Crime 7088 results

Cheryl hopes you will be on the lookout for her pickup truck, stolen in North Shorewood:

Blue Honda (corrected) Ridgeline truck. License #B34996Z. There arent many of these trucks around. This one has small dents in tailgate, right rear tail light broken but still works. Stolen from 26th Ave SW and SW 104th Feb 20th at 1 pm. They came up my driveway opened the door and stole all the keys on the hook and took the truck. If anyone sees this truck parked anywhere or on the road, please call 911.

The theft happened south of the city/county line, so it’s a King County Sheriff’s Office case, but wherever you see it, they’ll be able to pull up the info.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Westwood Village police response; confirmed gunshots; burglary charge; car prowlers

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Four reports/updates in West Seattle Crime Watch:

POLICE AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: A few people asked us about a big response on the east side of the center earlier this afternoon. Police responded after a man called 911 to report that someone he didn’t know showed a gun and threatened him, in or near the WWV QFC. They eventually took a suspect into custody but were continuing to search for the gun. No injuries, no shots fired.

Hours earlier, not far away …

CONFIRMED GUNFIRE: If you thought you heard gunshots in the Westwood area late last night – you did.

We went to the area after hearing a snippet of scanner traffic mentioning “shell casings found at 26th/Trenton”; when we took the quick camera photo you see above, police were apparently finishing their search, because by the time we circled around to go into the lot and park, they had left. Today, we confirmed with SPD media relations that it originated as a report of gunfire heard; no injuries, no damage, shell casings found in the street and collected as evidence.

FOLLOWUP – BURGLARY SUSPECT CHARGED: Last week, police reported arresting a 36-year-old man found inside a vacant West Seattle house “staged for sale” at 36th SW/SW Morgan. They also reported finding a variety of car-prowl loot. We followed up on the person who was arrested and discovered that he had been arrested three other times since the start of the year but had not been charged in any of those cases. In this one, however, the suspect, 36-year-old Nicholas D. Watson, is now charged with one count of residential burglary and one count of second-degree vehicle prowling. Court documents confirm the house he was found in is the former longtime problem house that was sold last year and renovated, and say that the car-prowling incident happened February 11th in the 7000 block of 30th Place SW. They allege that Watson was found in the 36th SW house with a backpack full of items including some belonging to that car-prowl victim. He is reported to have told officers he tried to use 10 stolen cards to buy things but was unsuccessful. The police narrative in the court documents also says:

There were various other pieces of ID and credit cards belonging to people other than Watson that he admitted he took from various other car prowls in West Seattle. He could not remember specific car prowls and the names on the cards did not return to any Seattle Police reports. He stated he did not know them and knew he did not have permission to possess them.

The King County Jail Register shows Watson is still in custody.

Not far from where that burglary happened …

CAR PROWLERS: From Lindsey:

This was in the east alley at 37th Ave between Graham & Morgan. This happened in the early hours of this morning, 2/20, between 12:00 AM and 1:30 AM.

These two individuals walked up to my truck parked next to my detached garage, tried to open it, looked around, and left. They returned about an hour and a half later, forcefully broke into the truck camper, and stole a valuable Festool sander I use in my business as well as some miscellaneous small tools.

The victim says she already has received tips about the possible identity of one prowler from a neighborhood list. He has not been arrested or charged so far as we know, but if you have information, the police incident # is 18-063199.

REMINDER – CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TONIGHT: One more reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, which regularly includes Q-and-A time with local police as well as updates on local trends and incidents, is at 7 pm tonight at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 3x-stolen CR-V; musical equipment stolen; talk with police at WSCPC Tuesday night

February 19, 2018 10:12 pm

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 3x-stolen CR-V; musical equipment stolen; talk with police at WSCPC Tuesday night

| Crime | Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – two reader reports, plus a reminder:

CR-V STOLEN FOR THE THIRD TIME: We’ve shown you Joe‘s 2001 red Honda CR-V twice before – it was stolen, spotted by a WSB reader, then stolen again the day it was picked up from the repair shop, found again, this time in the county. Now, Joe’s mom Linda e-mails to say it’s been taken for the third time in three weeks from outside his residence near 16th SW/SW Thistle. When last found, it was drivable, but with “trash strewn inside,” Linda says, including “a female’s ID card and a letter from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office addressed to a guy with a record.” Then on Saturday night, the car was stolen again. He has since purchased a used car and she’s given him a “Club” for that one. But if you see the red CR-V – call 911.

