West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
From tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting:
CRIME TRENDS: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis described it as an “up-and-down-type summer,” with burglary “spikes” at times. He said Community Police Team officers (including Ken Mazzuca and Kevin McDaniel, who were also at the meeting) were tasked with helping solve the puzzle, and that led to “very, very favorable arrests” of the “more prolific individuals out there in the West Seattle community” that put a “big dent” in burglaries, car prowls, and similar crimes – including suspects he says were to blame for more than half the burglaries.
He says there were no particular neighborhoods being hit harder than others – it would differ widely “as if a salt shaker were sprinkled all over (the map)” – and so crime analysis was done over and over again, yielding “fantastic arrests.”
As for specific types of crime, Lt. Davis said that car thefts are currently running “a few up from our norm,” which is 10/month, currently running at 13. Burglaries? “They’ve gone way down and we’re particularly happy about that.” Lt. Davis thanked alert community members and advice from Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, “which has paid off greatly … we’ve gotten some fantastic tips” from people who provided helpful information that assisted them in arresting suspects. He says they’re also working to link suspects to more cases, if applicable, so they can be prosecuted under the Repeat Burglary Initiative and potentially get tougher sentences.
IDENTITY THEFT: Angela Kaake, senior deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, was the meeting’s special guest, with a presentation featuring lots of data about its prevalence, as well as advice on prevention and protection, plus a window into what it takes for successful prosecution. (She’s also on the Greater Puget Sound Financial Fraud and Identity Theft Task Force.)
Want to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft? She had specific advice – for prevention and for what to do if it happens anyway – read on:Read More
Two notes this afternoon: First, the explanation for an alarming sight at the closed Genesee Hill Elementary campus last night. We got calls, e-mails, and tweets from people who saw police tape, cars, and even what one person thought was a body. Absent any other indications of an actual crime, we were fairly sure it was training, which happens there from time to time, and finally, we got confirmation from Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Rasmussen that it was indeed a “training class.” We’ve received advance alerts before but didn’t this time. Meantime, we have a burglary report today – read on (also, added 4:31 pm, a vehicle-theft report):Read More
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
Back after a couple weeks’ hiatus: From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Four women were suspected of casing homes in the 4100 block of SW Frontenac Wednesday afternoon. One door-knocker fled after discovering one home was occupied, but the homeowner there kept an eye on her and called 911 when she went into the backyard of a neighbor. One woman, a Kent resident, was booked into King County Jail for criminal trespass. The others were investigated and released.
*Early Monday, a 28-year-old Kent resident was booked into King County Jail after verbally and physically harassing a number of people at the corner of 61st and Alki.
*Around noon on Thursday the 8th, a driver became enraged when he couldn’t pass through a construction site in the 3200 block of 61st SW. He yelled obscenities and threatened to come back and slit the tires on the construction vehicles. He drove off, but not before causing $150 worth of damage to two lighted construction barricades. The car he drove was registered to an address in the 6100 block of SW Spokane and was later spotted in the driveway there. The woman at the residence refused to provide any information and was uncooperative with officers.
Seven more summaries, including two armed robberies on the street, ahead:Read More
The photo is from Mark, who’s asking you to be on the lookout for his kayak, stolen early this morning:
Sometime after midnight (early today), my sea kayak was stolen from the roof rack of my Audi, parked in front of my home on the west end of Alki Ave. In the process of taking the kayak they also scratched my car’s roof and hood as they dragged the kayak off toward the street instead of lifting it off, which would have been far easier, unless they were really weak.
The kayak is a composite Necky Chatham 18 with a blue deck and white hull joined at a yellow stripe. It also has a navigation compass built into the bow. The thief took my blue & yellow tie down straps too so it may be tied down to some other car roof or pickup bed now. If anybody sees an 18 foot kayak show up in a new place in the area, or for sale on some bulletin board, please let me know. There are very few 18′ Chatham’s around so this one should be pretty obvious when they try to sell it. … My contact phone # is 206-937-6308.
And yes, Mark says he has alerted Mountain 2 Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) to be on the lookout too. Another reminder: the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council resumes monthly meetings next Tuesday, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), all welcome.
Bryce Huber, found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2009 West Seattle shooting death of 26-year-old Steve Bushaw (right), was sentenced this morning. Our partners at the Seattle Times report that King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque ordered a 31-year sentence – the high end of the sentencing range – for Huber, who testimony indicated had coordinated the plan to get Bushaw to Talarico’s that night and to lure him outside, where two other men shot him. Those men, John Sylve and Danny O’Neal, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and are to be sentenced on September 30th. The jury that found Huber guilty in a trial that took most of last month (our coverage archive is here) were not able to reach a verdict for Brandon Chaney, the alleged getaway driver; the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has not announced yet whether it plans to seek a new trial for Chaney. The murder motive involved a belief that Bushaw had planned a home-invasion robbery targeting a friend of Huber’s, but neither he (nor anyone else) was ever arrested, charged, or publicly described as a suspect.
