, Lake Washington School District Communications Director. From there, they will determine the consequences — most likely a suspension of some sort, Reith said.
"There have to be consequences, but we also want to make sure the student continues their education," Reith said. "We want to help them get back on track."
Reith made clear that the arrests "are not a reflection that there is a (drug) problem at Redmond High." Instead "it is a reflection that this is an issue at all high schools," she said.
Reith cited the 2008 Washington State Healthy Use Survey, which stated that 20.4 percent 10th-graders around the state admitted to using illegal drugs in the last 30 days, while 11 percent of 10th-graders at Redmond High said they tried illegal drugs.
As for high school seniors, the state percentage was 24.6 and the Redmond percentage was 22.7, Reith said.
"I can bet you a lot of parents will be talking with their kids tonight and that's a very positive thing to happen," Reith said. "This is a wake-up call for some people."
Marchione, who has a college-age son and a daughter who attends Redmond High, said that he and his wife have been very proactive in educating their children about the dangers of illegal drugs.
"It was a problem in high school when I was kid, it doesn't surprise me that drugs are still around my kids in high school," Marchione said. "It was always a concern of mine from day one to work with my kids constantly so it's not a problem in my family."
This article was originally published in the Redmond Reporter on February 19, 2010.
Bill Christianson can be reached at editor@redmond-reporter.com.
REDMOND REPORTER
Redmond High School is the center of attention this afternoon after Redmond Police arrested and charged 11 students for violation of the uniform controlled substance act following a seven-month undercover operation.
Starting around 8:30 this morning, police officers swept through the school and city, finding and arresting two 15-year-olds, six 16-year-olds and three 17-year-olds, according to Redmond Police spokesperson, Jim Bove. There may be more arrests as the investigation is ongoing, Bove said.
It was the biggest school drug bust since 2003, when police arrested five Redmond High students for illegal drugs, according to Bove.
During the undercover operation, officers purchased marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA, and a variety of prescription medications.
Redmond Police and Lake Washington School District officials along with Mayor John Marchione are calling it a "wake-up call" for the community.
"Adults are naive if they think there's not drugs in every high school," Marchione told The Reporter following a ribbon cutting ceremony at Eastside Basketball Club Friday afternoon. "The fact that we can be proactive in reaching out to kids in both rehabilitation and enforcement is important. To pretend drugs don't exist in high school perpetuates the problem. They're there and if people are shocked if they are found at Redmond High — or any high school — I think they are naive."
The most alarming part about the bust was "the variety of drugs," Bove said.
"We hope it's a wake-up call to what's going on in our society," Bove said. "We hope families use this as a learning opportunity and have conversations with their children, know who their friends are, and educate them on the negative effects of using controlled substances.
"This school is a large and positive part of our community and we share in the school’s no-tolerance mission," Bove continued. "This in no way reflects the overall student body.”
The undercover operation was a collaborative effort with the Redmond High School administration and part of a well-planned undercover operation, targeting the use, possession, and distribution of illegal substances on and off campus since the beginning of the school year.
Bove said all of the charges, which includes use, possession and distribution of illegal substances, "stemmed from the students delivering the drugs to our staff." In other words, the undercover officers never sold drugs to the students, they only bought them from the students, Bove said.
Bove did confirm that the teenage suspects were processed and released this afternoon following the morning arrests. Redmond Police will forward the charging documents to the King County Prosecutor's Office, probably sometime early next week, Bove said.
"It was a collaborative effort," Bove said. "The Lake Washington School District has a zero tolerance for drugs and so do we. We are not happy this is occurring in our schools, but we hope this makes an impact of getting (drugs) out of our schools and city."
School administrators will sit down with the arrested students and their families and conduct their own investigation, according to Kathryn Reith, Lake Washington School District Communications Director. From there, they will determine the consequences — most likely a suspension of some sort, Reith said.
"There have to be consequences, but we also want to make sure the student continues their education," Reith said. "We want to help them get back on track."
Reith made clear that the arrests "are not a reflection that there is a (drug) problem at Redmond High." Instead "it is a reflection that this is an issue at all high schools," she said.
Reith cited the 2008 Washington State Healthy Use Survey, which stated that 20.4 percent 10th-graders around the state admitted to using illegal drugs in the last 30 days, while 11 percent of 10th-graders at Redmond High said they tried illegal drugs.
As for high school seniors, the state percentage was 24.6 and the Redmond percentage was 22.7, Reith said.
"I can bet you a lot of parents will be talking with their kids tonight and that's a very positive thing to happen," Reith said. "This is a wake-up call for some people."
Marchione, who has a college-age son and a daughter who attends Redmond High, said that he and his wife have been very proactive in educating their children about the dangers of illegal drugs.
"It was a problem in high school when I was kid, it doesn't surprise me that drugs are still around my kids in high school," Marchione said. "It was always a concern of mine from day one to work with my kids constantly so it's not a problem in my family."
This article was originally published in the Redmond Reporter on February 19, 2010.
Bill Christianson can be reached at editor@redmond-reporter.com.
Six arrested in Mill Creek prostitution stin
KOMO-TV STAFF
MILL CREEK -- The quiet Snohomish County town of Mill Creek was the unlikely location for an undercover prostitution sting operation that resulted in six arrests on Friday.
Five women were arrested on suspicion of soliciting prostitution and one man also was arrested on suspicion of promoting prostitution, police said. One woman also was busted for possession of marijuana.
Mill Creek police spokeswoman Sgt. Kate Hamilton said she is not surprised to find prostitution happening in the quiet, mostly upscale town of gated communities.
"It goes on everywhere. I think it's one of those adult activities that can happen anywhere," she said. "No, I am not surprised. I think it's something that maybe the citizens aren't aware of - but it's just something that's going on, probably, like an underbelly - it happens everywhere."
During the sting, police officers responded to advertisements posted in the "adult service" category on the Craigslist web site, and arranged for a meeting at an apartment in Mill Creek.
Undercover officers posed as "Johns" at the apartment and greeted the unsuspecting women when they arrived.
After the women offered the officers sexual services in exchange for cash, other officers entered the apartment and arrested the suspects.
All of the women were interviewed to determine their level of involvement in prostitution and investigated for the possibility of underage exploitation. All were adults over 18 and were booked in to the Snohomish County Jail.
"The ladies were told this is not a safe thing to do, and requested not to return to Mill Creek again," Hamilton said.
The sting was part of a special operations plan dubbed "Operation Dial-up," created after a regional sting uncovered underage girls being exploited for prostitution.
MILL CREEK -- The quiet Snohomish County town of Mill Creek was the unlikely location for an undercover prostitution sting operation that resulted in six arrests on Friday.
Five women were arrested on suspicion of soliciting prostitution and one man also was arrested on suspicion of promoting prostitution, police said. One woman also was busted for possession of marijuana.
Mill Creek police spokeswoman Sgt. Kate Hamilton said she is not surprised to find prostitution happening in the quiet, mostly upscale town of gated communities.
"It goes on everywhere. I think it's one of those adult activities that can happen anywhere," she said. "No, I am not surprised. I think it's something that maybe the citizens aren't aware of - but it's just something that's going on, probably, like an underbelly - it happens everywhere."
