The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges today in three cases we’re tracking:

(WSB photo February 2)

ALKI SHOOTING: 21-year-old Allan D. Hawley is charged with 2 counts of first-degree assault in the incident that injured two men, both also 21, early February 2nd. The charging document recaps the same narrative as we reported back in our Friday followup – alleging that Hawley shot at the victims and others for reasons unknown, after a brief bout of fighting that at first appeared to have been resolved amicably. Prosecutors say Hawley does not have an adult felony record and appears to have one juvenile felony, but the record is sealed. Hawley remains in jail in lieu of $400,000 bail.

JUNCTION ROBBERY: 38-year-old Monique S. Anderson is charged with second-degree robbery for last Wednesday’s shoplift-turned-robbery at West Seattle Optix; one staffer there was hurt by glass shards sent flying when she kicked out a window to get away. The charging documents recap that store employees say Anderson had come into the shop on the preceding Saturday but left when she became aware she was being watched; then on Wednesday, she grabbed four pairs of sunglasses worth $1600 and tried to leave, but staffers stopped her, in what was described as quite a struggle. Aside from the theft case for which she had a warrant when arrested, prosecutors say her past convictions were 15+ years ago. She remains in jail, bail still at $10,000.

TOOL-BUYBACK CASE – AND MORE: This case turns out to be far more complicated than first reported in an SPD Blotter summary that we mentioned on Saturday. 31-year-old Jared M. Bruce is now charged wth unlawful second-degree firearm possession and first-degree attempted stolen-property trafficking. The police narrative say this started with $5,000 in tools stolen from a home-construction site in the 4800 block of Puget Way SW on January 26th. The victim found two items, a table saw and generator, for sale on OfferUp. The account offering the items was in Bruce’s name. The victim worked with police, who set up an undercover buyback sting. It happened last Wednesday night at Westwood Village; the suspect showed up in what turned out to be a stolen truck. That was impounded, and he was arrested.

The next day, though, Bruce was released on personal recognizance, and, the charging papers say, prosecutors did not object: “Given the facts known at the time, a personal-recognizance release appeared appropriate, given that probable cause was only found for trafficking in stolen property.” But police had warned, in their report, that the suspect might be linked to a stolen handgun in a storage unit, and “Any release prior to a full and lawful search of the truck would give opportunity for the suspect to arm himself with the outstanding stolen firearm …” (The suspect’s record includes a conviction for unlawful gun possession.)

ss it turned out, when a search warrant was obtained for the truck last Friday – one day after Bruce was released – police found what is believed to be the stolen handgun, linked to a Kittitas County burglary in which Bruce is a suspect. Bruce’s bail was set today at $75,000, but he remains out of custody, so far.

Two stolen cars to watch for – call 911 if you see either one:

STOLEN RED EXPLORER: From Natalie: “My 1996 Ford Explorer Sport was stolen from in front of our house on 51st PL SW sometime between 5 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. It is red. License plate is 319 HID. The Incident # is 20-50345.”

STOLEN BLUE CAVALIER: This report is more complicated – the blue Chevrolet Cavalier was stolen in Portland, and the owner says it was taken by her son, who recently moved there from here. She says he and the vehicle were seen in the 4000 block of 39th SW around 5 pm yesterday. The car has Oregon plates 579 DLY.

Three property-crime-related reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

MAIL THEFT: Mark reports, “Mail theft early am of 2-7-2020. 10000 block of 26th Avenue SW. Locking box forced open, neighbors’ mail missing also.”

CAR PROWL, PACKAGE THEFT: Christopher reports:

My immediate area was hit by a car prowler early this morning around 2am. (3200 California Ave. SW. Mid-block. Alley between Cali and 44th, Hanford and Hinds).There was an attempt on my next-door neighbor’s car with no loss or damage. And then the neighbors to the west and south both had windows broken. The thief took an odd assortment of things. Passed up tools and loose change in plain view but took an orange and white umbrella from one car and a paper registration from another.

