The Seattle Times: The Blotter

Teen arrested after gunshots exchanged near Seattle Center

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 09:53:02 PDT

Seattle police arrested a 16-year-old boy after two groups of suspected gang members exchanged gunshots near Seattle Center Friday night.

Officers working a club-emphasis patrol around 11:30 p.m. at Broad and Thomas streets were talking to a group of people who had just left a club when they heard three gunshots coming from nearby.

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Police contacted club security officers, who provided a description of the people involved. Club security told police that two groups of what appeared to be rival gang members -- one group in red, the other in blue -- were involved in an argument on the street.

A member of a group standing on the north side of the street reportedly fired one gunshot at a group on the south side. Someone in the second group responded by firing two shots. It didn't appear that anyone was hit by the gunfire. Club security claimed neither group had been in the club or were in line to get in.

Police were able to detain one of the suspects and his friends at Fifth Avenue and Denny Way. Detectives recovered a stolen semi-auto handgun from a16-year-old boy, who was booked into Youth Services Center for investigation of violation of the Uniform Firearms Act.

The others were released at the scene.

Mercer Island man killed in motorcycle crash in Woodinville

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:16:03 PDT

A 68-year-old Mercer Island man was killed Friday morning when he "dumped" his motorcycle in an intersection and slid into another vehicle in Woodinville.

The man was riding a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 650 east on Northeast 195th Street around 9 a.m. when he made a left turn onto northbound Woodinville-Snohomish Road, crossing the intersection. At the same time, a 2004 Jeep Liberty, heading west on Northeast North Woodinville Way, crossed the same intersection.

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It appears the motorcycle went down and the rider slid into the second vehicle, hitting his head. He died at the scene. He was wearing a motorcycle helmet.

The name of the motorcyclist has not been released.

The Liberty was driven by a 17-year-old Woodinville boy.

Reckless driver assaults bicyclist and calls cops -- on himself

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:01:03 PDT

-- By Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge:

Police are asking prosecutors to file reckless driving and assault charges against a Seattle man who nearly ran down two bicyclists on First Avenue, opened his car door into one of them and then twice flipped the same bicyclist off his bike.

According to a Seattle police report released Friday, the two bicyclists were stopped at a red light near the 2800 block of First Avenue on Monday when a man in car raced up to the intersection and slammed on the brakes just before hitting the cyclists.

One bicyclist told police he made a "slow down" motion to the driver with his hand. But when the light turned green, the driver revved his engine, swerved around the bicyclists and sped off, according to the report.

One of the bicyclists followed the driver with the intention of getting the plate number, police said. When he approached the car, which had pulled over to park in the 2300 block of First Avenue, the driver opened his car door, striking the bicyclist, witnesses told police.

The victim fell from his bike and the driver got out of the car, police said.

The victim got back on his bike and planned to leave, he told police, but the driver stopped him by twice picking up the back wheel of his bike and flipping the rider over the handlebars.

The driver walked into a nearby bar on First Avenue, where he works as a bartender, and called police. The man told police that the bicyclist had intentionally run into his car.

When police arrived to talk with the man they noticed he "had a very strong aroma of alcohol on his breath," according to police. When one of the officers walked outside to his patrol car to see if he could get a portable Breathalyzer delivered to the scene, the bartender/driver went out the back door, police said.

Police didn't leave empty-handed, however. They impounded the man's car.

Several witnesses corroborated the bicyclist's story, police said.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt said Friday that the 33-year-old suspect remains at large and is being sought by police.

UPDATE: Man charged with killing wife at counseling session

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:46:03 PDT

A Pierce County man accused of killing his ex-wife during a counseling session at a Federal Way church was charged Friday with first-degree murder, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Charles "Chuck" Parson of Lakewood is scheduled for arraignment on March 30 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

According to police and prosecutors, the couple had been married for 12 years before divorcing last year. Parsons, 42, had hopes of reconciliation, but his ex-wife had moved on and was dating another man, charging documents allege.

When the counseling session began at Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way on Wednesday, Parsons allegedly said they were going to "get down to the nitty-gritty today" and then asked his ex-wife Carol Parsons, 38, whether she planned to continue dating her boyfriend, court documents allege.

When she said yes and refused to end the relationship, Charles Parsons walked across the room and retrieved a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun from the pocket of his coat, court documents allege. He fired the weapon six times, according to court documents, striking Carol Parsons five times.

Parsons then left the church, called 911 and told emergency dispatchers what he'd done, police said. He placed the gun on the hood of his truck, then lay down on the ground until police arrived, according to police.

To read more, click here.

Alleged killer of Seattle rapper arrested in Ohio

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:16:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge:

A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting last year of a Seattle rap performer and promoter on First Hill.

According to Seattle police, Tyrese Harrison was arrested Friday by a fugitive task force in Youngstown, Ohio. Police and prosecutors alleged in charging documents that Harrison shot and killed 22-year-old Max Gasoi on Ninth Avenue near St. James Cathedral on Nov. 27.

Relatives of Gasoi said the native New Yorker had moved to Seattle and recently incorporated a record label called So Hood Records. They said he had been having success promoting material he performed under the name, "AKshun Tha Don."