During the sting, police officers responded to advertisements posted in the "adult service" category on the Craigslist web site, and arranged for a meeting at an apartment in Mill Creek.
Undercover officers posed as "Johns" at the apartment and greeted the unsuspecting women when they arrived.
After the women offered the officers sexual services in exchange for cash, other officers entered the apartment and arrested the suspects.
All of the women were interviewed to determine their level of involvement in prostitution and investigated for the possibility of underage exploitation. All were adults over 18 and were booked in to the Snohomish County Jail.
"The ladies were told this is not a safe thing to do, and requested not to return to Mill Creek again," Hamilton said.
The sting was part of a special operations plan dubbed "Operation Dial-up," created after a regional sting uncovered underage girls being exploited for prostitution.
Teacher arrested on suspicion of having sex with student
By AUBURN REPORTER
Auburn police arrested a teacher at Auburn Adventist Academy Tuesday on suspicion of having sex with a female teenage student, KOMO News 4 reported Saturday.
Police Spokesman Sgt. David Colglazier told KOMO that Scott A. Spies, 49, was subsequently booked into the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent,
Spies is being held on $150,000 bail for investigation of molestation, indecent liberties and sex with a minor.
Spies has been fired and school officials are helping the girl and providing counselors for other students.
Sgt. Colglazier told KOMO the relationship appears to have started in February 2009, when the girl, now 16, was 15. He said it became sexual last fall after she returned from a visit to Thailand.
The two had intercourse about 15 times - usually at the teacher's Auburn apartment - Colglazier told KOMO.
The sexual relationship continued until about two weeks ago, Colglazier told KOMO.
When administrators began to hear the rumors that Spies was taking the girl back to his apartment in Auburn they started an investigation.
Spies, who graduated from the school in 1979, has a master's degree in theology.
This article was originally published in the Auburn Reporter on February 20, 2010.
Auburn police arrested a teacher at Auburn Adventist Academy Tuesday on suspicion of having sex with a female teenage student, KOMO News 4 reported Saturday.
Police Spokesman Sgt. David Colglazier told KOMO that Scott A. Spies, 49, was subsequently booked into the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent,
Spies is being held on $150,000 bail for investigation of molestation, indecent liberties and sex with a minor.
Spies has been fired and school officials are helping the girl and providing counselors for other students.
Sgt. Colglazier told KOMO the relationship appears to have started in February 2009, when the girl, now 16, was 15. He said it became sexual last fall after she returned from a visit to Thailand.
The two had intercourse about 15 times - usually at the teacher's Auburn apartment - Colglazier told KOMO.
The sexual relationship continued until about two weeks ago, Colglazier told KOMO.
When administrators began to hear the rumors that Spies was taking the girl back to his apartment in Auburn they started an investigation.
Spies, who graduated from the school in 1979, has a master's degree in theology.
This article was originally published in the Auburn Reporter on February 20, 2010.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Man attacked by machete-wielding thieves
By MARLEE GINTER
KOMO-TV STAFF
Police are trying to track down four machete-wielding thieves who robbed a man in broad daylight near a school.
The incident took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Mountlake Terrace High School.
Police say the thieves hid in the bushes along 44th Ave. W., then attacked the man while he was walking home from a store. One of the attackers was armed with a machete, investigators said.
"I don't know if it's a convenience sake of having a weapon, or if it's an intimidation factor because it is large," said Det. Sgt. Doug Hansen. "Sometimes it's used as an intimidation factor. Anytime a weapon is used, we have grave concern."
The men ordered the victim to empty his pockets. When he failed to comply, they got rough, police said.
"Punched him in the jaw, in the head. He fell, phone came out of his pocket. They grabbed his phone and kept on running. He had to walk some distance to his home before he could call us," said Hansen.
Area residents were shaken by the attack on a high-traffic road that many joggers, walkers and bicyclists frequent.
"We run through here on our lunch time, and it seems pretty safe here. And we see other people running, too. It kind of surprises me," said jogger Michael Hequibal.
School officials at the high school say they haven't had any problems, but police advise caution in the area.
Someone later found the victim's cell phone and turned it in to police.
Anyone with information on the Saturday robbery is urged to contact police immediately.
The incident took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Mountlake Terrace High School.
Police say the thieves hid in the bushes along 44th Ave. W., then attacked the man while he was walking home from a store. One of the attackers was armed with a machete, investigators said.
"I don't know if it's a convenience sake of having a weapon, or if it's an intimidation factor because it is large," said Det. Sgt. Doug Hansen. "Sometimes it's used as an intimidation factor. Anytime a weapon is used, we have grave concern."
The men ordered the victim to empty his pockets. When he failed to comply, they got rough, police said.
"Punched him in the jaw, in the head. He fell, phone came out of his pocket. They grabbed his phone and kept on running. He had to walk some distance to his home before he could call us," said Hansen.
Area residents were shaken by the attack on a high-traffic road that many joggers, walkers and bicyclists frequent.
"We run through here on our lunch time, and it seems pretty safe here. And we see other people running, too. It kind of surprises me," said jogger Michael Hequibal.
School officials at the high school say they haven't had any problems, but police advise caution in the area.
Someone later found the victim's cell phone and turned it in to police.
Anyone with information on the Saturday robbery is urged to contact police immediately.
KOMO-TV STAFF
Police are trying to track down four machete-wielding thieves who robbed a man in broad daylight near a school.
The incident took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Mountlake Terrace High School.
Police say the thieves hid in the bushes along 44th Ave. W., then attacked the man while he was walking home from a store. One of the attackers was armed with a machete, investigators said.
"I don't know if it's a convenience sake of having a weapon, or if it's an intimidation factor because it is large," said Det. Sgt. Doug Hansen. "Sometimes it's used as an intimidation factor. Anytime a weapon is used, we have grave concern."
The men ordered the victim to empty his pockets. When he failed to comply, they got rough, police said.
"Punched him in the jaw, in the head. He fell, phone came out of his pocket. They grabbed his phone and kept on running. He had to walk some distance to his home before he could call us," said Hansen.
Area residents were shaken by the attack on a high-traffic road that many joggers, walkers and bicyclists frequent.
"We run through here on our lunch time, and it seems pretty safe here. And we see other people running, too. It kind of surprises me," said jogger Michael Hequibal.
School officials at the high school say they haven't had any problems, but police advise caution in the area.
Someone later found the victim's cell phone and turned it in to police.
Anyone with information on the Saturday robbery is urged to contact police immediately.
The incident took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Mountlake Terrace High School.
Police say the thieves hid in the bushes along 44th Ave. W., then attacked the man while he was walking home from a store. One of the attackers was armed with a machete, investigators said.
"I don't know if it's a convenience sake of having a weapon, or if it's an intimidation factor because it is large," said Det. Sgt. Doug Hansen. "Sometimes it's used as an intimidation factor. Anytime a weapon is used, we have grave concern."
The men ordered the victim to empty his pockets. When he failed to comply, they got rough, police said.
"Punched him in the jaw, in the head. He fell, phone came out of his pocket. They grabbed his phone and kept on running. He had to walk some distance to his home before he could call us," said Hansen.
Area residents were shaken by the attack on a high-traffic road that many joggers, walkers and bicyclists frequent.