MUSICAL EQUIPMENT TAKEN IN CAR PROWL: From Clipper:

I would like to report that in the early hours of Sunday morning February 18th, I was victim of a car prowl. The back window of my van was broken and musical equipment stolen from the vehicle. The incident occurred near 48th Ave. SW and Andover. Items taken were:

-15 inch Bag End speaker Model S15-N, Serial # K10678. Purple colored exterior.
-Peavey 112M Wedge floor monitor speaker w/volume control
-2 black duffel bags with small items such as pedals, mike cords, speaker cables, stand lights, power cords, direct box and a SM58 Beta microphone.

A police report was filed. If anyone has any info, the case number is 18-61429. Thanks!

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Concerns/questions for police? Want to hear about local crime trends firsthand? The monthly WSCPC meeting at the Southwest Precinct is tomorrow night (Tuesday, February 20th), 7 pm. Along with the community update and Q&A, there’s a special guest this month, SPD Bias Crimes Unit Detective Elizabeth Wareing. All welcome – the precinct is at 2300 SW Webster, and the meeting room is right off the public parking lot.

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FOLLOWUP: 16-year-old South Park shooting victim has died; vigil planned tonight

February 19, 2018 4:30 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, February 7th)

The 16-year-old boy shot in South Park almost two weeks ago has died. While police have yet to publicly announce that it’s now a murder investigation, community advocates are getting the word out. And a candlelight vigil to remember him is planned at 6 pm tonight near the shooting scene by the Chevron station at 8819 14th Avenue South, same place where more than 100 gathered after a silent march two nights after the shooting. Community advocates also have set up an online fundraiser for the family of the young man to help with funeral costs and hospital bills. Meantime, police have not disclosed any additional details of the investigation, and no arrests have been reported.

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UPDATE: DUI investigation after driver hits pedestrian at 26th/Genesee

February 19, 2018 10:50 am

| 40 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police | West Seattle traffic alerts

10:50 AM: Thanks for the tips and the texted photo. SW Genesee is blocked by police just west of Delridge. The 911 log shows a medical call there just after 9 am; we’re on the way to find out more.

11:10 AM: The police here are from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad. The medical call was from the incident – a female pedestrian hit by a driver on Genesee at 26th and taken to Harborview.

11:20 AM: Police here also tell us it’s a DUI investigation.

A ReachNow car still on the scene has visible driver-side windshield damage.

11:56 AM: SFD says the victim is an “adult female with serious injuries.”

1:04 PM: Still blocked off with investigators working.

2:19 PM: SDOT has since tweeted that the street is open again.

ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: The 30-year-old suspect got out of jail this evening; the register says it was a “conditional release.”

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FOLLOWUP: Arson investigation after eight SFD calls in five days at Fauntleroy Lofts

February 16, 2018 11:09 pm

| 20 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

When a Seattle Fire Department “full response” was sent at midmorning Friday to 5949 California SW – the 2-year-old microstudio apartment building known as Fauntleroy Lofts – it was the eighth time SFD had been called there in the past five days. And while today’s “full response” was for a kitchen fire, some of the other incidents have led to an arson investigation.

Archived Real-Time 911 logs show two calls there on Monday (February 11th), an Automatic Fire Alarm call at 2:56 pm and a 3 Red call at 4:40 pm. There were three on Thursday (February 15th), Automatic Fire Alarm calls at 2:57 pm and 4:39 pm and a 1 Red call at 5:44 pm. Today there were three more – an Automatic Fire Alarm call at 7:04 am, the “full response” at 10:25 am, and an Automatic Fire Alarm at 12:22 pm. Before that, online records show, there hadn’t been an SFD dispatch to 5949 California SW since a fire-alarm call on January 10th.