On a social networking page, Gasoi wrote, "They call me AKshun 'cause my life is like a action movie."

According to prosecutors who filed second-degree murder charges against Harrison in December, Harrison shot Gasoi in the chest then fled with a grocery bag full of marijuana.

B-town Blog: Hit-and-run leaves huge mess in Three Tree Point

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:01:03 PDT

A hit-and-run accident around dusk Thursday night in Burien's Three Tree Point neighborhood caused a lot of damage to a parked Toyota Corolla and a protective wall outside a house, according to B-townblog.com.

"We were eating dinner and we heard this incredibly loud noise," a woman named Rachel, who lives in the house where the wall was damaged, tells B-townblog. "I was honestly afraid that someone was driving through the wall of our home."

In addition to damaging the parked car and destroying the retaining wall on Southwest 172nd Street, the car vehicle plowed into a mailbox before taking off. Witnesses reportedly took down a license plate number and the police were called. Rachel says it took police two hours to respond.

"I thought our neighbors were putting their garbage out," Terry Haigh, another neighbor, tells the blog. "But then I thought 'man, they've sure got a lot of garbage' because it was really loud."

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Click on the link above to see photos of the hit-and-run aftermath.

PHOTO: Suspect identified in Clearview shooting

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:16:03 PDT

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF'S PHOTO

Robert James Scott

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office has released more information on the shooting Wednesday morning of a man in the Clearview area of Snohomish County.

The man suspected of the shooting has been identified as Robert James Scott, 36, a convicted felon. The Sheriff's Office has probable cause to arrest Scott for first-degree assault and first-degree burglary in connection with the shooting.

The Sheriff's Office says Scott is suspected of shooting the victim in a dispute over stolen Lexus rims.

Scott confronted the victim outside the house of a third party in the 17700 block of Broadway Avenue in unincorporated Snohomish County and chased the victim inside, the Sheriff's Office said. Once inside, he knocked the victim to the floor and stood over him. He then shot the victim once in the hip/groin area, the Sheriff's Office said.

The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Days before the shooting, according to the Sheriff's Office, Scott had confronted the victim and threatened to "take care of him" if he failed to return the alleged stolen rims and pay an outstanding drug debt.

Scott is 5-feet-9 and 210 pounds, with green eyes. He is known to frequent south and central Snohomish County

The Sheriff's Office says Scott was joined by three or four other men, all of whom had masks covering their faces. The men were armed with large knives. One of the men stabbed a man who was also inside of the house at the time. The second victim received one minor wound and did not require hospitalization.

Anyone who sees Scott is asked to call the sheriff's tip line at 425-388-3845.

Woman struck by vehicle early Friday morning

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:45:48 PDT

A 45-year-old woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center following a car-pedestrian accident early Friday in Seattle's View Ridge neighborhood.

According to the Seattle Fire Department, the woman was struck and critically injured near the intersection of Northeast 45th Street and 36th Avenue Northeast.

We will have more details as they become available.

Daily News: Port Angeles cops looking for funny money

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:46:02 PDT

Police in Port Angeles are wondering if $4,000 in funny money is floating around town.

A man suspected of passing counterfeit money, Nathan Wayne Terry, sent a text message indicating he had tossed $4,000 in fake bills in a trash bin in downtown Port Angeles, according to the Peninsula Daily News. Terry was later arrested but the bills haven't turned up despite some Dumpster-diving by police.

"We checked all the Dumpsters and recycle bins and so forth," Port Angeles Detective Bruce Knight tells the Daily News.

Police say it's unclear whether the stash was dropped in a trash bin and then later taken to the dump, or whether someone is holding on to it.

Terry was arrested March 10 after he handed a clerk at Liquid Fuels, 210 E. First St., a phony $20. The clerk called police and Terry fled, but was arrested later in the day.

Terry has been charged with forgery as well as an unrelated charge of residential burglary in Clallam County Superior Court. Two others, Estene Marie Pass, 41, and Michael Harry Lyman, 49, were arrested the next day at a residence where police believe the counterfeiting operation was located, the Daily News reports.

Pass is charged with forgery and possession of marijuana. Lyman is charged with forgery, possession of methamphetamine and three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

Lyman and Pass allegedly used a computer and printer to make the fake bills.

Bainbridge Island police investigate recent Dumpster fires

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:31:03 PDT

Authorities on Bainbridge Island say two recent Dumpster fires, including one on Wednesday night, were likely started by the same person or persons.

The first fire was reported at 3:45 p.m. on March 11, in a trash bin behind the Safeway store on Highschool Road. The fire was quickly extinguished.

At 8:50 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to 123 Bjune Drive for another Dumpster fire, this time in a parking garage. A witness reported seeing a teen male in the area prior to the fire. The witness said he confronted the teen, who ran away.

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In both arsons the Dumpsters were significantly damaged.

The witness could only provided a limited description of the teen in the second arson, police said. He was about 5-feet-8, 120 pounds, with longer-than-collar-length hair.

Anyone with suspect information on the fires is asked to call the Bainbridge Island Police Department at 206-842-5211.

Carjacking and chase results in more prison time for felon

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:16:04 PDT

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS PHOTO

James Pauley is heading back to a familiar place.

