Seattle police arrest man in slaying

Police late Thursday announced an arrest in the slaying of a man whose body was found at a downtown Seattle construction site. They added that a man killed in a Puyallup house explosion has no connection to the case.

Seattle police and Pierce County sheriff's detectives had been checking reports that Zane Dittman, 26, who was found dead following an explosion at the home where he was renting a room, once worked at the construction site where Noel Lopez, 25, was found dead Monday morning of injuries to the head and torso.

Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said his office had forwarded its information on the Puyallup case to Seattle.

But in a news release Thursday night, Seattle police Officer Jeffrey R. Kappel said Seattle homicide detectives "are confident that the subject involved in the recent house explosion in Puyallup is not connected to this case."

Steven Douglas Bauder, 22, was arrested Thursday evening in Federal Way and was questioned by homicide detectives, Kappel said. He was booked into jail early Friday for investigation of murder.

Late Monday night the couple that rented Dittman the room came home to find him making bombs, Pierce County sheriff's deputies said. Shortly after deputies arrived to investigate, the house was destroyed by an explosion and fire. Dittman's body was found in the rubble.