Two of the calls are linked to police reports classified as “reckless burning” – one on Monday, one on Thursday. The narrative explaining the reasons for that classification isn’t available online; SFD wouldn’t comment on the specifics, referring us to SPD because it’s the “lead agency for the investigation of these incidents.”

A tenant tells WSB that one Monday incident happened because “somebody took a roll of toilet paper, lit it on fire, and threw it into the hallway” and that the same thing happened again Thursday, both times on the same floor. Another incident, the tenant said, was a kitchen fire, while others involved someone “pulling the fire alarm.”

In e-mail to WSB, that resident and another one expressed concerns for their personal safety and security, and concerns that the building’s management/ownership was not doing enough about the situation. We sent an inquiry to an e-mail on the building’s website, and the manager responded that they would forward it to the owners, who e-mailed us this response:

We are writing you in response to an ongoing arson investigation at our building Fauntleroy Lofts. We take this all EXTREMELY serious, as the safety of our tenants has been grossly violated. We are working directly with both the Seattle Fire Dept. Arson Investigation Team and The Seattle Police Dept. to catch the person responsible for setting the fires and false alarms. Although we cannot discuss details of the investigation, we are working to locate and prosecute this criminal to the fullest extent of the law.

As owners, the safety of the both people living in our building and the surrounding community is our highest concern. Perception may be that nothing is being done, but please be assured we are doing everything we physically & legally can to provide our tenants with the safety and security they deserve. Although this may make it appear “nothing is being done”, our biggest priority is following protocol with the Arson investigation team so we can put an end to this so our building is safe again. ANY suspicious activity should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the Arson Investigation Team @ 1-800-55-ARSON or the Seattle Police Dept. Arson/Bomb Unit @ 206-684-8980.

The Owners of Fauntleroy Lofts

According to King County Assessor records, the building has 38 units.

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Puget Ridge raid subject charged, back in jail

February 16, 2018 4:35 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Crime | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

You might recall that photo, provided by police on Monday when they announced the Sunday arrest of a man at a house on Puget Ridge. As we noted in an update to the story, he was released from jail Monday night on personal recognizance. Now, he’s back in jail, and he’s been charged: One felony drug charge is filed against 28-year-old Gregory Lee Thompson. The charging papers say police found “evidence of drug-dealing activity” at Thompson’s house – baggies and scales, along with the 400+ pills and meth listed in the police report. And the documents say prosecutors believe the 19 guns that also were found – though they are not the subject of a specific charge at this point – “increase the risk that the defendant will commit an act of violence as part of his drug dealing activity.” A $20,000 arrest warrant was issued when the charge was filed, and that’s why Thompson is back in jail as of this afternoon, just before he was due in court for a trial-readiness hearing in another drug case. That hearing has been rescheduled for next Friday.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen white Ford Edge

February 16, 2018 12:57 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

Another stolen vehicle you might be able to help find – Adam reports his fiancée’s car was stolen this morning in the Westwood area:

The car is a 2010 White Ford Edge. On the back right there is an obvious spot where there used to be a Detroit ‘D’ magnet. There is also another Michigan sticker on the back window. The front windshield is cracked.

Unfortunately we do not have the license plate number. We moved from Michigan not too long ago and do not have the new Washington plates memorized or written down.

They have filed a police report. If you think you see it, call 911.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen double stroller

February 15, 2018 7:41 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

7:41 PM: If you find an abandoned City Mini Double stroller somewhere … it just might be the one those little West Seattleites were photographed in. Claire says it was taken from the trunk of their locked car. (We have asked a followup question about where it happened, and will add that info when we get it.)

ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: Claire says they’re in the Fairmount Park area.

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CRIME WATCH UPDATE: Phone-grab robbery, inside Delridge store

February 14, 2018 8:39 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

8:39 PM: The Seattle Police/Fire response in the 5200 block of Delridge Way SW is for a person who reported being hit by four people who then took off with the victim’s phone. So far, the robbers have been described over police radio only as four black males in their early 20s, all wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans. No further information yet.

8:53 PM: A police officer still at the scene tells us the victim was an “adult male,” taken to the hospital by private (AMR) ambulance to be checked out. No additional details about the circumstances or the robbers; no one in custody so far.