James Pauley wasted no time getting sent back to the clink after his release from jail early last year.

Pauley had only been a free man for all of four days when he was arrested for carjacking a man at knife-point in Kirkland and then leading police on a chase that ended in a crash on Interstate 5.

A jury Thursday morning found Pauly, 25, guilty of several charges what will result in more time behind bars. A lot more. Pauley was found guilty of second-degree assault, first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon, attempting to elude and vehicular assault, said King County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Nielsen.

While Pauley faces a standard-range sentence topping out at nearly 17 years in prison, Nielsen said his office will likely seek an exceptional sentence. A sentencing date has not been set.

Pauley, who is originally from West Virginia, has amassed a long criminal record of burglary, theft, assault and other convictions since arriving in the area several years ago, court records show. He has been jailed at least nine times in the past two years.

According to charging documents, the owner of a 1996 Jaguar was sitting in his car at the park-and-ride lot on 116th Way Northeast in Kirkland around noon on Feb. 14, 2009, when Pauley pulled a knife and ordered the man from the car. Pauley then drove away.

A few minutes later, Medina Police Officer Michael Girias spotted the Jaguar heading west on Highway 520 and began a pursuit. The pursuit led across Lake Washington to the southbound lanes of Interstate 5, where Pauley swerved across the freeway from shoulder to shoulder, the court documents say. At one point he nearly crashed into a marked Seattle police car.

Finally, the Jaguar rolled over police "stop sticks" that had been placed in the road to halt the chase, and slammed into several other cars. A 28-year-old woman whose car was struck still has to walk with a cane, Nielsen said.

Pauley had recently been released from jail after serving several months for burglary and theft.

Man arrested in fatal beating of Federal Way man released for lack of evidence

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:31:03 PDT

From staff writer Marc Ramirez

The 42-year-old relative of a Federal Way man beaten to death in Lewis County was released Wednesday afternoon, Lewis County Jail officials said.

The Centralia Chronicle reported that the relative, arrested for investigation of second-degree murder in the death of Guy LaFontaine, 58, was set free for lack of immediate evidence.

LaFontaine died Sunday from blunt-force injuries to the head, torso and extremities, the King County Medical Examiner's Office said. His death has been ruled a homicide.

The assault happened Saturday in Randle, Lewis County.

Beer thieves bowl over elderly woman in Everett

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:24:51 PDT

Have you seen these guys? Everett police are hoping you recognize one or more of the knuckleheads who stole beer from a supermarket last month and then bowled over a 74-year-old woman making their getaway.

At about 3 p.m. on Feb. 26, three young men dashed out of the Safeway store at 4128 Rucker Ave. after grabbing several cases of beer. As they ran to a waiting car just outside the exit, one of the thieves ran into the woman, knocking her to the ground. She suffered a head injury, police said.

The first segment of the video shows the thieves running out off the store, where one slams into the woman. The second segment -- which shows their faces -- is from just inside the store entrance.

The three thieves caught on the surveillance video are two white males and a black male. All appear to be in their late teens to early 20s. A fourth person was in the getaway car, which appears to be white Ford Taurus sedan with a dent in the right rear quarter panel. There is no description of the getaway driver.

Anyone who recognizes any of the thieves or the car is asked to call the Everett Police Department Tip Line at 425-257-8459.

Troopers make four DUI arrests during Wednesday morning commute

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:31:03 PDT

Specially trained State Patrol troopers arrested four impaired drivers Wednesday morning on King County roads and highways. One driver was drunk and three others were impaired by drugs, according to the State Patrol.

The arrests:

-- At approximately 6:50 a.m., a repeat DUI offender pulled out of a parking lot and hit a school bus that was heading north on the Benson Highway near 208th Street in Kent. The bus was not carrying any children and the driver was not injured. The suspect, a 49-year-old Kent man, was treated for minor injuries and was arrested for suspicion of DUI.

-- At about 7:50 a.m., a driver was stopped for speeding through a congested 20 mph school zone on Highway 203 near Tolt Middle School in Carnation. The driver, a 26-year-old Issaquah man, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, driving with a suspended license and possession of marijuana, the State Patrol.

Just before 10 a.m., several witnesses called 911 to report an erratic vehicle heading north on Highway 169 through Maple Valley. Troopers and King County sheriff's deputies stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver, a 24-year-old Kent man, for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and reckless driving. This was the suspect's second DUI arrest, the State Patrol says.

At about 11:20 a.m., a trooper working southbound Interstate 405 in Bothell stopped a vehicle for unsafe lane travel. The driver, a 23-year-old Everett man, was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of drugs and possession of marijuana.

Last year, the national Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program began teaching Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) classes to troopers and officers all over the country. ARIDE is a class designed to make law enforcement officers more proficient at detecting, apprehending, testing and prosecuting impaired drivers who are impaired by more than just alcohol.

All of the troopers involved in Wednesday's arrests are either DRE or ARIDE trained, the State Patrol says.