His cameras caught multiple angles – this is the clearest:

Then:

In the process of looking through security clips I found footage of a package thief stealing two Amazon packages off my neighbor’s doorstep. That theft happened on 2/4 around 5:11 pm while it was still light so the footage is better.

Notice the person appears to go in for scoping, then emerges, then pulls up a hood and goes in again,

STOLEN TOOLS RECOVERED: Missed this on SPD Blotter Friday afternoon while we were in court – an undercover buy-back sting recovered tools stolen in a West Seattle burglary. Details are here.

(WSB photo, Alki, early Sunday)

At a jailhouse-court hearing this afternoon, bail was set at $400,000 for the 21-year-old suspect in last Sunday morning’s Alki Beach shooting, and new details emerged. According to the full police narrative in the probable-cause documentation, the man found with non-gunshot injuries at the scene turned out to be the shooting suspect, and the person who showed up at a Federal Way hospital (as mentioned in our original report) was indeed a second shooting victim.

Here’s the story the narrative tells:

Read More

(WSB photo: Defendants in red, left and right)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:46 PM: Just ordered by King County Superior Court Judge Kristin Richardson: 25 years in prison each for Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares-Montejo in the murder of 25-year-old Edixon Velasquez outside his Westwood home in 2017, “a completely senseless act,” as prosecutor Wyman Yip described the deadly shooting. A full courtroom was there for the hour-and-a-half-long hearing, two months after the verdict that both were guilty of first-degree murder (WSB coverage here). In the emotional hearing, the judge heard from people including the victim’s longtime foster mother as well as the mothers and pastors of both defendants, who also spoke for themselves.

Defense lawyers had requested 15-year sentences, a little more than half what prosecutors asked for; neither defendant had a record. Judge Richardson noted neither expressed remorse, and while both had “terrible upbringings,” she noted, so did the victim, “and he managed to overcome that.” Still, what she ordered was at the low end of the Legislature-defined “standard range” – 20 years, plus 5 more that are required because the crime involved a gun. Kasparova is 23; Linares-Montejo is 21. Details after we get back to HQ.

ADDED 6:55 PM: Our video of the entire hearing:

Ahead, the rest of our report on how it unfolded:

Read More

(WSB photo, Wednesday)

Just got the documents from the bail hearing for the 38-year-old woman arrested after the Wednesday shoplift-turned-robbery that injured an employee at West Seattle Optix in The Junction, hit by broken glass when she kicked out a window, trying to get away. Court documents say she has “an extensive arrest record with at least 6 (failure-to-appear warrants),” including the current one for another shoplift-turned-violent three years ago, so prosecutors requested that bail be set at $80,000. But Judge Marcine Anderson set her bail at $10,000. The court documents also reveal one thing we hadn’t heard when we covered this incident Wednesday: West Seattle Optix told police the same woman tried to steal from them last Saturday, but left after being confronted. Her next hearing is set for Monday afternoon.

(WSB photo, Sunday)

10:30 AM: Seattle Police have arrested a suspect in last Sunday morning’s Alki Beach shooting. Gang Unit detectives arrested the 21-year-old suspect in Snohomish County on Wednesday, according to this morning’s announcement, which says he was booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault. The shooting early Sunday sent a 21-year-old man to the hospital with a gunshot wound. Another man, who tried to help the victim after what was described as a robbery attempt, also was taken to the hospital with other injuries. We’ll update when we find out more about the suspect.

12:14 PM: Looks like the suspect’s bail hearing won’t be until tomorrow. He does not appear to have a felony record, at least according to what public records are showing so far.

New information tonight in one of the ongoing criminal cases we updated in this Sunday night story: 48-year-old Michael J. Mullen is out of jail tonight, after his bail was halved to $25,000. Mullen had been in jail for three and a half months, after police arrested him for allegedly threatening his roommate. That case was dismissed but he stayed in jail because of the original case that brought him to public attention last June, involving a “heavily altered” shotgun he allegedly brandished in a Junction alley. Since the October arrest, he’s gone through an evaluation that led to him being ruled competent to stand trial. As part of his conditions for release on bail, he’s under orders to stay away from guns. His trial-readiness hearing is set for March 6th.