UPDATED THURSDAY AFTERNOON: Just obtained the narrative from police. The robbery actually happened inside the mini-mart. We can’t tell because of redaction, though, whether the victim was an employee or customer. The narrative says the victimm told police that the four robbers – description the same as what we reported last night – “had walked in the store and began demanding his phone … there was a struggle between him and one of the males … the males began to hit him in the chest with their fists … one … then grabbed his cellphone, which was in his left hand, and ripped it out of his hand.” That, the victim told police, broke his left pinky finger and injured his left ring finger. The victim told police he continued struggling with the robbers and they threw him against the store’s front door, then left, got into a gold Toyota Camry, and left southbound on Delridge. They might also have stolen some grocery items, he said.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Officers find car-prowl loot after arresting burglary suspect

February 14, 2018 11:55 am

| 23 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

11:55 AM: Just in from Seattle Police – word of a burglary suspect arrested at a for-sale house, where officers also found items stolen in recent local car prowls:

Shortly before 6:00 pm (Tuesday), officers responded to a reported burglary in the 6300 block of 36th Avenue SW. The homeowner had gone to the house, which was unoccupied but staged for sale, and discovered drug paraphernalia inside. The homeowner immediately left the house and called 911. Officers searched the home and arrested a 36-year-old man inside. The suspect was in possession of a number of identification cards, personal checks, a laptop and other apparent stolen property. Some of the items located inside the house were taken in recent vehicle prowls in West Seattle. Officers were able to return those items to their rightful owners.

The suspect was interviewed by Major Crimes Task Force detectives before he was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of burglary and several counts of possession of stolen property.

ADDED 12:05 PM: Just looked up the suspect on the jail register. It’s the fourth time he’s been in jail since the start of the year – the register shows an arrest earlier this month for investigation of vehicle theft, an arrest in mid-January for investigation of possession of stolen property, and an arrest in early January for investigation of vehicle theft. It does not appear, checking court records, that prosecutors have yet charged him in any of those cases, nor does he appear to have a prior felony record in this state.

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UPDATE: Helicopter, ground search after woman stabbed in White Center

February 13, 2018 8:11 pm

| 21 COMMENTS

| Crime | Helicopter | West Seattle news | White Center

8:11 PM: Thanks for the tips about Guardian One over White Center/South Delridge. We have a crew on the ground talking with deputies. So far, we’re told they are investigating an assault in WC. Will add other details when we get them.

8:28 PM: Just talked with KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West. She says a woman who works for a veterinary clinic in the 9800 block of 15th SW was stabbed and they were looking for her attacker. She apparently was attacked when she went out behind the clinic after thinking she heard someone crying. The attacker is described only as white, female, “skinny,” and possibly a transient. No one in custody so far.

9:25 PM: Sgt. West told us the victim was injured in the abdomen and arm but was in stable condition when taken to the hospital and is expected to fully recover.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Puget Ridge raid nets drugs, guns

February 12, 2018 1:06 pm

| 18 COMMENTS

| Crime | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

1:06 PM: The photo and report are just in via SPD Blotter:

Officers served a search warrant in West Seattle Sunday morning (and) found hundreds of pills and 19 guns.

Southwest Precinct Anti-Crime Team Officers converged on a home in the 7000 block of 18th Avenue SW Sunday at 10 a.m. and arrested a 28-year-old man as he attempted to flee through the back door of the house.

Officers searched the home and found 189 hydrocodone pills, 276 amphetamine pills, 3.5 grams of methamphetamine, 11 handguns, five rifles – one of which was modified with a bump stock – and three shotguns. Officers placed all of the weapons into evidence pending further investigation.

Officers booked the man into King County Jail for narcotics-related charges and will work with the prosecutor’s office on possible weapons charges.

8:40 PM: According to the jail register, the suspect was released this evening.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Abandoned, likely stolen Cannondale bicycle found

February 12, 2018 12:54 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Recognize that Cannondale mountain bicycle? Gary says it just turned up in his alley in the Admiral area. Let us know if you have info and we’ll connect you.