Tossed from strip club, man responds with gun play

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:16:03 PDT

An Edmonds man who was reportedly angry that he had been kicked out of the Deja Vu strip club near Pike Place Market has been charged after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a stranger who he thought was laughing at him. Carlos Chaidez was charged Tuesday with second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to court charging papers, Chaidez, 18, and a friend were kicked out of the Deja Vu on March 11 after the friend, also 18, allegedly groped a 20-year-old dancer and exposed his penis, court charging papers said.

About a half-hour later, a 25-year-old man drove into the parking lot and approached Chaidez and the other man. The two men thought the older man was laughing at them so Chaidez retrieved a pistol from his Range Rover. He placed the pistol against the man's chest, neck and chin and ordered the man to leave. The man complied.

Seattle police were called and Chaidez was arrested.

When police found the weapon, a bullet was in the chamber and the safety was off, police said.

Man accused of hate crime after grabbing woman's posterior

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:31:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge:

Seattle police have arrested a 52-year-old man on suspicion of a assault after he allegedly groped a woman and uttered racial epithets, according to a police report released Wednesday. The incident is also being investigated as a hate crime, police said.

According to police, the suspect, a transient, was loitering in the doorway of a woman's apartment in the 500 block of Maynard Avenue South on March 9 when she walked by him. The man allegedly grabbed her buttocks and called her a "big-butted white girl," police said. The man is black.

The 53-year-old woman later told police she felt violated and was frightened by the man's behavior and words. She went upstairs to tell her boyfriend what happened, according to the report.

The boyfriend and the victim went back downstairs to confront the man. This time, the man reached toward the woman with both hands and called her a racial epithet, according to police. The boyfriend then pushed the suspect to the ground and held him down for several minutes, according to the police report.

The man smelled strongly of alcohol when he was arrested, the report alleges. The arresting officer said the man was angry and yelled racial epithets at the white officer. The officer said he thought the man "was going to assault him, with a head butt or something." As the man was being escorted from the police car to the precinct his pants fell down and he tripped over them, according to the report.

According to Seattle Police Department spokesman Jeff Kappel, the combination of racial slurs and alleged assault qualifies the case as a "bias crime" or malicious harassment, the state's version of a hate crime. Kappel said the case has not yet been referred to prosecutors.

'Vampire' who prompted downtown bomb scare charged

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:46:03 PDT

A mentally ill man who caused a bomb scare in downtown Seattle last when he walked into a homeless shelter wearing what appeared to be a pipe bomb and claiming to be a vampire was charged Wednesday with threats to bomb or injure property.

Vladimir Lestat Augustine, 33, was arrested Friday morning after police said he walked into the front lobby of the Union Gospel Mission, announced that he was a vampire and demanded to be let into the day room so he could feast on the people inside, court charging papers said. Augustine, whose body was wrapped in black electrical tape, then told staff at the mission that he was "a space cowboy," and raised his arm to show a metal object taped to his body. Augustine announced that he was armed with a bomb.

But when told to leave by staff members, he complied, charging documents said.

Seattle police were called and found Augustine laying on the sidewalk in front of the Drexel Grocery near the corner of Third Avenue and James Street. Police said that Augustine was laying face down on the pavement screaming.

SWAT team officers instructed Augustine on how to remove the device from his arm, which he did. Police later inspected the device and found that it was not a bomb -- instead it was a solid brass pipe, brass couplings and other pieces of metal, charging papers said.

Augustine was arrested and booked into the King County Jail. He has recently been convicted of a drug charge, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Craig Peterson said in court documents.

Authorities say that Augustine has a history of mental illness. He had been in King County Mental Health Court the day before his arrest on a previous drug charge, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecutor's Office. During the hearing he told the district court judge that his medication was not working and the judge ordered him to appear in court the following week.

The man appeared stable to the judge at the time of the hearing, said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff at the prosecutor's office. Goodhew said that a mental health evaluation was ordered for the man, but had not been completed.

According to charging papers, Vladimir Lestat Augustine is the man's real name -- in case those familiar with Dracula inspiration "Vlad the Impaler" and Anne Rice's "The Vampire Lestat" are wondering.

Two men charged after drug bust at Lakeside School parking lot

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:46:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Mike Carter:

Two men have been charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin after they were arrested Monday in the parking lot of Lakeside School in Seattle.

A complaint filed in U.S. District Court says children played in a soccer field nearby as federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents moved on the rendezvous between two cars in the parking lot. Agents had followed the cars there by listening to broadcasts over a transmitter hidden on a confidential source in one of the vehicles.

Agents found $11,200 in currency in one car and 2 1/2 pounds of heroin and an ounce of suspected methamphetamine in the other. The driver of the first car was identified as Victor Hugo Gutama. The second car was driven by Teodoro Contreras, and also contained a 15-year-old girl who told agents that Contreras had promised he'd drop her off after the drug deal.

The girl was not arrested, but both men were.

Both men are charged with a single count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, which carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Neither of the men were affiliated with the school so it's unclear why they chose the school for the drug deal.

Seattle soccer hooligans choke Timbers fan with scarf

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:46:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge:

Soccer hooligans in Seattle?

A Portland Timbers fan who became involved in what he thought was "friendly rivalry banter" with three Sounders FC fans after Seattle lost to Portland last Thursday ended up being choked and dragged him around by his Timbers scarf, according to a police report released Wednesday morning.