"We run through here on our lunch time, and it seems pretty safe here. And we see other people running, too. It kind of surprises me," said jogger Michael Hequibal.
School officials at the high school say they haven't had any problems, but police advise caution in the area.
Someone later found the victim's cell phone and turned it in to police.
Anyone with information on the Saturday robbery is urged to contact police immediately.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Renton man pleads guilty in connection to drug cartel
By CELESTE GRACEY
RENTON REPORTER
A Renton man pleaded guilty to his connection to the notorious drug cartel "La Familia" Feb. 4.
Arturo Barajas Garcia, 32, acknowledged that he managed the local distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine, according to U.S. District Court documents.
His Oct. 21 arrest was a part of a massive nationwide crackdown on the cartel.
Police found about 200 grams of methamphetamine and a .45-caliber gun at Garcia's residence in Benson Hill on the 15800 block of 118th Avenue Southeast.
He acquired the drugs "for the purpose of reselling the narcotics to others in the community," according to the documents.
Garcia is expected to receive 13 to 17 years in prison.
As a part of his agreement, he also forfeited about $230,000 cash, seven guns, a 2008 Chevy Silverado and a house in Monroe, according to the documents.
The documents describe a court-authorized phone tap, where Garcia arranged a deal for six pounds of methamphetamine.
Sending a co-conspirator to northern California, he paid $47,000 for the drugs.
During the Oct. 21 arrests, police found about 950 grams of methamphetamine in the same 2000 Honda Accord used to transport the drugs from California.
Garcia has been charged with conspiracy to distribute and money laundering.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 7. He's currently in police custody.
This article was originally published in the Renton Reporter on February 8, 2010.
RENTON REPORTER
A Renton man pleaded guilty to his connection to the notorious drug cartel "La Familia" Feb. 4.
Arturo Barajas Garcia, 32, acknowledged that he managed the local distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine, according to U.S. District Court documents.
His Oct. 21 arrest was a part of a massive nationwide crackdown on the cartel.
Police found about 200 grams of methamphetamine and a .45-caliber gun at Garcia's residence in Benson Hill on the 15800 block of 118th Avenue Southeast.
He acquired the drugs "for the purpose of reselling the narcotics to others in the community," according to the documents.
Garcia is expected to receive 13 to 17 years in prison.
As a part of his agreement, he also forfeited about $230,000 cash, seven guns, a 2008 Chevy Silverado and a house in Monroe, according to the documents.
The documents describe a court-authorized phone tap, where Garcia arranged a deal for six pounds of methamphetamine.
Sending a co-conspirator to northern California, he paid $47,000 for the drugs.
During the Oct. 21 arrests, police found about 950 grams of methamphetamine in the same 2000 Honda Accord used to transport the drugs from California.
Garcia has been charged with conspiracy to distribute and money laundering.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 7. He's currently in police custody.
This article was originally published in the Renton Reporter on February 8, 2010.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Bellevue parents plead not guilty to starving infant
By BELLEVUE REPORTER
The young Bellevue parents accused of starving their baby to keep the girl from getting fat pleaded not guilty to criminal mistreatment.
Sam Labberton, 24, and Brittainy Labberton, 21, were arraigned Monday in King County Superior Court.
A judge reportedly ordered the couple not to contact the infant and their other daughter, 2 years old, except for supervised visits.
The younger daughter was hospitalized in October for failure to gain sufficient weight, and charging papers allege that the couple admitted to ignoring a pediatrician's advice to feed the child more.
Brittainy described the baby to investigators as "the exorcist," saying she was a fussy eater and often threw up her food, according to prosecutors.
Doctors determined there were no medical factors for the infant's gaunt condition after she ate readily and gained weight at the hospital.
Brittainy and Samuel both told investigators that they thought the baby was getting fat after the girl started gaining weight under foster care, according to charging papers.
Child protective services eventually took the couple's 2-year-old and placed her in foster care after Brittainy talked about killing herself and the child, according to charging documents.
This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on February 2, 2010.
The young Bellevue parents accused of starving their baby to keep the girl from getting fat pleaded not guilty to criminal mistreatment.
Sam Labberton, 24, and Brittainy Labberton, 21, were arraigned Monday in King County Superior Court.
A judge reportedly ordered the couple not to contact the infant and their other daughter, 2 years old, except for supervised visits.
The younger daughter was hospitalized in October for failure to gain sufficient weight, and charging papers allege that the couple admitted to ignoring a pediatrician's advice to feed the child more.
Brittainy described the baby to investigators as "the exorcist," saying she was a fussy eater and often threw up her food, according to prosecutors.
Doctors determined there were no medical factors for the infant's gaunt condition after she ate readily and gained weight at the hospital.
Brittainy and Samuel both told investigators that they thought the baby was getting fat after the girl started gaining weight under foster care, according to charging papers.
Child protective services eventually took the couple's 2-year-old and placed her in foster care after Brittainy talked about killing herself and the child, according to charging documents.
This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on February 2, 2010.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Prosecutors: Man dismembered ex-girlfriend after killing
KOMO-TV STAFF
EVERETT - A Gold Bar man charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend after her burned-out car was found is now accused of dismembering her body and disposing of it in a drive around Snohomish County.
Prosecutors say the suspect, Eric Christensen, 40, of Gold Bar asked a friend to drive him around Snohomish County to help dispose of the woman's remains.
The friend eventually contacted investigators and led them to spots were body parts were recovered, prosecutors say.
Christensen was charged Friday in Snohomish County Superior Court with first-degree murder in the slaying of 35-year-old Sherry Harlan. He previously was ordered held in Snohomish County jail on $2 million bail.
Prosecutors say Harlan was killed sometime between Jan. 2 and 3 after Christensen found a text message from another man on her cellphone.
Court papers say Christensen told police the message was evidence that Harlan had broken a "Wiccan blood oath" she had made to break off a relationship with the other man.
Harlan was reported missing Jan. 5 after she failed to show up for her job at a JCPenney store.
Her burned-out 1989 Nissan Sentra was found Jan. 7 in the Reiter Pit area near Gold Bar. Detectives later said human remains were found inside the car.
During the initial investigation, detectives began focusing on Christensen based on information from friends and neighbors who said Harlan told them her boyfriend had beaten her before.
She told friends she was afraid to break up with him for fear he would come after her and kill her.
Another neighbor reported hearing yelling and fighting on Jan. 2 that appeared to come from Harlan's apartment.
On Jan. 6, detectives searched Christensen's home and car and discovered bloody clothing that appears to belong to him. He also had numerous scratches on his face, forearms, shoulder and lower back, and a stab wound on his right knee.
Christensen initially was arrested and booked Jan. 7 into the Snohomish County Jail for failure to register as a sex offender. He has a 1990 conviction in Oregon for first-degree sexual abuse and is classified as a Level 1 sex offender.
He later was charged with second-degree murder, and the charge was increased Friday to first-degree murder.
EVERETT - A Gold Bar man charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend after her burned-out car was found is now accused of dismembering her body and disposing of it in a drive around Snohomish County.
Prosecutors say the suspect, Eric Christensen, 40, of Gold Bar asked a friend to drive him around Snohomish County to help dispose of the woman's remains.
The friend eventually contacted investigators and led them to spots were body parts were recovered, prosecutors say.
