Local Digest
Store owner shoots robber

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Investigators said the robbery occurred at 4:19 p.m. when two masked men pointed their handguns at the store's owner and an employee, said Seattle police spokeswoman Deanna Nollette.

During the robbery, the 42-year-old store owner pulled out his own handgun and shot one of the men in the chest, police said.

The men fled the store in a green Jeep Cherokee and pulled into Harborview Medical Center, where one of them was treated for a gunshot wound, Nollette said. His condition was unknown last night.

Police are looking for the second man.

Bellevue man fatally injured skiing at Snoqualmie Pass

SNOQUALMIE PASS — A 19-year-old man was fatally injured yesterday afternoon while skiing at Summit Central at this Cascade Mountain pass, a ski-area spokesman said.

The dead man was Peter Melrose, a native of Bellevue and freshman at Central Washington University, according to statements from the university and the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office.

Melrose was injured in an afternoon fall at Summit Central, which is one of four ski areas along Interstate 90.

The accident "occurred around a tabletop feature within ... our freestyle park," said Guy Lawrence, marketing director for the Snoqualmie Summit Ski Area.
 
Ski-patrol members were nearby and reached Melrose "in less than a minute," Lawrence said.

They administered CPR en route down the slope, but paramedics declared him dead less than an hour after the fall.

"I don't know exactly how he fell," Lawrence said. "I haven't talked to anyone who actually witnessed his jump, but I'm sure that will come up in the subsequent investigation."

Melrose was a member of the men's cross-country running team at the university, according to a statement from the school. He was a 2003 graduate of Hazen High School, the university reported.

Kalakala move to Neah Bay delayed by lack of tugboat

SEATTLE — The Kalakala will not move from Lake Union to Neah Bay harbor in Clallam County this weekend as scheduled, said Dan Harris, a lawyer representing boat owner Steve Rodrigues.

Rodrigues held a news conference in Port Angeles last Saturday to announce that the 1930s ferry had found a temporary home with help from the Makah Tribal Council, which has offered free moorage in Neah Bay.

The ferry was scheduled to be mounted on floats today, with towing to start tomorrow.

Harris said the delay comes because Rodrigues arranged for only one tugboat to move the aging ferry, while the Coast Guard recommends two.

Harris said the ferry will be moved as soon as Rodrigues can arrange for two tugboats.

Rodrigues said he plans to moor the Kalakala in Neah Bay until August.

He is trying to finalize purchase of five acres of tidal wetlands in Everett now owned by Weyerhaeuser. He plans to move the ferry there in late summer and begin a three-year restoration, converting the old art-deco vessel into a restaurant and museum.

Corpuz pleads not guilty to drunken-driving charge

TACOMA — Former City Manager Ray E. Corpuz Jr., who lost his job in the City Hall uproar after Police Chief David Brame fatally shot his wife and committed suicide, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of drunken driving.

Corpuz, 56, was arrested late Wednesday in suburban University Place and booked into jail early Thursday, Pierce County sheriff's deputies said. Prosecutors filed the charge after he posted $500 bail and was released.

Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said deputies made the stop after seeing a Mercedes-Benz with two flat tires being driven on its rims, weaving in and out of a bicycle lane.

The car passed three parked patrol cars with their lights flashing despite a deputy's signal to pull over. A deputy standing beside one of the cruisers had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, Troyer said.

Deputies stopped Corpuz. They reported his breath smelled of alcohol and he refused to take a breath test or a field-sobriety test, Troyer said.

Acquitted man wants $50,000 for legal costs

EVERETT — Attorneys for a Lynnwood man acquitted of murder this week say they will seek to have their client reimbursed more than $50,000 for his legal costs and lost income.

The Snohomish County Superior Court jury that found Jason Fakih, 46, not guilty of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder Wednesday was brought back to court yesterday to determine whether Fakih qualifies for state compensation.

Because the jury agreed that Fakih was acting in self-defense when he shot two men last year, his attorneys can ask the Legislature to repay Fakih for attorney fees, court costs and wages he lost during the 8½ months he was in jail, said defense attorney Peter Camiel.

Camiel said yesterday that the process "is not very common" because it is used only for people found not guilty because they were acting in self-defense.

Camiel said that the trial judge will decide on the final monetary figure sent to Olympia.

On May 26, Fakih was confronted by brothers Trevor and Brian Crilly at Fakih's Lynnwood home.

Fakih fatally shot Trevor Crilly in the chest. Brian Crilly was shot three times after he stabbed Fakih. Brian Crilly survived.

Man sentenced to 12 years for killing girlfriend's baby

KENT — An Auburn man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing his girlfriend's 3-month-old son last year was sentenced to 12 years in prison yesterday.

The sentence, which is higher than a typical manslaughter sentence, was agreed upon by defense lawyers and prosecutors. Prosecutors had initially charged Ray Shilling with second-degree murder.

Prosecutors said Shilling was home alone with the baby, Kaden Isings, last March 11 when he became frustrated with the baby's crying and crushed the baby into the crib.

Shilling called 911 on March 13, saying the baby had stopped breathing.

The child died at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle from internal bleeding.

California man gets 37 years in girlfriend's slaying

SEATTLE — A former California man who killed his ex-girlfriend during a violent argument and injured a neighbor who tried to help was sentenced to more than 37 years in prison yesterday.

James K. Pak, 27, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Lori White, 24, in the lobby of her Lake City Way apartment building in September 2002 after she broke up with him.

The emotional and lengthy sentencing hearing in King County Superior Court was filled with relatives of both families.

According to Pak's lawyer, Pak was enraged and consumed with jealousy because White was dating another man and no longer wanted to see him. He said Pak admitted killing White but denied it was premeditated.

Judge Steven Scott followed the prosecutor's recommendation in giving the midrange sentence.

Aurora Avenue overpass won't be open until April

SEATTLE — The new overpass over Aurora Avenue North at Galer Street is a month behind schedule and won't be completed until April.

Construction, which began last year, has closed two lanes of Aurora for much of the year, causing heavy traffic jams. The project had been scheduled to be completed next month.

The $2.5 million overpass is a partnership between the state and city of Seattle and creates a pedestrian route across Aurora about eight blocks north of Seattle Center. It connects Queen Anne Hill with Lake Union.

Paul Johnson, assistant project engineer, said the job was delayed by the weather.

Also, he said, engineers discovered drain pipes that weren't on city maps. New drainage systems had to be installed. That added about $200,000 to the cost of the project.

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