According to the report, the 28-year-old Timbers fan was near the intersection of Second Avenue and Yesler Way on his way to catch a bus to his hotel when he got into some trash talk with three men who were wearing Sounders scarves. The victim told police the three Sounders fans followed him until they caught up to him in the 200 block of Yesler Way.

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The Sounders fans -- who were now covering their faces with their scarves -- grabbed the Portland fan's scarf and tried to pull it off of him, police said. They also punched the victim in the face, police said.

The three Seattle fans then choked the victim with his scarf and dragged around the sidewalk, according to police.

According to police, the victim was not seriously injured. But police couldn't find the assailants because there were dozens of men in the street with Sounders' scarves.

Man shot in groin during confrontation near Clearview

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:16:04 PDT

Snohomish County sheriff's detectives are investigating a shooting early Wednesday that occurred in the 17700 block of Broadway Avenue in unincorporated Snohomish County.

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Someone at the house called 911 about 1:30 a.m. to report a shooting.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a 30-year-old man who was visiting the house was outside when he was confronted by four or five men. The victim apparently knows the men and was afraid of them so he ran back in the house. The suspects followed the man and one of them shot the victim in the groin. The suspects fled.

The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he is reportedly in critical condition.

No arrests have been made.

Police report details last Friday's assault of Metro bus driver

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:46:02 PDT

-- From Seattle Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge:

A police report released Wednesday provides more details on the assault last Friday of a King County Metro bus driver in the Rainier Valley. A 26-year-old Seattle man was arrested after he allegedly attacked and threatened the driver on Route 8.

Seattle police were called to the 5100 block of South Henderson Street around 6:30 a.m. Friday after the driver reported that a passenger had threatened to kill her. She said she was "terrified" of the suspect.

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According to the police report, the passenger boarded the bus and dropped 34 cents into the fare box -- far less than the $2.25 fare. The man then went to the back of the bus, where he argued with another passenger. The man then returned to the front of the bus and demanded the driver give him back his change.

The man then grabbed the driver by the collar. The bus driver managed to kick the man away and he responded by threatening to kill her, according to the police report. The man then got off the bus and threw something at the windshield of the bus, according to police.

Police located a man matching the suspect's description about an hour later. He told police that the driver had kicked him when he reached for a transfer.

Police discovered the man, who had a crack pipe on him, was wanted on two outstanding warrants. He was arrested and booked into King County Jail on the warrants and investigation of robbery.

In January, another female Metro bus driver was knocked unconscious when she was attacked while driving her route. The driver, a 56-year-old grandmother of five, was found bleeding and taken to a hospital.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of assault in connection with the attack.

More police headed to downtown Seattle

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:16:02 PDT

Starting April 1, Seattle police plan to redeploy some bicycle patrols to foot beats in Belltown, Pioneer Square and the Chinatown International District, police announced Wednesday morning.

The foot beats are designed to increase police visibility and presence by providing more direct interactions with people on the street, police said.

Click here for more details.

We will post more details shortly.

Pistol-packing bar owner, rowdy patron arrested after melee

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:01:03 PDT

Two people were arrested early Wednesday morning after a street fight erupted into gunfire in the 2100 block of Second Avenue.

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Shortly after midnight, police responded to reports of a fight and shots fired. When police arrived they calmed down the combatants and got differing accounts of what happened.

Officers were eventually able to determine that a 22-year-old man was inside a bar when a disturbance broke out after the staff refused to serve him alcohol. Some witnesses said the man was armed with a knife and was attempting to cut people.

A police account doesn't name the bar.

The disturbance then spilled outside, where the man broke a 5X5 plate-glass window in the front of the bar. The owner of a bar -- a 33-year-old woman -- retrieved a pistol from the bar and fired it toward the group of people who were fighting outside. No one was hit.

The bar owner went back inside the bar and handed the gun to someone. When police asked for the handgun, she initially gave the officers a different handgun. The pistol that had been fired was eventually found hidden in a kitchen trash can.

The man who started the whole mess was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault and malicious mischief. The bar owner was arrested and booked for investigation of assault.

Daily News: Former Clallam County employee charged with theft

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:16:03 PDT

Catherine Betts, a former cashier in the Clallam County Treasure's Office suspected of embezzling $617,000 in public funds, has been charged with theft, according to the Peninsula Daily News.

Assistant state Attorney General Scott Marlow filed the first-degree theft charge on Tuesday in Clallam County Superior Court. Betts has been summoned to appear in court on April 23, the Daily News reports.

A fraud investigator with the state Auditor's Office reported last month that Betts had allegedly embezzled at least $617,467 in public funds. But he noted that "the actual amount of the loss cannot be determined."

Though the stolen funds are covered by county insurance, there is little probability they will ever be recovered, Marlow told a meeting of Clallam County and Port Angeles city officials on Feb. 17.

Betts was in charge of processing real estate excise taxes, preparing daily cash reconciliations, deposits and tax affidavits and prepared monthly reports of taxes collected.

Betts, of Shelton, was placed on administrative leave on May 19 and terminated two months later. Authorities say she is not a flight risk.