Christensen was charged Friday in Snohomish County Superior Court with first-degree murder in the slaying of 35-year-old Sherry Harlan. He previously was ordered held in Snohomish County jail on $2 million bail.
Prosecutors say Harlan was killed sometime between Jan. 2 and 3 after Christensen found a text message from another man on her cellphone.
Court papers say Christensen told police the message was evidence that Harlan had broken a "Wiccan blood oath" she had made to break off a relationship with the other man.
Harlan was reported missing Jan. 5 after she failed to show up for her job at a JCPenney store.
Her burned-out 1989 Nissan Sentra was found Jan. 7 in the Reiter Pit area near Gold Bar. Detectives later said human remains were found inside the car.
During the initial investigation, detectives began focusing on Christensen based on information from friends and neighbors who said Harlan told them her boyfriend had beaten her before.
She told friends she was afraid to break up with him for fear he would come after her and kill her.
Another neighbor reported hearing yelling and fighting on Jan. 2 that appeared to come from Harlan's apartment.
On Jan. 6, detectives searched Christensen's home and car and discovered bloody clothing that appears to belong to him. He also had numerous scratches on his face, forearms, shoulder and lower back, and a stab wound on his right knee.
Christensen initially was arrested and booked Jan. 7 into the Snohomish County Jail for failure to register as a sex offender. He has a 1990 conviction in Oregon for first-degree sexual abuse and is classified as a Level 1 sex offender.
He later was charged with second-degree murder, and the charge was increased Friday to first-degree murder.
Judge orders coroner to change ruling on state trooper's death
KOMO-TV STAFF
A judge has given the Lewis County coroner 10 days to remove the word "suicide" from the death certificate of former Washington state trooper - or else.
"Fail not to obey at your own peril," says a court order issued Friday by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks.
In 1998, trooper Ronda E. Reynolds was found dead in her home of a single gunshot to the head. Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson ruled her death as a suicide at the time.
But in 2008, a KOMO investigation highlighted evidence and opinions from experts who believed that Reynolds did not take her own life.
In November 2009, after reviewing the evidence, a jury unanimously decided that coroner Wilson was wrong when he called the death a suicide.
The jurors based their decision on a number of inconsistencies in the case, including the position of the gun and the trajectory of the bullet, which did not match a finding of suicide.
But Wilson said he wouldn't change Reynolds' death certificate, and left the issue in the judge's hands.
Judge Hicks issued a ruling Jan. 9 that requires the coroner to remove "suicide" as the cause of death.
The judge's latest order requires Wilson to "reconsider all of the information and evidence available" and issue a new cause of death within 10 days."The jury found that your determination of 'suicide' is inaccurate," the judge's order says.
Under the latest ruling, the cause of death can't be suicide unless the coroner uncovers new evidence that outweighs the evidence considered by the jury.
The order does not require the coroner to list the cause of death as "homicide," but the jurors who reviewed the case had no doubts about it.
Jury forewoman Angel Hubbard said everyone on the jury thought the cause of death was homicide.
"I can say unanimously for all of us - we even talked about that - that we definitely felt it would not, it should not be undetermined, but (move) more towards homicide," said Hubbard.
Nevertheless, Hicks granted a request from Wilson's attorney, John Justice, that jurors' written speculation about the case being a homicide be stricken from the record.
Reynolds' mother Barb Thompson has been fighting ever since 1998 to remove the stigma of suicide from her daughter's name after the lead detective in the investigation outlined a number of inconsistencies in the case.
But she acknowledges that her fight may not be over. Wilson still has the opportunity to appeal this decision.
A judge has given the Lewis County coroner 10 days to remove the word "suicide" from the death certificate of former Washington state trooper - or else.
"Fail not to obey at your own peril," says a court order issued Friday by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks.
In 1998, trooper Ronda E. Reynolds was found dead in her home of a single gunshot to the head. Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson ruled her death as a suicide at the time.
But in 2008, a KOMO investigation highlighted evidence and opinions from experts who believed that Reynolds did not take her own life.
In November 2009, after reviewing the evidence, a jury unanimously decided that coroner Wilson was wrong when he called the death a suicide.
The jurors based their decision on a number of inconsistencies in the case, including the position of the gun and the trajectory of the bullet, which did not match a finding of suicide.
But Wilson said he wouldn't change Reynolds' death certificate, and left the issue in the judge's hands.
Judge Hicks issued a ruling Jan. 9 that requires the coroner to remove "suicide" as the cause of death.
The judge's latest order requires Wilson to "reconsider all of the information and evidence available" and issue a new cause of death within 10 days."The jury found that your determination of 'suicide' is inaccurate," the judge's order says.
Under the latest ruling, the cause of death can't be suicide unless the coroner uncovers new evidence that outweighs the evidence considered by the jury.
The order does not require the coroner to list the cause of death as "homicide," but the jurors who reviewed the case had no doubts about it.
Jury forewoman Angel Hubbard said everyone on the jury thought the cause of death was homicide.
"I can say unanimously for all of us - we even talked about that - that we definitely felt it would not, it should not be undetermined, but (move) more towards homicide," said Hubbard.
Nevertheless, Hicks granted a request from Wilson's attorney, John Justice, that jurors' written speculation about the case being a homicide be stricken from the record.
Reynolds' mother Barb Thompson has been fighting ever since 1998 to remove the stigma of suicide from her daughter's name after the lead detective in the investigation outlined a number of inconsistencies in the case.
But she acknowledges that her fight may not be over. Wilson still has the opportunity to appeal this decision.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Former Bellevue salon owner sentenced for fake Botox injections
By BELLEVUE REPORTER
A U.S. District Court judge on Friday sentenced former Bellevue beauty salon owner Xin He to 13 months in prison for injecting customers with phony Botox and Restylane that scarred several clients.
He, 46, of Issaquah, ran the Natural Beauty Salon at 11004 NE 11th St.
U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechmanon Oct. 30 found He guilty of one count of misbranding of a drug and two counts of receipt and delivery of an adulterated device.
He injected a Snohomish woman with counterfeit Restylane in 2004, according to federal prosecutors. The client's face became inflamed, causing her to seek treatment from a dermatologist, prosecutors said.
He is not a doctor or a licensed health-care provider, which means she cannot administer prescription wrinkle-removing drugs like Botox and Restylane.
The state Health Department ordered He to stop administering the counterfeit substances in 2006, but she injected a Bothell woman with fake Restylane in April 2008. That client's face became hard and swollen, causing her to undergo plastic surgery.
Federal agents arrested He Aug. 25 in a crackdown on unlicensed cosmetic treatment practices.
Beauty Life, a salon owned by Jenny Duan, has taken the place of Natural Beauty.
This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on January 15, 2010.
A U.S. District Court judge on Friday sentenced former Bellevue beauty salon owner Xin He to 13 months in prison for injecting customers with phony Botox and Restylane that scarred several clients.
He, 46, of Issaquah, ran the Natural Beauty Salon at 11004 NE 11th St.
U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechmanon Oct. 30 found He guilty of one count of misbranding of a drug and two counts of receipt and delivery of an adulterated device.
He injected a Snohomish woman with counterfeit Restylane in 2004, according to federal prosecutors. The client's face became inflamed, causing her to seek treatment from a dermatologist, prosecutors said.