Two reader reports this morning – one, a car break-in; second, an uncomfortable encounter with someone the reader says seemed “shady” – both ahead:Read More
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Deb Breuler, co-owner of the Luna Park-area restaurant Avalon:
During the early morning hours our patio at Avalon restaurant was
vandalized. Two large planters were knocked over. Plants were pulled up, chairs were broken and thrown to the sidewalk out front. It must have happened quite late we were here until 1 am and back at 8 am. It has since been cleaned up and none of our diners had to miss a beautiful day on our patio. It was disheartening to know this happened in our community. If anyone saw anything?? I have reported this to the police.
No way to tell if it’s related, but while we were taking photos early this morning today at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, we were told that shrubs had been torn out by vandals overnight; Alki Community Council‘s David Hutchinson had replanted them and was cleaning up before the 9/11 anniversary events began.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this morning, starting with 2 women out for a walk, approached by a pickup-truck driver who they say was engaging in lewd behavior, and intent on them seeing it. Details, plus a car-part theft, ahead:Read More
Just out of the WSB inbox, from a West Seattleite who asked not to be identified:
At about 1 pm this afternoon there were at least two suspicious people pounding and trying to open a safe in North end of Riverview Park (the corner of Holly & 12th Ave SW). One of the men looked to be a Caucasian male. There were two vehicles, one gray X-Terra and the other looked to be a gray sedan. The police were called and before they got there (only a few minutes) the cars were gone. They did retrieve the safe, it was medium sized and gray. They asked if anyone has any information to please contact the Seattle Police Department.
The non-emergency number is 206-625-5011.
Things have been fairly quiet lately (and WSBeat fans should know, Megan Sheppard‘s weekly feature returns next week). Today, just out of the WSB inbox, from Mike B, a report:
We live on Fauntleroy Way near the Fairmount Playfield. I have a garden of mostly zinnias, gladiolas, and marigolds. Last night (Friday) at about 8:30pm my wife alerted me that there was someone in our yard picking my flowers. When confronted the young men said, “Sorry, they’re for my dead bro, man. Call the Cops.” They quickly walked away heading south. I did call and the police responded quickly. They did not find the young men. They were young white guys in their late teens or early twenties. One had a knit hat on. Both were dressed in baggy dark clothing. I know they were only flowers, but I put a lot of time into my garden and they were important to me.
Reminder, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council resumes its meetings a week from Tuesday – at 7 pm September 20th, Southwest Precinct. Special guest this month – discussing identity theft.
(More photos added 9:36 pm; this one was substituted for previous cameraphone pic)
7:44 PM: Police and fire units are at the scene of a reported shooting in the 9400 block of 11th SW in Highland Park (map). We have a crew on the way. According to WSB contributor Katie Meyer, scanner traffic says the victim is a 20-year-old man, gunshot wound to the back but “conscious and alert.” Early description of the vehicle they’re looking for is a “late model blue Pontiac” last seen going east on Cambridge.
8 PM UPDATE: The victim is being taken to Harborview Medical Center. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand is at the scene and says Gang Unit officers are there helping investigate.
Neighbors say they heard four shots; officers/detectives are looking for casings among other evidence.
8:17 PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter has just published essentially the same info we’ve already reported – noting that it’s “preliminary and subject to change.”
8:28 PM UPDATE: SPD Capt. Neil Low just briefed media at the scene. The victim is described as in “serious condition” as he was transported. According to Capt. Low, the victim was standing outside a car, when another car went by and fired shots; the driver of that car discovered the street was a dead end, and made a U-turn to get away. The victim is believed to be from “nearby.” Though as we noted earlier, there’s Gang Unit members at the scene, they’re not confirming whether this is believed to be gang-related.
7:48 AM UPDATE: Police have added a few more details to that same item on SPD Blotter (linked above):
The victim sustained a single gunshot wound to his back, it was considered serious, but not life-threatening. Officers and Gang Unit detectives located one .40-caliber shell casing in the street and a bullet hole in a house in that block.