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Trial rescheduled for Admiral stabbing suspect Kierra Ward

February 11, 2018 6:55 pm

| 17 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

As we continue to check on high-profile West Seattle criminal cases making their way through the court system – the trial for Admiral stabbing suspect Kierra Ward has been pushed to next month. Online court documents show that her lawyer requested the delay during a hearing on Friday, saying they still had a variety of work to do to prepare. So the trial is now tentatively re-set for a March 21st start, depending on what happens at the next readiness hearing (“omnibus”) on March 9th. It’s been four months since Ward was arrested and charged with assault in the knife attack on an Admiral woman who was walking with her baby. She remains in the King County Jail in lieu of $400,000 bail.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: One vehicle stolen, another found

February 9, 2018 5:29 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

In West Seattle Crime Watch, a new vehicle-theft report today, plus confirmation that a truck stolen earlier this week has been found.

STOLEN: The 2003 red and silver Subaru Baja shown above, from Seaview, near 45th/Raymond, around 3 am today. Plate BV402O3F. Dent on the front of the hood. Call 911 if you see it.

FOUND: Back on Tuesday, we published Kevin‘s report that his red Ford F-150 truck had been stolen northeast of The Junction. Commenter Marcus subsequently reported finding it, and Kevin sent us an update that it was found in the 9000 block of 30th SW, “ransacked but OK … “They left a jumpstart, nail clipper, and a tow adapter in the truck. Stole a GPS and some change.”

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NEIGHBORS FOR PEACE: You’re invited to march in South Park tomorrow night

February 8, 2018 9:11 pm

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| Crime | South Park | West Seattle news

No new official information tonight on last night’s shooting in South Park that left a 16-year-old boy in critical condition. No arrest reported in that case or the double shooting a week earlier. But we do know that neighbors in South Park are hoping that West Seattleites and others from around the city will join them in this quiet plea. The invitation, in English and Spanish:

In wake of the recent shootings in our neighborhood, please join your neighbors in a silent march for peace. We will meet at 7:30 pm Friday at the library [8604 8th Ave. S.] and proceed to the Chevron gas station on 14th. Bring flashlights or candles. Let’s bring the city’s attention to our neighborhood. We need additional resources. We need community engagement. We need Peace. ☮️

A raíz de los recientes tiroteos en nuestro vecindario, únase a sus vecinos en una marcha silenciosa por la paz. Nos reuniremos a las 7:30 en la biblioteca y nos dirigiremos a la estación de servicio de Chevron en la 14 avenida. Trae linternas o velas. Es importante llamar la atención de la ciudad a nuestro vecindario. Necesitamos recursos adicionales. Necesitamos trabajar como comunidad. Necesitamos LA PAZ!

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Police search for would-be burglar near Lowman Beach

February 8, 2018 12:23 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

A police search near Lowman Beach right now, with K-9 called out, following a reported burglary attempt. Someone called 911 to report a man using a ladder to try to break into a house in the 7000 block of Beach Drive SW, just south of Lowman Beach Park. The description just broadcast on police radio is a man in his 20s, Hispanic, black hair that’s long on top and short on the sides, a black sweatshirt and Carhartt-type pants. If you have any information, call 911.

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UPDATE: 16-year-old boy injured in South Park shooting

February 7, 2018 7:23 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

7:23 PM: Seattle Police are investigating a shooting at 14th Avenue S. and S. Trenton in South Park. They say one victim has been rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and that there is no suspect in custody yet. No other official details except that an officer who left a meeting we’re covering to go to the scene said that it involved “youth in our community.”

7:29 PM: Metro says Route 132 is rerouted off 14th Ave. S. (which is an arterial) because of this.

9:17 PM: 14th Avenue South is still blocked at the scene. SPD now says the victim is 16 years old and that he has a gunshot wound to the head, and that gang detectives are investigating, “processing the scene and interviewing potential witnesses.” If you have any information, call 911.