He is not a doctor or a licensed health-care provider, which means she cannot administer prescription wrinkle-removing drugs like Botox and Restylane.
The state Health Department ordered He to stop administering the counterfeit substances in 2006, but she injected a Bothell woman with fake Restylane in April 2008. That client's face became hard and swollen, causing her to undergo plastic surgery.
Federal agents arrested He Aug. 25 in a crackdown on unlicensed cosmetic treatment practices.
Beauty Life, a salon owned by Jenny Duan, has taken the place of Natural Beauty.
This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on January 15, 2010.
KOMO-TV STAFF Police are looking for three suspects after a man was killed and another injured in a shooting at a Federal Way residence on Sunday mor
KOMO-TV STAFF
Police are looking for three suspects after a man was killed and another injured in a shooting at a Federal Way residence on Sunday morning.
Police responded to the scene, in the 30800 block of 20th Avenue South, at about 4:30 a.m. after receiving a report of an altercation and gunshots.
Two victims were found inside the residence when officers and medics arrived, said Raymond Bunk of the Federal Way police.
One victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is expected to live.
Both victims are from the Renton area, Bunk said. Their identities were not immediately available.
Three suspects fled from the scene after the shooting and remain at large.
Police are looking for the three, described as Hispanic males in their 20s and 30s.
Police are looking for three suspects after a man was killed and another injured in a shooting at a Federal Way residence on Sunday morning.
Police responded to the scene, in the 30800 block of 20th Avenue South, at about 4:30 a.m. after receiving a report of an altercation and gunshots.
Two victims were found inside the residence when officers and medics arrived, said Raymond Bunk of the Federal Way police.
One victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is expected to live.
Both victims are from the Renton area, Bunk said. Their identities were not immediately available.
Three suspects fled from the scene after the shooting and remain at large.
Police are looking for the three, described as Hispanic males in their 20s and 30s.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Maple Valley police officer hit by car while responding to fake kidnapping call
By DENNIS BOX
COVINGTON REPORTER
A Maple Valley police officer was hit by a car at about 5 p.m. Tuesday during the investigation of an apparent kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, which turned out to be a hoax.
The 22-year-old officer was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. He was released later that night.
According to an e-mail from Sgt. John Urquhart, spokesman for the King County Sheriff's Office, the incident began because the boy had received an "F in math."
Urquhart wrote the boy ran away from home because his parents were "getting on him over grades."
After running away, the boy made up the kidnapping story.
The officer was on the scene in the 18600 block of Maple Valley Highway for the kidnapping report when he was struck by a 2008 Ford Taurus driven by a 47-year-old Issaquah man. The driver was not injured and has not been cited for an infraction.
Urquhart added King County detectives interviewed the boy extensively and his story began to make less and less sense.
At about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday the boy confessed to his parents and they called the sheriff's office.
According to the sheriff's office the officer struck by the car is very sore today and will require some follow-up treatment.
He has been with the King County Sheriff's Office for two years.
This article was originally published in the Covington Reporter on January 13, 2010.
COVINGTON REPORTER
A Maple Valley police officer was hit by a car at about 5 p.m. Tuesday during the investigation of an apparent kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, which turned out to be a hoax.
The 22-year-old officer was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. He was released later that night.
According to an e-mail from Sgt. John Urquhart, spokesman for the King County Sheriff's Office, the incident began because the boy had received an "F in math."
Urquhart wrote the boy ran away from home because his parents were "getting on him over grades."
After running away, the boy made up the kidnapping story.
The officer was on the scene in the 18600 block of Maple Valley Highway for the kidnapping report when he was struck by a 2008 Ford Taurus driven by a 47-year-old Issaquah man. The driver was not injured and has not been cited for an infraction.
Urquhart added King County detectives interviewed the boy extensively and his story began to make less and less sense.
At about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday the boy confessed to his parents and they called the sheriff's office.
According to the sheriff's office the officer struck by the car is very sore today and will require some follow-up treatment.
He has been with the King County Sheriff's Office for two years.
This article was originally published in the Covington Reporter on January 13, 2010.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Attempted murder suspect arrested in Arizona
By NAT LEVY
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND REVIEW
After six weeks on the run from federal and local law enforcement, attempted murder suspect Edward Mark Olsen turned himself in in Arizona Friday evening.
Bainbridge police searched for the suspect following an incident on Nov. 29 when Olsen, recently paroled from a California prison, allegedly broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend, doused her and their 12-year-old son with lighter fluid and threatened to set them on fire.
A police press release said local officials have worked with the FBI and U.S. Marshals since the incident to track the suspect. Evidence placed him in Florida, Nevada and California before Olsen, 49, called police in Chandler, Ariz. Olsen informed the police that he had several felony warrants for his arrest and wished to turn himself in.
Olsen submitted to police without incident. He is being held on charges of attempted murder, burglary and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
This article was originally published in the Bainbridge Island Review on January 9, 2010.
Nat Levy can be reached at nlevy@bainbridgereview.com.
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND REVIEW
After six weeks on the run from federal and local law enforcement, attempted murder suspect Edward Mark Olsen turned himself in in Arizona Friday evening.
Bainbridge police searched for the suspect following an incident on Nov. 29 when Olsen, recently paroled from a California prison, allegedly broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend, doused her and their 12-year-old son with lighter fluid and threatened to set them on fire.
A police press release said local officials have worked with the FBI and U.S. Marshals since the incident to track the suspect. Evidence placed him in Florida, Nevada and California before Olsen, 49, called police in Chandler, Ariz. Olsen informed the police that he had several felony warrants for his arrest and wished to turn himself in.
Olsen submitted to police without incident. He is being held on charges of attempted murder, burglary and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
This article was originally published in the Bainbridge Island Review on January 9, 2010.
Nat Levy can be reached at nlevy@bainbridgereview.com.
Neighbors shocked by murder-for-hire plot
KOMO-TV STAFF
This Pierce County community is in shock after learning that a Boeing employee has been accused of hiring a hit man to kill his wife.
The man who claims he was hired to kill the wife turned to police - who stopped the alleged plot.
But stunned neighbors are still reeling, and news of the unusual crime has some in utter disbelief.
"It's like, 'What the heck is going on around here?' I don't know," says one neighbor, Tanya Wooten.
Says another neighbor, who asked not to be identified: "I'm amazed and bewildered. I mean, we just would have never expected that. They seem like very nice people."
The "nice people," who live on a quiet gravel street in Bonney Lake are now at the center of a murder-for-hire plot.
Police say the husband, Daniel Fiscus, paid a would-be hit man $5,000 to kill his wife - and then make it look like an accident.
"That close to home, it concerns me," says one neighbor. "I mean, I had no idea. He never came off as that type of person."
Police allege that Fiscus wanted to collect on his wife's insurance policy. But Fiscus has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
And his wife says she was "living in constant fear" that her "aggressive and hostile" husband might harm her in divorce papers filed in mid-November.
One month later, investigators say, Fiscus sought out a hit man and paid him, and that man came forward to police.
"I mean, that's pretty serious accusations that are made against him. That's pretty scary stuff," says one neighbor.
Daniel Fiscus is currently being held in the Pierce County jail on $5 million bail.