Cab driver pleads not guilty to vehicular homicide

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:31:03 PDT

A taxi driver who allegedly caused a fatal three-car accident on Interstate 5 near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in November pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to a charge of vehicular homicide.

Waleligne Afele, 36, was arraigned Tuesday. He was booked into the King County Jail on Thursday and ordered held on $100,000 bail, according to jail records.

He was ordered to return to court for a case setting hearing on April 6 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

According to charging documents filed last Wednesday:

Afele, a driver for Stita Taxi, was driving south on I-5 around 6 a.m. on Nov. 18 when he made an abrupt lane change toward the Highway 518 exit ramp. His cab struck a Toyota Land Cruiser being driven by David Doerr, causing Doerr, 43, to lose control of his vehicle. The Land Cruiser struck the curb and flipped over. The driver of a Toyota Camry was unable to stop and struck the driver's side of the Land Cruiser.

Doerr died at the scene. A passenger in the Toyota Camry was treated for minor injuries.

Afele was not hurt in the crash. When he talked to State Patrol investigators he claimed that the driver of the Land Cruiser had suddenly changed lanes and caused the crash, court charging papers said. Afele later told investigators that he wanted to talk to a lawyer.

Two women who had hired Afele to take them to the airport said that Afele was about to miss the exit ramp when he cut across the freeway. One passenger said that the taxi struck the raised curbing that separated the exit ramp from I-5, went over the curb and hit the Land Cruiser, charging papers said.

Investigators believe that Afele was traveling between 55 and 60 mph when he struck Doerr's vehicle, charging papers said.

Man wanted in Everett nightclub shooting arrested in Arizona

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:46:03 PDT

A man wanted on connection with the Jan. 12 shooting at an Everett nightclub has been arrested in Arizona, Everett police said Tuesday.

Anthony Leroy Pines was arrested early Monday morning while in possession of a stolen vehicle in Maricopa County, Ariz. Pines was booked under the alias Edward Thompson after it appears he lied to law enforcement about his true identity, Everett police said.

Specific details regarding the circumstances of his arrest were not immediately available.

According to police, two women and one man were wounded around 1:30 a.m. when a man fired a handgun into McCabe's American Music Cafe after being kicked out for trying to steal a bottle of liquor. The three victims were shot at random.

None of their injuries was life-threatening

UPDATE: Power outages spread to West Seattle and Greenwood

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:16:03 PDT

Seattle City Light now says about 9,000 customers have been or are affected by power outages. Added to the list were Greenwood (scene of a short outage) and West Seattle. Earlier, City Light said they were experiencing outages in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle.

The first outage in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park is affecting about 2,800 homes and businesses. Its general boundaries are Northeast 201 Street on the north, Northeast 165th Street on the south, 49th Place Northeast on the east and Corliss Avenue West on the west.

The second outage is affecting about 660 homes and businesses in Georgetown. Its general boundaries were South Dakota Street on the north, South Holden Street on the south, 16th Avenue South on the east and 2nd Avenue South on the west.

About 2,800 customers in West Seattle were now without power. The general boundaries of the outage were Southwest Findlay Street on the north, Southwest Henderson Street on the south, 34th Avenue Southwest on the east and Puget Sound on the west.

In Greenwood, 3,000 customers briefly lost power about 2:20 p.m. Service was restored within 15 minutes.

Man behind downtown bomb scare says meds aren't working

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge:

A man who claimed to be a hungry vampire and shut down several blocks of downtown Seattle on Friday by threatening to blow up a homeless shelter was waiting for a mental health evaluation at a state hospital, prosecutors said.

The 33-year-old man was arrested for investigation of threats to bomb and is being held on $150,000 bail. Prosecutors have until Wednesday to file charges, according to Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Several streets were closed shortly after 8 a.m. Friday when the man, who had taped what appeared to be a pipe bomb to his body, entered a homeless shelter. He said he wanted food, explaining that food meant "people" to vampires. He then threatened to blow the place up, according to police.

Once the man went outside, police told him to lie down, which he did. Officers then gave the man a pair of surgical scissors and instructed him to remove the pipe, and he complied.

The section of pipe "looked real enough to enough people," said police spokesman Mark Jamieson. But the device turned out to be non-explosive.

According to Goodhew, the man appeared Mental Health Court on Thursday in connection with a previous drug charge. During the hearing, he told the King County District Court judge that his medication was not working and the judge ordered him to appear in court the following week.

According to Goodhew, the man appeared stable to the judge at the time of the hearing.

Goodhew said that a mental health evaluation was ordered for the man, but had not been completed.

"We have delays in how quickly we get the evaluations from the state hospital," Goodhew said. He said the hospital gives priority evaluations to people who are in custody over people who are not.

Suspended Husky football player surrenders to police

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:01:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Sara Jean Green:

Andru Pulu, a University of Washington football player who was indefinitely suspended from the team last week, turned himself in to Seattle police Tuesday morning and was booked into the King County Jail on investigation of assault.

"He turned himself in," said Seattle police spokeswoman Rene Witt, though she could not provide details of Pulu's surrender. According to jail records, he was booked at 8:55 a.m. Tuesday.