(WSB photos)

ORIGINAL WEDNESDAY REPORT: One woman was arrested after what police described as a robbery attempt that left an employee injured at West Seattle Optix in The Junction this afternoon. Police say the woman tried to grab merchandise from the shop and broke a window in an attempt to escape.

One employee suffered minor injuries from the broken glass. Police arrested a suspect and were taking her to the King County Jail.

ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The suspect is 38 years old. In addition to this, she’s being held on a misdemeanor warrant issued two years ago after she failed to appear for a hearing in another shoplift-turned-violent case, not in West Seattle. That case, initiated n 2017, was her most-recent arrest, according to public records. She’ll likely have a bail hearing today and we’ll update when we have that information.

ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: The suspect remains in jail. We won’t have access to documents from the hearing until tomorrow, so look for a followup then.

The photo and report are just in from Reese: “We had our U-Haul, with our car attached, stolen this morning. Possibly around 3 am. It was parked at Willow St. and 35th Ave SW. Black Kia Forte, California License Plate 7TUN117; 15-foot U-Haul, Arizona License Plate AH01818.” If you see either, call 911.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes as the week gets going:

BACKYARD SURPRISE: From the “likely stolen/dumped” file, reported by Terry:

Found Sunday, in our Admiral District backyard (!): a gray, plastic, Plano-brand storage container. If it’s yours, call 206-932-8051, identify the contents, and it’s yours again.

CAR PROWL: Clayton reports, “In case anyone else had a car broken into (like we did) in the vicinity of 38th and Hinds. We caught the thief on our Nest Cam, though the video isn’t good enough to see his face. It looks like he was just walking up the street checking doors, and somehow got into our other vehicle, which was parked further up on the street.”

Quick updates on four of the many cases we’re continuing to watch but haven’t updated in a while:

MURDER SENTENCING: Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares-Montejo, found guilty two months ago in the 2017 murder of Edixon Velasquez, are scheduled for sentencing this Friday (February 7), 1 pm, before King County Superior Court Judge Kristin Richardson.

ATTEMPTED-BURGLARY-WITH-KNIFE SUSPECT: This Friday is also the next date for Gabriel Putnam, who you might remember as the suspected would-be burglar shown on porch video with a large knife. He subsequently skipped a court appearance; a warrant was issued, and he was arrested in October in Idaho and extradited back here. He’s been in the King County Jail ever since, in lieu of $25,000 bail; on Friday, a trial-readiness hearing (aka omnibus) is scheduled.

SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN SUSPECT: Michael Mullen, originally arrested for an incident last June in a Junction alley in which he was found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun, has been back in jail since mid-October. He was recently found competent to stand trial and has a bail hearing tomorrow afternoon.

FORMER COACH PLEA BARGAIN? Court documents indicate a plea hearing is tentatively scheduled Wednesday for Michael Gutierrez, the former West Seattle High School JV-girls basketball coach charged with inappropriate sexual communication with two players. No details, though, of the potential plea agreement or recommended sentence.

From Emily:

Our car was “broken” into sometime Friday night/Saturday morning between midnight and 10 AM on 47th Ave between Hudson and Dawson. I put the word broken in quotation marks because there were no signs of forced entry and I can’t be 100% sure I didn’t accidentally leave the car unlocked. The contents of the glove compartment and the center console were strewn about the front seats, but nothing appeared to be missing. We’re happy no windows were smashed, but a good reminder to be mindful of what we leave in the car.

A Fairmount Park Elementary parent forwarded a letter sent to families today by principal Julie Breidenbach. The parent noted, “Because there is a community park adjacent, this should probably (get( community-level attention.” Here’s the letter:

Dear Fairmount Park Parents,

I want to share information about an incident in our neighborhood. This morning before school, one of our students reported to her parent that an adult tried to lure her into his private vehicle. The child ran home and the parent did call the police. The parent reports that the adult male was in a silver pickup truck. Our school district security has been in that neighborhood several times today and will be watching that bus stop closely this afternoon and in upcoming days.