His wife reportedly went to an undisclosed location after the couple separated. She told the courts it was because she feared for her life.
Fiscus has no prior criminal history.
This Pierce County community is in shock after learning that a Boeing employee has been accused of hiring a hit man to kill his wife.
The man who claims he was hired to kill the wife turned to police - who stopped the alleged plot.
But stunned neighbors are still reeling, and news of the unusual crime has some in utter disbelief.
"It's like, 'What the heck is going on around here?' I don't know," says one neighbor, Tanya Wooten.
Says another neighbor, who asked not to be identified: "I'm amazed and bewildered. I mean, we just would have never expected that. They seem like very nice people."
The "nice people," who live on a quiet gravel street in Bonney Lake are now at the center of a murder-for-hire plot.
Police say the husband, Daniel Fiscus, paid a would-be hit man $5,000 to kill his wife - and then make it look like an accident.
"That close to home, it concerns me," says one neighbor. "I mean, I had no idea. He never came off as that type of person."
Police allege that Fiscus wanted to collect on his wife's insurance policy. But Fiscus has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
And his wife says she was "living in constant fear" that her "aggressive and hostile" husband might harm her in divorce papers filed in mid-November.
One month later, investigators say, Fiscus sought out a hit man and paid him, and that man came forward to police.
"I mean, that's pretty serious accusations that are made against him. That's pretty scary stuff," says one neighbor.
Daniel Fiscus is currently being held in the Pierce County jail on $5 million bail.
His wife reportedly went to an undisclosed location after the couple separated. She told the courts it was because she feared for her life.
Fiscus has no prior criminal history.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Suspected meth lab on Vashon explodes, officials investigate
By VASHON-MAURY ISLAND BEACHCOMBER
King County Sheriff's officers are investigating a Vashon property to see whether residents were manufacturing methamphetamine there, following an explosion Monday morning that leveled a backyard shed at the home.
At 7:25 a.m. Monday morning, neighbors heard a loud boom — an explosion coming from a large outbuilding located in the backyard of the woodsy property suspected of drug manufacturing, according to officials.
Vashon Island Fire & Rescue personnel responded to the scene and quickly doused the flames that had engulfed the storage building, which was approximately 20 feet square. All that remained after the fire was a 20-foot square pile of badly charred debris, hardly recognizable as having once been a building. No structural timbers or walls stood intact, and it was evident from the degree of the structure's demolition that Monday's explosion must have been a powerful one.
The residence, a rental home in the 24400 block of 129th Avenue S.W., had long been suspected of drug activity, said those who live nearby.
County records show that in 2006 the house was declared contaminated with dangerous chemicals used to make methamphetamine and was cleaned up and decontaminated in 2007.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive illegal stimulant drug that can be made by combining household or industrial chemicals. The drug, a federal Schedule 1 controlled substance, can be smoked, inhaled or injected, and its production and use is on the rise in rural areas, according to National Public Radio.
The manufacture of methamphetamine leaves behind a stubborn coating of toxic residue that is harmful to those who come in contact with it, according to the Meth Lab Cleanup Company, which serves Washington and other states.
After the home's 2007 cleanup, those who lived nearby had hoped the unsavory neighborhood saga would come to an end. But the drug activity had resurfaced in the past couple of years, according to residents' reports.
Neighbors had set up a "neighborhood watch" to keep tabs on the home, which they worried was a hotspot of illegal activity.
"It was a drug house for years," said Emma Amiad, who lives a few thousand yards from the home near Wax Orchard Road on southwest Vashon Island.
People had often been seen coming and going from the home, but little was known about its residents, said neighbor Chris Robison.
"A lot of people were concerned about it," he said. "It's always a question of what's going on there — and all the activity sounds like drug activity. ... You know what your neighbors are doing when you live on a dead-end road."
Neighbors had contacted police to discuss their suspicions about the blue manufactured home in the woods, but it was Monday's explosion that opened the door for law enforcement officials to investigate the property thoroughly.
On Monday afternoon, a squad of sheriff's officers stayed out of the rain in a mobile evidence processing lab truck, awaiting a search warrant for the house and adjoining property, said Lance Dauber, a King County Sheriff's sergeant with the hazardous devices and materials team.
"We are investigating a possible meth lab, and we've certainly found signs of it," he said. "We found a couple items commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine."
He cautioned that there was much still to investigate at the scene and that it's possible the items that had been found were not used in drug production.
Fire investigators and hazardous materials specialists planned to comb the property late Monday after receiving a warrant to search it, Dauber said.
The cause of the explosion was not yet apparent, he said.
The residents of the home appeared to be on the run, Dauber added. A neighbor reported seeing three people fleeing from the property just after the explosion occurred on Monday.
The Beachcomber was not able to contact the residents of the rental home or the property's owner, a man who, according to county documents, lives in Auburn.
Because the fugitives may have had burns or other injuries due to their proximity to the explosion, the King County Sheriff's officials instructed Vashon Health Center to enter lockdown mode on Monday morning, barring the doors and letting patients in one at a time, said Tina Isakson at the health center.
"We just wanted to make sure nobody wound up here with burns or something obviously from that scene," she said late Monday morning, after the center exited lockdown mode and returned to normal.
"We're still on alert," she added.
For neighbors, Monday's explosion and ensuing investigation may provide some relief to residents surrounding the suspected drug house.
"We're all hoping this will bring some resolution," said neighbor Rebecca Graves.
"Meth is a very bad toxic material," Amiad said. "This sort of thing shouldn't be tolerated."
This article was originally published in the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber on January 4, 2010.
King County Sheriff's officers are investigating a Vashon property to see whether residents were manufacturing methamphetamine there, following an explosion Monday morning that leveled a backyard shed at the home.
At 7:25 a.m. Monday morning, neighbors heard a loud boom — an explosion coming from a large outbuilding located in the backyard of the woodsy property suspected of drug manufacturing, according to officials.
Vashon Island Fire & Rescue personnel responded to the scene and quickly doused the flames that had engulfed the storage building, which was approximately 20 feet square. All that remained after the fire was a 20-foot square pile of badly charred debris, hardly recognizable as having once been a building. No structural timbers or walls stood intact, and it was evident from the degree of the structure's demolition that Monday's explosion must have been a powerful one.
The residence, a rental home in the 24400 block of 129th Avenue S.W., had long been suspected of drug activity, said those who live nearby.
County records show that in 2006 the house was declared contaminated with dangerous chemicals used to make methamphetamine and was cleaned up and decontaminated in 2007.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive illegal stimulant drug that can be made by combining household or industrial chemicals. The drug, a federal Schedule 1 controlled substance, can be smoked, inhaled or injected, and its production and use is on the rise in rural areas, according to National Public Radio.
The manufacture of methamphetamine leaves behind a stubborn coating of toxic residue that is harmful to those who come in contact with it, according to the Meth Lab Cleanup Company, which serves Washington and other states.
After the home's 2007 cleanup, those who lived nearby had hoped the unsavory neighborhood saga would come to an end. But the drug activity had resurfaced in the past couple of years, according to residents' reports.
Neighbors had set up a "neighborhood watch" to keep tabs on the home, which they worried was a hotspot of illegal activity.