Just out of the WSB inbox, the latest newsletter from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon. And this one’s full of news you can use – first, the latest burglary-method trends; second, if you still don’t believe us for all the times we’ve quoted police as saying “It’s OK to call 911 – please do! – when you see/hear something suspicious” – here it is, direct from the source. Plus: Advice on how to make sure someone who looks official (non-law-enforcement), and turns up on your doorstep, really IS official. Read on:Read More
Three reader reports in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – read on:Read More
We’re at the King County Courthouse, where Anthony Haroldlee Smith has just appeared for arraignment in the August 16th murder of 23-year-old Sweetheart Failautusi, shot early that morning at 15th/Roxbury (original White Center Now coverage here). Our video above (shot through the glass that separates the gallery from the judge/lawyer areas of this particular courtroom) shows the brief hearing in its entirety, after Judge Ronald Kessler denied Smith’s lawyer’s request to keep the media from photographing his face, ending before witness names were mentioned in terms of a no-contact order. Smith only spoke to acknowledge his identity; his lawyer formally entered the plea of “not guilty.” Media reps (TV and radio were also here) were asked by an advocate not to photograph the two members of Sweetheart’s family who came to watch the hearing. Smith remains in jail in lieu of one million dollars bail.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share tonight, from the WSB inbox, including a break-in attempt late today whose victims say police told them about a “roaming” burglar, plus another burglary and a car theft – read on (**added Wed. morning, an additional burglary report):Read More
If you haven’t already seen the news over on partner site White Center Now: The community’s been begging for the county to restore its “storefront deputy,” a WC-dedicated sheriff’s deputy who works the community from a home base in the Sheriff’s Office storefront right in the heart of the business district. A petition has been in circulation for weeks – the deputy’s been gone for months – and was going to be presented to Sheriff Sue Rahr this Thursday. But now – its goal is in sight: As part of an anti-gang-violence plan just announced by King County Executive Dow Constantine and County Council members, a special criminal-justice fund will be tapped for programs including restoring the deputy, pending official council approval. More at WCN.
(12:21 PM UPDATE: We now have prosecution reaction after a mixed decision at the monthlong trial in the Steve Bushaw murder case. Bryce Huber is guilty; the jury could not reach a decision regarding Brandon Chaney, so his case ends in mistrial. The victim’s family says Huber is the one they most wanted to see convicted. The following begins with as-it-happened updates from WSB editor Tracy Record at the courthouse.)
8:58 AM: We’re in the King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque‘s courtroom, awaiting word of the jury’s decision in the monthlong trial of two men charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Steve Bushaw. The 26-year-old West Seattleite (right) was killed the night of February 1, 2009, shot in the middle of California SW by two men who already have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In this trial, which we have been covering since the start, defendant Bryce Huber is accused of luring Bushaw to his death; defendant Brandon Chaney is accused of driving the getaway car. The seven-woman, five-man jury has deliberated three full days since getting the case late last Wednesday; the trial began August 1st. The victim’s family members have arrived; so have two of the three lawyers. We’ll cover this as it happens.
9:14 AM: Both defendants are now here, escorted by uniformed, armed King County Jail officers as always, cuffs taken off just before they sit down at the table with their lawyers. About three dozen spectators, mostly family of victim/defendants, are in the courtroom now.
9:17 AM: Judge DuBuque has announced the jury says they have reached a verdict for one defendant and is “unable to reach a verdict for the other.” They asked for directions. The judge is asking the lawyers what they think. She says she doesn’t know which defendant is matched to which circumstance. (9:21) They will call in the jury to ask the presiding juror if there is any hope they will reach a verdict on the second defendant.
9:24 AM: The presiding juror says “no,” after the judge warned that nothing else must be said. The jury now is leaving the courtroom so the judge and lawyers can consult. (9:27) At the request of Huber’s lawyer Tony Savage, the jurors are being brought back to ask if they all agree with the presiding juror’s answer. One voice said “no.” They’re being sent out again. (9:31) Savage says he’s OK with accepting one verdict and one mistrial (we still don’t know which defendant is which), so the jurors are being brought back out for the announcement.
9:32 AM: The jury is back. The verdict has been given to the bailiff. Huber is guilty. The family is gasping. He is guilty of murder in the first degree, with firearm enhancement (which adds 5 years to the sentence). This means Chaney’s case is deadlocked, and a mistrial is declared. A date will be set in a few weeks regarding what happens next. (added) Huber’s sentencing is set for 9 am September 16th, and later that day, there will be a hearing regarding the next steps toward a new trial for Chaney. The defendants, officers, and lawyers are leaving.
(Photo added, by Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times: Steve’s mother Meg Bushaw, hugged by daughter Tanya Bushaw)
The family is still standing in the courtroom. We had made an earlier request to speak with anyone who chose to spoke on their behalf, so we are going out in hopes of talking with them.
9:52 AM: Steve Bushaw’s only sibling, Tanya Bushaw, tells WSB she is “very happy. (Huber) was the one and only person we had been wanting the most out of the case. He is the one who lured my brother (to his death), and the one who put my brother’s name up” (in relation to the home-invasion robbery of a friend of Huber’s, which was the motive in the shooting’s complicated backstory). Tanya also said that, regarding the mistrial for Chaney, “of all the people (in the case), if one was to have a mistrial, he would have been my very first choice.” Tanya and Steve’s dad Ron Bushaw said simply, “I’m happy that one of them was found guilty, and I hope the other will be.”