The safety of our students is a top priority. You can help your children stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. Having these conversations, especially with younger children, can be difficult. We encourage you to be sensitive to your child.

As a precaution, we are reminding our students this afternoon about safety tips for walking to and from school. We would appreciate your help by having a similar conversation at home. The walking safety advice includes:

GENERAL SAFETY TIPS:

Pay close attention to your surroundings, avoid “automatic pilot.”

Walk with a purpose; project an assertive, business-like image.

Use common sense; plan your route to avoid uninhabited parks, parking lots, garages and alleyways.

Stick to well-lit areas.

Develop a plan before you see trouble. Crossing a street or entering a store may get you out of a potentially bad situation.

If a car follows you or beckons you while you are walking, do not approach it. Instead, turn and quickly walk the opposite direction.

Consider wearing clothing and shoes that you can move freely and quickly in, especially when walking or waiting for the bus.

Carry minimal items; overloading yourself can make you appear vulnerable.

Always plan your route and stay alert to your surroundings. Avoid shortcuts. Walk confidently. Scan your surroundings and make eye contact with people.

We’re checking to see if police have any further information about the incident.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed eight felony charges against the West Seattle man whose arrest followed warrant searches that found drugs, guns, and cash. 40-year-old David Vasquez is charged with six counts of drug violations plus one count of money laundering and one count of unlawful gun possession. The police narrative accompanying the charging documents is 11 pages long and tells a tale of a months-long investigation, prefaced by this case summary from prosecutors:

The impetus for investigating the defendant in this case arose from the overdose of a three-month-old baby. This overdose was the result of fentanyl, the product the defendant was knowingly selling under the guise of M30 oxycodone pills.

The police narrative explains that the baby died almost a year ago in Southeast Seattle, apparently ingesting the fentanyl through breast milk. Eight months later, the death was ruled a homicide.

The baby was not related to Vasquez. But when police searched the parents’ home, the charging documents say, they found drugs and paraphernalia. The investigation led police to their alleged drug dealer, who they addressed as “Benny” but who police say was Vasquez.

Once police identified “Benny” as Vasquez, the narrative says, an undercover invetigation began. It included multiple drug buys, by undercover officers, at multiple locations in and outside of West Seattle. Factoring into that part of the narrative is an incident covered here – police gunfire behind the Admiral Pub on October 24th. The narrative doesn’t go deeply into detail, aside from detailing an undercover buy at the pub that night, then saying “There was a disturbance at the rear of the bar not long after this narcotics transaction involving Vasquez and several others. He was observed staggering through the pub from the back door,” then leaving with another man through the front door, departing in that man’s pickup truck.

Subsequent buy locations detailed in the narrative included the Admiral Safeway parking lot, the Metropolitan Market parking lot, and the Ballroom Lounge in north Seattle. Police wrote that their surveillance also followed Vasquez to Life Storage in Luna Park and an apartment he had rented at The Whittaker in The Junction, though he also had a house near 41st/Hinds. The Whittaker is where police say they arrested him just before 3 pm last Friday. Meantime, police say the money-laundering investigation revealed that the suspect had started an LLC through which he processed tens of thousands of dollars and used some of it to pay his rent. As for the gun charge, police say he had a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun at the time of his arrest, illegal for him to possess because he has a felony conviction, attempted burglary, in 1997. Other convictions listed in charging documents are also from the ’90s, when he was a teenager, including two cases of taking a motor vehicle without permission.

Prosecutors asked that his original $100,000 bail, on which he posted bond and was released last weekend, be raised to $250,000, and that request was granted. Vasquez is due back in court February 10th for arraignment.

From Anne:

Wanted to report and share with the WSB that our car was stolen out of our driveway last Friday 1/24 between 2-5 am. Our driveway is on SW College Street in between California and 44th Ave. Our car is similar to the attached image: forest green 1997 Honda CR-V license plate #AHB6541. The vehicle did not have much gas so assuming it was ditched somewhere in West Seattle. Only thing really worth of value in the car were two 5-point harness car-seats in the back seat. We filed a police report. Sadly this occurrence seems more common then not but hopefully our car is just parked on a side street waiting for us to find it.