"It was a drug house for years," said Emma Amiad, who lives a few thousand yards from the home near Wax Orchard Road on southwest Vashon Island.
People had often been seen coming and going from the home, but little was known about its residents, said neighbor Chris Robison.
"A lot of people were concerned about it," he said. "It's always a question of what's going on there — and all the activity sounds like drug activity. ... You know what your neighbors are doing when you live on a dead-end road."
Neighbors had contacted police to discuss their suspicions about the blue manufactured home in the woods, but it was Monday's explosion that opened the door for law enforcement officials to investigate the property thoroughly.
On Monday afternoon, a squad of sheriff's officers stayed out of the rain in a mobile evidence processing lab truck, awaiting a search warrant for the house and adjoining property, said Lance Dauber, a King County Sheriff's sergeant with the hazardous devices and materials team.
"We are investigating a possible meth lab, and we've certainly found signs of it," he said. "We found a couple items commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine."
He cautioned that there was much still to investigate at the scene and that it's possible the items that had been found were not used in drug production.
Fire investigators and hazardous materials specialists planned to comb the property late Monday after receiving a warrant to search it, Dauber said.
The cause of the explosion was not yet apparent, he said.
The residents of the home appeared to be on the run, Dauber added. A neighbor reported seeing three people fleeing from the property just after the explosion occurred on Monday.
The Beachcomber was not able to contact the residents of the rental home or the property's owner, a man who, according to county documents, lives in Auburn.
Because the fugitives may have had burns or other injuries due to their proximity to the explosion, the King County Sheriff's officials instructed Vashon Health Center to enter lockdown mode on Monday morning, barring the doors and letting patients in one at a time, said Tina Isakson at the health center.
"We just wanted to make sure nobody wound up here with burns or something obviously from that scene," she said late Monday morning, after the center exited lockdown mode and returned to normal.
"We're still on alert," she added.
For neighbors, Monday's explosion and ensuing investigation may provide some relief to residents surrounding the suspected drug house.
"We're all hoping this will bring some resolution," said neighbor Rebecca Graves.
"Meth is a very bad toxic material," Amiad said. "This sort of thing shouldn't be tolerated."
This article was originally published in the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber on January 4, 2010.
UPDATE: Marshal gives description of Coupeville pharmacy armed robber
By JENNY MANNING
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES
Police have issued a description of the man who robbed Linds Pharmacy and Drug at gunpoint at 10:20 a.m. Monday in Coupeville.
In an email press release sent Monday afternoon, Coupeville Town Marshal David Penrod described the robber as approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a dark colored hooded jacket or sweatshirt, dark colored jeans, a black mask, and brandished a silver handgun.
Deputies with the Coupeville Marshal’s Office were on scene within one minute, closely followed by the Island County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies conducted an extensive search of the immediate area, but were unable to locate the suspect.
Coupeville deputies, Island County Sheriff's deputies and State Patrol troopers' vehicles flashed their lights along Main Street, Highway 20 and Broadway Avenue in an effort to set up a perimeter around the pharmacy.
"You've got to plug up the holes you know you have," said Lt. Evan Tingstad with the Island County Sheriff's Office.
Coupeville schools were locked down for more than an hour while deputies checked the areas surrounding them.
There were eight people in the store at the time of the robbery, including a pharmacist, two pharmacy assistants, two technicians and three college students who were helping with store inventory, general manager Adam Lind said. No one was injured during the robbery.
"The crew is a little shaken up," he said.
The man cleared out the pharmacy's supply of OxyContin, a highly addictive prescription pain medication.
"He took everything we had on the shelf in every strength," Lind said.
Investigators dusted for finger prints and lifted a shoe print the robber left after he vaulted over the front counter on his way out, Lind said.
The pharmacy remained open after the robbery and continued to filled prescription requests by customers who seemed unaware of the morning heist.
Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the incident and review the store's video surveillance system.
"The suspect is still at large and the investigation is being conducted by the Island County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Coupeville Marshal’s Office," Marshal Penrod wrote in the press release.
A Skagit County Sheriff's Office search dog and handler were initially called in to help with the search effort. The unit was called off because officials couldn't find anything to give the animals a scent trail, according to Island County Sheriff Mark Brown.
During the lock down, Coupeville Elementary School kids were kept in classrooms and the windows were blacked out. The exterior doors were locked at the high school and middle school. The district lifted the lock down at 11:45 a.m.
Anyone with information regarding the crime should contact Detective Sgt. Mike Beech of the Island County Sheriff’s Office, 678-4422, or call 911. Anonymous tips may be left with the Island County Tip Line at 679-7319.
More details about the lockdown and the reported robbery to follow.
This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on January 4, 2010.
Jenny Manning can be reached at jmanning@whidbeynewstimes.com.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES
Police have issued a description of the man who robbed Linds Pharmacy and Drug at gunpoint at 10:20 a.m. Monday in Coupeville.
In an email press release sent Monday afternoon, Coupeville Town Marshal David Penrod described the robber as approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a dark colored hooded jacket or sweatshirt, dark colored jeans, a black mask, and brandished a silver handgun.
Deputies with the Coupeville Marshal’s Office were on scene within one minute, closely followed by the Island County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies conducted an extensive search of the immediate area, but were unable to locate the suspect.
Coupeville deputies, Island County Sheriff's deputies and State Patrol troopers' vehicles flashed their lights along Main Street, Highway 20 and Broadway Avenue in an effort to set up a perimeter around the pharmacy.
"You've got to plug up the holes you know you have," said Lt. Evan Tingstad with the Island County Sheriff's Office.
Coupeville schools were locked down for more than an hour while deputies checked the areas surrounding them.
There were eight people in the store at the time of the robbery, including a pharmacist, two pharmacy assistants, two technicians and three college students who were helping with store inventory, general manager Adam Lind said. No one was injured during the robbery.
"The crew is a little shaken up," he said.
The man cleared out the pharmacy's supply of OxyContin, a highly addictive prescription pain medication.
"He took everything we had on the shelf in every strength," Lind said.
Investigators dusted for finger prints and lifted a shoe print the robber left after he vaulted over the front counter on his way out, Lind said.
The pharmacy remained open after the robbery and continued to filled prescription requests by customers who seemed unaware of the morning heist.
Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the incident and review the store's video surveillance system.
"The suspect is still at large and the investigation is being conducted by the Island County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Coupeville Marshal’s Office," Marshal Penrod wrote in the press release.
A Skagit County Sheriff's Office search dog and handler were initially called in to help with the search effort. The unit was called off because officials couldn't find anything to give the animals a scent trail, according to Island County Sheriff Mark Brown.
During the lock down, Coupeville Elementary School kids were kept in classrooms and the windows were blacked out. The exterior doors were locked at the high school and middle school. The district lifted the lock down at 11:45 a.m.
Anyone with information regarding the crime should contact Detective Sgt. Mike Beech of the Island County Sheriff’s Office, 678-4422, or call 911. Anonymous tips may be left with the Island County Tip Line at 679-7319.
More details about the lockdown and the reported robbery to follow.
This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on January 4, 2010.
Jenny Manning can be reached at jmanning@whidbeynewstimes.com.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Snohomish deputy shoots, kills man in Bothell
KOMO-TV
BOTHELL -- A Snohomish County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man during an altercation at a Bothell apartment complex early Thursday.