10:23 AM NOTE: Our partners at the Seattle Times had a crew in the courtroom for the verdict and we expect to be able to add some of their photos later; we have added a file shot of Huber in the meantime, taken during January proceedings, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB. (added – their photo of Huber)
(Photo by Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)
It should also be noted that the two men who admitted shooting Bushaw, John Sylve and Danny O’Neal, are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge DuBuque at 2 pm September 30th.
12:18 PM UPDATE: King County Prosecuting Attorney‘s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says the jury was split 8-4 for convicting Chaney – this was not announced in open court, but jurors were offered the chance to talk with the lawyers afterward – and his office is considering a retrial. Also regarding the oft-asked question of potential charges against others who have emerged as possibly involved: “We will be reviewing information presented at trial and other evidence regarding the potential involvement of others.”
TUESDAY NIGHT NOTE: The KCPAO’s official summary of the trial’s end can be read here; it notes that Huber will face a sentencing range of 25-31 years in prison, while Sylve and O’Neal face 15-23 years. One other note: WSB complete coverage of the entire trial is archived here, newest-to-oldest.
Routine check of the court files on several cases we’re following brings news of a plea bargain in the assault case related to a SWAT standoff that closed Delridge for several hours the morning of July 15th: 20-year-old Jory Preston was originally charged with 2 counts of domestic-violence assault, 2nd-degree and 4th-degree, for 2 July incidents involving his ex-girlfriend, including the one that led to the police search that resulted in the standoff. Online court records show that last week, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree domestic-violence assault, involving only a July 11th incident in which he admitted to “shoving and biting” the victim. The charge carries a standard sentencing range of 1 to 3 months, and documents in the case indicate that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of “credit for time served.” He has been in jail since turning himself in at the Southwest Precinct, ending the police standoff outside his home on Delridge, which turned out to instead have two other people inside who said they didn’t come out because they were scared. Programs for substance abuse and domestic-violence prevention also will be recommended. Court documents say Preston has no prior felony convictions. He is scheduled to be sentenced this Friday afternoon by King County Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi.
We’re at the King County Courthouse, staked out awaiting word of a decision in the Steve Bushaw murder trial, but there won’t be one today – the jury has just gone home for the day. However, Judge Joan DuBuque‘s bailiff has just informed WSB that, “The jury will have some news for us tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock.”
Jurors have now deliberated for three full days, after getting the case toward the end of the day last Wednesday. They are deciding the fate of two men who are charged with first-degree murder though Bushaw was shot on February 1st, 2009, by two other men, both of whom pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. WSB is the only news organization that has been covering the trial; our coverage is archived here, newest to oldest.
A car theft, two burglaries, and a car break-in are among the West Seattle Crime Watch reports that have come in over the past day/night – so here’s a longer-than-usual roundup.Read More
(UPDATE: No verdict on Friday; the jurors continue deliberating Monday.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Seven women and five men are now deciding the fate of the two defendants on trial for the murder of Steve Bushaw, a West Seattle native shot to death in the middle of California SW on Super Bowl Sunday 2009.
Before the case went to those jurors on Wednesday afternoon, they were the audience for impassioned arguments from the three lawyers in the case – King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Baird, defendant Brandon Chaney‘s lawyer Jim Roe, and defendant Bryce Huber‘s lawyer Tony Savage.
All three are veterans, decades in their profession, countless cases. Yet for them, for the jurors, for King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque and her staff, for the defendants, for their families, for the victim’s families, for those who have observed, this trial has consumed the final month of the summer of 2011.
As each lawyer in turn faced the jurors on Wednesday to make his last pitch, the spectators in the courtroom sat as rapt as the jury, listening, watching. Who would deliver the knockout blow? Who would tie together the complex evidence – from cell-phone records to relationships involving key yet uncharged figures in the case – to render the most believable version of, this is what really happened in the weeks, days, hours, minutes before gunfire in the middle of California SW cut short a man’s life at just 26?
For the jury, of course, the task was different – simply, did the prosecution prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Chaney and Huber are guilty of murder, though two other men have pleaded guilty to firing the deadly shots?
The day began with the official instructions to the jurors:Read More
At 3:38 pm, the lawyers in the Steve Bushaw murder trial finished their closing arguments (including the final rebuttal from prosecutor Jeff Baird), and the jury has gone off to start deliberating. We’ll summarize the gist of the arguments in a story later.
(Photo by Katie Meyer for WSB)
We have more information today on last night’s 44th/Stevens hit-run crash that sent four people to the hospital, including two children, who we now know are 5 and 9 years old. Police say the driver reported to have run from the scene is a juvenile – 16 years old – and that his breath test was over the legal drunkenness level. Read on for more details:Read More
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