Prosecutors say they expect to charge Pulu later in the week.

Pulu, a defensive end, was suspended indefinitely from the UW football team for a violation of team rules, coach Steve Sarkisian announced last Tuesday in a statement released by the school. The release said the UW athletic department and coach will have no further comment on the matter.

Last week, The Times obtained a police report detailing an assault investigation involving Pulu. The incident report had the names of the alleged suspect, victim and witnesses blacked out.

According to the report, a 22-year-old man was attacked after trying to break up a fight between two people he didn't know at a house party just north of the UW campus. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken nose and possible check fracture, according to the police report.

An officer wrote in the report that he was dispatched to University of Washington Medical Center just after 3 a.m. on March 7 and interviewed the injured 22-year-old man in the emergency room.

He told the officer he was at a party in the 5000 block of 15th Avenue Northeast and saw a man arguing with another person just after 12:30 a.m. on March 7, the report says. He tried to break up the fight, telling the man, "It's not that big of a deal," at which point the man grabbed the 22-year-old's neck, telling him, "It is that big of a deal," according to the police report.

The 22-year-old, who said he didn't recognize the man, "does not remember anything" after that, the report says.

According to two witnesses, the man struck the 22-year-old in the face, knocked him to the ground, and stomped on his right temple, the police report says.

The man then "left in an unknown direction," according to the report. He is described as a light-skinned black male, 18 to 21 years old, 6-feet-1 and 250 pounds with a muscular build.

The 22-year-old "has a broken nose and possibly a fractured cheek bone," the officer wrote. "I observed severe swelling to the left side" of his face and "a boot print on his right temple."

Pulu, a graduate of Federal Way High School, will be a sophomore in 2010 and was expected to contend for significant playing time, if not a starting role.

Pulu, 6-1, 251 pounds, played in 11 games as a freshman in 2009, making two tackles, and was credited with half of a sack against Idaho. He also played regularly on the kickoff-return team.

Durkan inducted into American College of Trial Lawyers

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:46:03 PDT

-- From Times staff reporter Mike Carter:

Jenny Durkan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor bestowed on fewer than one percent of lawyers in the U.S. and Canada.

Durkan and a Department of Justice colleague, Ed Yarbrough, the U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Tennessee, were inducted into the organization at a ceremony last weekend in Palm Desert, Calif., according to the Web site, Main Justice.

The 5,700-member American College of Trial lawyers is considered among the country's most prestigious legal organizations. Membership is by invitation only.

Durkan, who has been U.S. Attorney since October, told Main Justice: "It was a great honor to be asked to join ACTL, which has so many great lawyers and leaders in its ranks."

Waterland Blog: Des Moines police chief to step down in June

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:16:03 PDT

Roger Baker, Des Moines' police chief since 2004, plans to retire in mid-June, the TheWaterlandBlog.com is reporting.

The announcement came as a surprise, according to the blog. Baker had given no indication, at least publicly, that he was thinking about retirement at this time.

But he told TheWaterlandBlog late Monday, "I feel the time is right and I'm anxious to move on with other opportunities."

Baker said he plans to work as a law enforcement consultant.

Before becoming Des Moines police chief in January 2004, he was chief of the Anaheim, Calif., Police Department from 1999 through 2003.

Overheated electrical cords spark two Seattle fires

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:31:03 PDT

The Seattle Fire Department is warning residents of the dangers of overheated electrical cords after battling two fires on Sunday and Monday due to the hazard.

Just before 1 a.m. Monday, firefighters responded to a duplex fire at 1128 North 91st Street in the Northgate neighborhood. Although firefighters managed to contain the fire to a single room, it still caused about $35,000 in damage. The resident was able to get out safely.

Investigators determined that the fire was accidental, caused by an overheated electrical cord.

Just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, firefighters battled a fire in a single-story commercial building at 7214 Woodlawn Avenue Northeast in the Green Lake neighborhood. No one was inside the business. Firefighters determined the fire was accidental and caused by an overheated electrical cord. Damage was estimated at $130,000.

The blog, MyGreenLake.com, has more details and photos from the fire scene.

The Fire Department says extension cords and power strips are designed to provide a temporary power source and should be unplugged when not in use. When shopping for an extension device, look for a power strip or surge protector with an internal circuit breaker that will trip the breaker when overloaded. Here are a few more tips:

-- Never overload extension cords or wall sockets and never run cords under rugs or place in high-traffic areas.

--There should only be one surge protector or power strip plugged into a single duplex electrical outlet.

--Power strips vary in their capacity but should only be used for items that require light loads such as computers, printers and clocks, for example. They are not made to handle refrigerators or portable heaters.

-- If an extension cord or power strip feels hot to the touch, replace it.

-- Do not connect one extension cord or power strip to another.

-- Make sure the power strip has been tested by an independent testing agency such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or the Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL).

Man sentenced in massive casino-cheating scheme

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:31:03 PDT

A man who led a major ring that ripped off casinos throughout the U.S., including Washington state, was sentenced Monday in San Diego to 70 months in prison. According to federal prosecutors, Phuong Quoc Truong and members of his "Tran Organization" cheated casinos of up to $7 million.