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FOLLOWUP: Child-rape charge filed against former Seattle Public Schools employee, subject of notification letter

February 6, 2018 7:26 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

We first reported last Friday night that a former Seattle Public Schools employee had been arrested and jailed for investigation of child rape. While the accusations involved incidents at a school outside West Seattle, Denny International Middle School parents received a letter because the suspect, 40-year-old Albert Virachismith, had worked at that school at some point, and we found out about the situation when a parent forwarded us that letter. Today, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Virachismith with one count of child rape and one count of child molestation, alleging that he raped a child multiple times while working as an instructional assistant at John Muir Elementary School in southeast Seattle last school year. The suspect remains in jail, bail set at half a million dollars. We asked Seattle Public Schools for additional information about Virachismith’s district employment but they say Seattle Police have asked them not to release anything more while they continue to investigate.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: High Point man charged with buying sex from 16-year-old

February 6, 2018 12:31 pm

| 42 COMMENTS

| Crime | High Point | West Seattle news

Charges are now filed in a case that’s attracted some national attention because of the defendant’s profession. 36-year-old High Point resident Jess Cliffe is charged with one count of commercial sexual abuse of a minor for allegedly buying sex from a 16-year-old he met online. Cliffe is described as the co-creator of the popular online game Counter-Strike. He’s been mentioned before here on WSB for his work on the website Vintage Seattle, noted when he moved to West Seattle in 2008, as well as volunteer work at what was then Kitty Harbor, mentioned here in 2010.

Charging papers say Cliffe’s arrest follows an investigation dating back to last June, when detectives interviewed a 16-year-old girl who said she “began to use (an online dating site) to meet with men who offered to pay her money to have sex with her.” She identified two men, and one, police say, turned out to be Cliffe. When detectives first met with her, she told them she had discontinued her contacts with him at some point between April and June. She said they made arrangements mostly via texting and that he picked her up at an intersection near her Beacon Hill residence and drove her to his house in High Point. She said they had at least three encounters in which he paid her $300 for an hour, including one in which she said he recorded video without her consent. She said she wasn’t sure he knew her age; he told detectives he thought she was in her early 20s, and they say her profile on the website said she was 18.

After five months of investigation, the documents say, police went to Cliffe’s house last Wednesday; he agreed to meet them an hour later at the Southwest Precinct, where he is reported to have told them he was a user of multiple dating websites, but when shown a photo of his accuser, he initially said he didn’t recognize her. That changed, the charging documents say, after detectives showed him call and text logs they obtained via a search warrant – he said he only had one meeting with her; she mentioned three. When told she was 16, the documents say, he “acted as though he was surprised to learn that before saying that a person has to be 18 years old” to join the dating website, and “immediately began questioning the legal responsibilities of the website for not incorporating an effective system to prevent minors from creating (an) account.” Police subsequently arrested him, and he was booked into King County Jail early Thursday, with his bail set at $150,000 on Friday; he got out Friday night after posting bond. Next step in the case will be arraignment in about two weeks.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen red Ford F-150 truck

February 6, 2018 9:51 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

That’s Kevin‘s truck, a red 2016 Ford F-150 stolen this morning after 6:30 am from in front of his house, 4100 block of 39th SW [map]. License plates WA C90967F. If you see it, call 911.

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Suspect in assault on police officer is awaiting trial in notorious burglary case

February 5, 2018 4:32 pm

| 25 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

We’ve learned more today about last night’s incident in which a police officer suffered a knife injury to the hand – and the suspect arrested and jailed in the case.

(Sunday night photo by Tim Durkan)

First, SPD spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson tells us the officer’s injury was not major – he was treated at a hospital and released shortly thereafter. As we reported last night, he says, it started with the officer noticing graffiti vandalism in progress on a fence at Delridge and Henderson; he pulled over and made contact with the suspect, who tried to run – a brief struggle ensued, the officer got the suspect under control, called for backup, and after another officer arrived, the suspect started fighting, and at some point the officer discovered he had a laceration to the hand. A knife was found at the scene.

Today we’ve learned the suspect is 20-year-old Jorge Cruz-Benitez, who was arrested and charged in November of last year for allegedly breaking into a Highland Park house while the people who live there – including three children – were asleep. (One of the adult residents tracked him down and widely shared his first-person story.) While Cruz-Benitez was originally held in lieu of $30,000 bail in that case, court documents show that a judge allowed him into an alternative custody program in early December after two and a half weeks in jail, and it was to include treatment for substance abuse. Along with investigation of assault, he is being held right now for investigation of violating drug laws.

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