Police spokesman Robert Goetz did not say exactly what prompted the deputy to fire or whether the other man was armed.
Investigators said the incident began as a domestic dispute between a man, his daughter and the daughter's boyfriend just after 1 a.m. Police said the three lived together at the Archstone Northcreek apartments in the 20200 block of Bothell-Everett Highway
"It's not clear what happened inside the apartment," Goetz said.
When the deputy arrived, he found the man, the boyfriend and another man in the parking lot.
Some sort of altercation ensued and the deputy fired, hitting the boyfriend, who died on the way to a hospital.
"Something happened in that parking lot - some sort of disturbance - confrontation between the deputy and that individual. And shots were fired by the deputy, striking this male and killing him here at the scene."
The victim's name has not been released.
The deputy was not injured and investigators are still trying to piece together exactly what happened. Neighbors reported having heard yelling and gunshots being fired.
"The other male that was outside when the deputy arrived is a witness. He's a pretty key witness," Goetz said. "Once we have an opportunity to interview this independent witness we should have a more clear picture to provide to you."
That third man later told investigators that felt threatened by the boyfriend, and felt his life was in danger.
Goetz said the dead man's girlfriend is pregnant and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. Her father was also taken to a hospital to be treated for a stab wound to the face.
Detectives expected to be at the apartment complex for several hours collecting evidence and interviewing the people involved.
Investigators said the deputy is a 2-year veteran of the force and worked in law enforcement in the years prior. They said he had not discharged his weapon in public prior to Thursday's incident.
BOTHELL -- A Snohomish County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man during an altercation at a Bothell apartment complex early Thursday.
Police spokesman Robert Goetz did not say exactly what prompted the deputy to fire or whether the other man was armed.
Investigators said the incident began as a domestic dispute between a man, his daughter and the daughter's boyfriend just after 1 a.m. Police said the three lived together at the Archstone Northcreek apartments in the 20200 block of Bothell-Everett Highway
"It's not clear what happened inside the apartment," Goetz said.
When the deputy arrived, he found the man, the boyfriend and another man in the parking lot.
Some sort of altercation ensued and the deputy fired, hitting the boyfriend, who died on the way to a hospital.
"Something happened in that parking lot - some sort of disturbance - confrontation between the deputy and that individual. And shots were fired by the deputy, striking this male and killing him here at the scene."
The victim's name has not been released.
The deputy was not injured and investigators are still trying to piece together exactly what happened. Neighbors reported having heard yelling and gunshots being fired.
"The other male that was outside when the deputy arrived is a witness. He's a pretty key witness," Goetz said. "Once we have an opportunity to interview this independent witness we should have a more clear picture to provide to you."
That third man later told investigators that felt threatened by the boyfriend, and felt his life was in danger.
Goetz said the dead man's girlfriend is pregnant and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. Her father was also taken to a hospital to be treated for a stab wound to the face.
Detectives expected to be at the apartment complex for several hours collecting evidence and interviewing the people involved.
Investigators said the deputy is a 2-year veteran of the force and worked in law enforcement in the years prior. They said he had not discharged his weapon in public prior to Thursday's incident.
Authorities say survivalist is suspected car thief spotted in Bellevue
By JOSHUA ADAM HICKS
BELLEVUE REPORTER
Federal and state law-enforcement agencies have identified Bradley Steven Robinett as the man who jumped from a stolen Honda Pilot and avoided arrest after troopers spotted him at the Eastgate Park and Ride Nov. 24.
Robinett is believed to be armed at all times and possibly equipped with body armor. He is also known to be a survivalist who runs 3 miles per day, according to the State Patrol.
The Honda Pilot that authorities last saw him in was rigged with a curtain that snapped to the roofline to conceal his presence. The vehicle was reported stolen from the Portland area and bore a set of plates stolen in Vancouver, Wash.
Bainbridge Island police had a run-in with Robinett on Sept. 12, when they spotted him with another stolen Honda Pilot bearing stolen plates. Officers recovered a stolen handgun and stolen body armor in that case.
The State Patrol suspects Robinett was casing a bank when troopers spotted him at the Eastgate Park and Ride.
Robinett has an outstanding felony warrant for escape and unlawful possession of a firearm. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Washington State Patrol, and Bainbridge Island Police are among the agencies now looking for him.
The State Patrol says Robinett is probably living in stolen vehicles or outdoors in a secluded area.
This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on December 30, 2009.
Joshua Adam Hicks can be reached at jhicks@bellevuereporter.com.
BELLEVUE REPORTER
Federal and state law-enforcement agencies have identified Bradley Steven Robinett as the man who jumped from a stolen Honda Pilot and avoided arrest after troopers spotted him at the Eastgate Park and Ride Nov. 24.
Robinett is believed to be armed at all times and possibly equipped with body armor. He is also known to be a survivalist who runs 3 miles per day, according to the State Patrol.
The Honda Pilot that authorities last saw him in was rigged with a curtain that snapped to the roofline to conceal his presence. The vehicle was reported stolen from the Portland area and bore a set of plates stolen in Vancouver, Wash.
Bainbridge Island police had a run-in with Robinett on Sept. 12, when they spotted him with another stolen Honda Pilot bearing stolen plates. Officers recovered a stolen handgun and stolen body armor in that case.
The State Patrol suspects Robinett was casing a bank when troopers spotted him at the Eastgate Park and Ride.
Robinett has an outstanding felony warrant for escape and unlawful possession of a firearm. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Washington State Patrol, and Bainbridge Island Police are among the agencies now looking for him.
The State Patrol says Robinett is probably living in stolen vehicles or outdoors in a secluded area.
This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on December 30, 2009.
Joshua Adam Hicks can be reached at jhicks@bellevuereporter.com.
Man arrested after brief standoff in Sea-Tac bathroom
KOMO-TV STAFF
A man was arrested Friday evening after barricading himself in a rest room at Sea-Tac International Airport.
The incident did not cause any evacuations or flight delays, port officials said.
The man entered a small one-room family restroom in the airport just after 6 p.m. and refused to come out.
He told Port of Seattle police that he had a gun and wanted to fly somewhere but didn't have a ticket.
Airport officials shut down the south checkpoint, which is located behind the international flights ticket desk, and re-routed passengers through other checkpoints while negotiators spent more than two hours trying to convince the man to come out.
The restroom was not located near any gates, and there was only one door, so the man had no access to any other location.
The man was arrested about 7:45 p.m., but it was not immediately clear how police got the man out of the bathroom.
Officials said he was never armed.
A man was arrested Friday evening after barricading himself in a rest room at Sea-Tac International Airport.
The incident did not cause any evacuations or flight delays, port officials said.
The man entered a small one-room family restroom in the airport just after 6 p.m. and refused to come out.
He told Port of Seattle police that he had a gun and wanted to fly somewhere but didn't have a ticket.
Airport officials shut down the south checkpoint, which is located behind the international flights ticket desk, and re-routed passengers through other checkpoints while negotiators spent more than two hours trying to convince the man to come out.
The restroom was not located near any gates, and there was only one door, so the man had no access to any other location.
The man was arrested about 7:45 p.m., but it was not immediately clear how police got the man out of the bathroom.
Officials said he was never armed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)