In addition to the prison term, Truong was ordered to forfeit $2.7 million and pay $5.7 million in restitution to several casinos. The court also ordered the forfeiture of Truong's interests in two houses in the San Diego area, two properties in Vietnam, a 2001 Porsche Carrera, a Rolex watch and a diamond-encrusted pendant.

Truong pleaded guilty on April 2, 2008, to conspiracy to participate in the affairs of a racketeering enterprise.

According to the three indictments involving members of the Tran Organization, the defendants and others executed a "false shuffle" cheating scheme at casinos in the U.S. and Canada during blackjack and mini-baccarat games. The indictments allege that members of the criminal organization bribed casino card dealers and supervisors to perform false shuffles during card games, thereby creating "slugs" or groups of unshuffled cards. The indictments also allege that after tracking the order of cards dealt in a card game, a member of the organization would signal to the card dealer to perform a "false shuffle," and members of the group would then bet on the known order of cards when the slug appeared on the table.

Among those indicted in connection with the scam was Jacob Nickels, the son of then-Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. He was sentenced to three months in prison in December 2007.

The Washington casinos hit in the scam were the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma and the Nooksack River Casino in Deming.

Father, son's animal cruelty trial ends in mistrial, acquittal

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:46:04 PDT

King County prosecutors will not retry a Tukwila man after his first trial on animal-cruelty charges ended in a mistrial on Friday. His son was found not guilty of the same charge on Friday.

A jury on Friday found Travis Hedin, of North Bend, not guilty, His father,Terrance Hedin, was freed after a mistrial was declared due to a hung jury. Jurors deliberated in the case for nearly two days.

According to court charging documents:

Terrance Hedin wanted to put down the male Rottweiler because the dog had bitten the younger man's wife several times within two months. Last May, the two men drove out to a wooded area near North Bend and tied the dog to a tree near a steep embankment, prosecutors said.

The men shot the dog while it was still tied to the tree. The dog fell over the embankment, prosecutors said.

The dog, who was named Maynard, was hit by three bullets. He had to be euthanized by King County Animal Care and Control several days later because the animal was in pain and paralyzed, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said it is legal for pet owners to euthanize an animal provided that it is done humanely.

Fire doused in vacant Auburn home

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:01:03 PDT

Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority battled a fire in a vacant home in the 400 block of Third Street Northeast just before noon Monday.

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The first fire crews to arrive found smoke coming from a basement window. Fires in the basement and the first floor of the home were quickly extinguished.

Fire investigators remained on the scene just before 1 p.m., but no cause was immediately determined.

Man pleads not guilty to 38-year-old Seattle murder

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:16:02 PDT

A 71-year-old Everett man charged with a 38-year-old slaying in Seattle pleaded not guilty Monday morning to first-degree murder.

Samuel Evans was in a wheelchair when he was arraigned in King County Superior Court.

Evans is accused of breaking into Jackson and Daisy Schley's house on Jan. 9, 1972, and confronting the couple when they returned home. Evans fatally shot Jackson Schley, a 58-year-old retired shoe repairman, and forced Daisy Schley, 46, into his car and drove her to a wooded area, where he raped her, prosecutors said.

He later drove her to another spot, where he struck her over the head with a blunt object and left her for dead. Daisy Schley suffered two injuries to her head, including a wound that appeared to have been caused by a bullet, charging papers said.

The slaying and rape had gone unsolved for years until last November, when investigators matched DNA from Evans with DNA found on Daisy Schley's clothing.

Because Evans is a convicted sex offender, he was required to give a DNA sample when he moved to Washington state after recently being released from a Nevada prison.

King County prosecutors cannot charge Evans with the rape because the statute of limitations expired three years after the assault. In subsequent years, the statute of limitations for rape was revised to 10 years.

KING-TV: Two shot in home invasion in Kirkland

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:16:03 PDT

Our news partners at KING-TV are reporting that two people were shot during a home invasion in Kirkland early Monday morning.

The shooting happened just before 5 a.m. in the 11000 block of Juanita Drive Northeast, KING-TV reports. King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart said two people were shot -- one suspect and one home-invasion victim. KING-TV is reporting their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

Urquhart says the home is known to authorities as a medical marijuana grow site, according to The Associated Press. The homeowner was armed with a handgun and exchanged fire with a suspect.

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Several blocks of Juanita Drive Northeast are closed, from Juanita Beach to Holmes Point Drive, due to police activity.

We'll update this story as soon as we get more details.

Seattle police bag four grocery store burglars

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:31:03 PDT

Seattle police arrested four men suspected of breaking into a grocery store early Sunday morning.

At about 4 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a 911 call from a witness who saw several men inside a closed grocery store in the 8300 block of Rainier Avenue South. The caller said the men were carrying items from the store to a car parked outside.

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Police surrounded the store and saw one of the men outside. A second man came out of the store and both men began running toward the rear of the building. Police arrested the pair.

A third suspect complied with police commands to come out of the store. He was arrested, along with the fourth suspect, who was in the nearby vehicle. Police found items taken from the store outside the building.

The four suspects -- ages 22, 23, 24 and 34 -- were booked into the King County Jail for investigation of burglary.