3:04 PM: And this afternoon’s other sentencing at the King County Courthouse – 9 years in prison for Duane Starkenburg, who admitted to sexually motivated attacks on joggers, and to molesting a child years earlier. He pleaded guilty last month; court documents indicate he was suspected in “nearly 10” other attacks, though charges were only filed in three.

3:34 PM UPDATE: At this afternoon’s hearing, WSB contributor Katie Meyer reports, no one spoke – either on behalf of the victims, or on behalf of Starkenburg. He was ordered to get treatment for sexual deviancy when his sentence is over, and he has been ordered to stay away from Lincoln Park for a decade. Our photo of him – those following the case will note, he no longer has a shaved head – has been added to this story. (added) That shot was in the hallway; in the courtroom, he tried to hide his face from the cameras:

When Judge Sharon Armstrong asked the defendant if he had anything to say, Starkenburg said simply “No, your honor.” The judge said that the “exceptional” sentence – including the order for him to serve the sentences on the different charges consecutively, not concurrently – “… promotes justice by assuring a sanction that is commensurate with the defendant’s conduct, and in protecting the public from the defendant’s conduct.”

Police say car prowls are down – we’re not getting as many reports lately, either – but don’t get complacent; somebody broke into Toby‘s car the other night:

Just wanted to let everyone know my car was ransacked (Monday) night in my driveway on the 9200 block of 32nd Ave SW. Nothing appears stolen but glove box contents were thrown on the floor. CDs were also strewn about. I accidentally left my car unlocked so no lock or window damage. But I think that’s why I had uninvited guests as nothing of value was visible. It’s been reported to the police. Good luck out there!

Next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, by the way, is next Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster). Special guest, acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams, will talk about safety in city parks.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning:

THE CASE OF THE PEPPER-SPRAY-ARMED SHOPLIFTING SUSPECT: Seattle Police put this one on their SPD Blotter website this morning. Last night around 8:30 pm, they say, a shoplifting suspect at Admiral Safeway pepper-sprayed store security and a bystander, and then took off running. He allegedly tried to spray police too, when they caught up with him in a nearby alley, eventually using a Taser to stop him. All this, SPD Blotter says, over $32 in merchandise. You can read their full summary here.

BURGLARY INTERRUPTED: At last night’s Southwest District Council meeting (full report to come), SW Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis said burglaries, auto thefts, and car prowls are still down. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening at all – in the Fairmount Park area, Donny came home Monday evening to discover his home had been ransacked – he sent this photo as police investigated:

From Donny’s e-mail:

I arrived home near 37th and Findlay, interrupting a burglary. Two of my doors were severely damaged when pried open; every room in my home had been ransacked with many valuables missing.

He says it’s believed there were several burglars involved, including someone “acting as a lookout,” and his neighbors had noticed an “older, rose-colored long vehicle” in the area.

Just as he was about to go to trial – with jury selection to start within a day or so – Duane Starkenburg has struck a deal in both cases against him. He is the Gatewood man charged a year ago with attacking women joggers and then charged last fall in a years-old child rape case (he has been in jail since his arrest in that case). The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says that Starkenburg has pleaded guilty in connection with both cases:

(He) pleaded guilty to two counts of Assault Second Degree and one count of Assault Third Degree with Sexual Motivation for assaulting three women joggers in West Seattle’s Lincoln Park in 2010 and 2011. In each assault, Starkenburg would grab a female jogger and plant his face into the victim’s buttocks.

He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of Child Molestation Second Degree for sexually assaulting a girl who was 9 or 10 years old, an incident that occurred approximately ten years ago and was recently reported. The total sentence range is 103 to 130 months in prison. Prosecutors will recommend 116 months when Starkenburg is sentenced on April 13 before Judge Sharon Armstrong at the King County Courthouse, 2:30 p.m. in courtroom E-847.

(That would be 4 months short of 10 years.) The original charges against Starkenburg were: In the Lincoln Park attacks, two counts of indecent liberties and one count of attempted indecent liberties; in the other case, child rape. That case was to be tried at some point after the completion of the trial that was to start this week in the jogger-attacks case.