Call 911 if you see it.

Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

BUSINESS BURGLARS ON CAMERA: The images above and below are from a burglary this morning at Admiral Pub. (For those who tipped us to a big police response in the Admiral District, this is what it was about.)

The images are from the Admiral Pub’s owners, who tell us nothing was taken, but: “In the process of breaking into the bar, they busted a pipe.” That led to an SFD “water job” response. “Officer told us there have been multiple business break-ins in the area. They went in, saw our cameras and left. To all local businesses, be on the lookout.”

HOME BURGLARY: From Sue:

We’re so sad to report that our house was broken into at 2:30 PM (Tuesday). We think that our backyard shed was the initial target, since these guys broke the door of the shed first and likely moved towards our house.

They threw in a rock to break into our window and opened it to gain access. Luckily, we are safe and we spoke with the cops and filed a police report.

The thieves took a Samsung laptop with them, an empty Fossil purse, tools, and rifled through our documents… Though unlikely, we hope they get caught!

The SPD report # is 20-34163.

STOLEN SUBARU: Stephanie‘s Subaru was stolen in the Alki area, with this distinctive hood art:

1995 Subaru, 4-inch lift, plate BRG7668. If you see it, call 911.

The photo and report are from Anne:

Our family member’s truck was stolen across the street from our house today between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on the 3900 block of Barton Street.

It’s a 2008 Silver Ford Ranger Truck; license is CO7307P. Police incident # is 2020-34392.

Call 911 if you see it.

When residents near 41st/Hinds texted about plain-clothes police activity last Friday afternoon, all we could find out was, warrant service. But now we know more. The report and photo are from SPD Blotter:

SPD Narcotics seized fentanyl pills, cocaine, xanax, methamphetamine, and cash while serving warrants last Friday in connection with an investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in West Seattle.

Officers from the South Precinct’s Anti-Crime team arrested the 40-year-old suspect in a West Seattle parking garage and found he was carrying 62 fentanyl pills, 28 grams of cocaine, and a small number of xanax pills, as well as a handgun.

Narcotics detectives and the West and South Precinct’s Anti-Crime Teams then served warrants at two homes and a storage unit – in the 4700 block of 40th Avenue SW and the 3400 block of 41st Avenue SW – and recovered a .22 rifle, documents pertaining to money laundering, and additional narcotics, including 140 fentanyl pills, 10 grams of cocaine, 20 xanax pills, a small amount of meth and over $4,000 cash.

Investigators booked the suspect into the King County Jail for narcotics delivery and money laundering.

We’ll add anything more we find out about the suspect and his status.

From Pat:

My maroon (red) 1988 Honda Accord 4-door sedan (WA Collectors Vehicle License Plate 4079A) was stolen this morning from in front of our house in the 2700 block of 48th Ave SW. The car was locked and had a steering wheel club lock in place, but I guess the thief was skilled. Anyway, the car has been reported as stolen to the SPD and they took a report this morning (Incident 2020-032350).

If you see it, call 911.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:

BURGLARY ON VIDEO: That video is from inside Steve‘s home in the 9000 block of 35th SW, after burglars broke a window to get in around 5 pm January 17th. Some items were stolen, says Steve, who adds that the SPD case # is 2020-020431.

MAIL THEFT/VANDALISM: The report and photo are from Parker near Delridge/Juneau:

(Wednesday) morning my wife found that our locked mailbox, along with all the others in the cluster, had been broken open and emptied of their contents. We have no idea who did it but I wanted to tip you off to keep an eye out for what might be a larger problem in West Seattle. I can only speculate about what they were targeting but people are receiving their W-2s this time of year. It may be the first step of an identity theft operation.

If mail theft happens to you, in addition to reporting it to police, be sure also to file a report with the Postal Inspection Service.