(Photo from February 2011 hearing by Mike Siegel/Seattle Times, republished with permission)

Heard this on the scanner and then received a note from a victim – someone driving along 59th SW in Alki fired what’s believed to be a pellet gun at homes/cars. The note we received wanted to give a heads-up to others, and says: “I was just sitting in my living room and a bullet came through my living room window. I went outside and my neighbor’s car window was smashed out or shot out; my wife saw a orange-ish 4-door car drive away.” Haven’t heard any word of arrests or stops so far but we’ll be following up.

10:29 PM UPDATE: Added a photo of the living-room window, taken by the victim, who says the hole seemed too big for a “pellet.”

That is WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli‘s photograph of police arresting 26-year-old Nicholas Jae Bowman early Sunday on Harbor Avenue SW, for allegedly shooting at people in the Alki business district. WSB policy is to usually not publish names/faces until someone is charged – and now, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office confirms, Bowman is charged in the case.

He is due in court April 11th to answer one count of second-degree assault. Court documents say it all started late Saturday night when several 911 callers reported a man pointing a gun at people outside the Bamboo Bar and Grill; he ran away, but then was seen driving in the area, and firing his gun at a man behind nearby Cactus Restaurant. No one was hit or hurt. A description of Bowman and his car enabled police to stop him a short time later (as we reported in ongoing Sunday morning coverage); court documents say he told them he had a .45-caliber handgun in his glove box, and officers found a .45 bullet and brass knuckles when they arrested him. Investigators say three guns, including a semiautomatic .45, are registered to Bowman. Prosecutors are asking that he be required to give them up while the case is pending. Though he has no known criminal history, they write, “his actions in the present case warrant extreme caution,” and that’s why they also are asking the court to keep his bail set at $100,000.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon. First, an update from the Alki gunfire incident we covered early Sunday:

(Sunday morning photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
If you missed our story – nobody was hurt, but police arrested a 26-year-old Central District man who they say fired at another man in the alley behind Cactus (they say the suspect was thrown out of Bamboo earlier). After getting a clear description of his vehicle, officers pulled him over shortly afterward, on Harbor Avenue near Salty’s. He’s been in jail since about 3:30 Sunday morning – no charges yet, but he’s listed as “bail denied,” and we’re checking with prosecutors on his status and will add any additional info here. 5:05 PM UPDATE: His bail was set this afternoon at $100,000; deadline for filing charges is Wednesday. The court documents say police found a shell casing as well as a bullet at the scene, both .45 caliber, as was the handgun found in the suspect’s possession.

Meantime, we received a reader report of vandalism at a school playground:

Thanks to Carrie for sending that photo from the playground at Lafayette Elementary, West Seattle’s most populous grade school. We’ve blurred the graffiti – which was a phrase suggesting drug use, rather than a “tag” – as per our usual policy. We checked with Lafayette and are told they’ve reported it to administration, as they’re required to, but that “spot painting” is likely in order too. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for graffiti vandals, since police say their best chance is to get a call so quick they can catch them in the act.

Last but not least:

Stopping by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) late this morning, we remarked that the pastry case was so empty, it must have been a busy morning. No, the baristas informed us, the “pastry bandit” was to blame. Investigating further with Hotwire proprietor Lora Swift, we found out they’ve had their pastry/donut deliveries stolen three times in the past week or so, and a table was taken from the Hotwire patio too. Other businesses with doorstep deliveries, be forewarned.

In the neighborhood along SW Spokane by the west end of the West Seattle Bridge, a neighbor who goes by “Shout” reports a bizarre case of vandalism late Monday night. He says the utility installation up on the slope was being pounded on by somebody who sounded as if they had a sledgehammer. “Shout” called police, and though they appeared to him to have checked out the area cursorily and left, the would-be vandal did stop… but not before scuffing up the facility (see the photo above).

Also tonight, for those keeping an eye on the case: The indecent-liberties trial of alleged Lincoln Park attacker Duane Starkenburg has been pushed back a couple more weeks because of factors including lawyer scheduling. It was supposed to start this month – but now a new date of April 2nd has been set.