West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
At the King County Courthouse this morning, the gallery in Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque’s courtroom was almost completely filled for what was anticipated to be the start of opening statements in the trial of Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, charged with murdering West Seattleite Steve Bushaw (right) in February 2009. Among those on hand were members of the victim’s family. Then suddenly, a surprise – a problem that, over the course of the first hour, led to one of the jurors being excused from the case. That resulted in a new mini-round of jury selection to replace him, and that took the rest of the day, with word just in that opening statements are expected to start tomorrow. The trial may last the entire month and has already gone through a variety of delays; it was on the verge of starting back in January when it was pushed back by sudden developments, including 2 other defendants deciding to plead guilty. (The backstory’s in our original report on the charges filed in fall 2009.)
(2010 Night Out photo of 48th/Dawson party, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Tomorrow night is the biggest block-party night of the year around West Seattle and the rest of the U.S. – Night Out. 
Years ago, it started as National Night Out Against Crime, and that’s still its focus, to bring together neighbors and neighborhoods in the interest of crime prevention and deterrence. It’s not too late to get your party on the citywide map – a few West Seattle events are there now, but we know there are more! (10 am Tuesday is the deadline.) And thanks to party organizers who have sent us info on locations/times for the traditional WSB “as it happens” Night Out report – if you wouldn’t mind us potentially stopping by, please e-mail us the address and who to ask for. It’s a great chance to celebrate neighborhood spirit.
Several notes this afternoon. First, we finally have some official police information on an incident at the Shell station in the 5400 block of Delridge about this time Sunday. (Thanks to Patrick Baer, who also provided the photo, and to Lawrence, for the tips about this.) Seattle Police media-unit Det. Mark Jamieson confirms that the incident involved police spotting a stolen truck (it was a Toyota Tundra, according to Lawrence). Four people were inside. Two were arrested and booked into jail – investigation of auto theft and an outstanding warrant, according to Det. Jamieson, who says the other two were released. The truck’s owner came to the scene, too. Note: This was first reported to us as an incident involving police “with guns drawn.” That is standard procedure if a vehicle is being stopped for a potential felony (car theft qualifies) – so if you happen to see that startling sight, know that just might be the circumstance. (And let us know – 206-293-6302.)
Speaking of auto theft, here’s a report sent today by J:
Just discovered my car missing and presumed stolen from my off-street driveway (Genesee area near Schmitz school). Report has been filed with police.
Asking folks to keep an eye out for and report to police sighting of:
2001 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport
blue, 4 door, 5th door hatchback with spoiler
“Uff Da” frame around license plates
And today’s third note (so far), Gregor reported a string of car break-ins in Arbor Heights Friday night/Saturday morning (he was among the victims) – including some windows broken on locked cars, in the area of 36th/108th (map), and possibly beyond.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Four intruder incidents: Around 11:30 a.m. Saturday (last weekend), in the 7000 block of 14th SW, a man awoke from a nap and saw a stranger peering into the bedroom. When confronted, the suspect shut the door, ran out the front of the house, jumped on a mountain bike and rode off southbound. He was white, 22-29, with a heavy build and brown curly or permed hair. He wore basketball shorts. And just after midnight Wednesday, a resident of the 5200 block of 44th SW heard a loud crash, saw a figure in his backyard, and discovered that his back door had been forced open. A similar incident occurred Friday afternoon in the 5400 block of 44th SW, where a man kicked in the door of a residence and fled upon seeing the homeowner. Around 6 p.m. Saturday (last weekend), a woman awoke from a nap in the 6500 block of 35th SW and screamed when she saw three strangers in her bedroom. They jumped out the window and ran northbound. She said one appeared to be 10 years old or so. The other two were 18.
Six more summaries, including an update on last weekend’s Highland Park stabbing, ahead:Read More
Two Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon. The first one was a theft that happened in a flash; the second, a car break-in that led to a garage break-in. (And we added a third at 4:04 pm – all are ahead:)Read More
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – two reader reports. First, from Mike:
My house at 32nd and Roxbury [map] was burglarized for the second time in 4 months (Monday). The first time, the neighbor reported seeing a primer-gray mid-’80s pickup truck in my driveway during the burglary but thought it was a friend. The second time, no one saw anything; however, the thieves stole a black powder musket and 3 cameras and smashed a window to get in. The black powder musket was in a Flambeau case, and they broke one of the latches that close the case in the process of stealing it.
Next, a scam, also out of the WSB inbox: J&J tell the tale of what a friend fell for; even if you think you would know better, you might want to warn your more-trusting friends and relatives. Read on:Read More
At the King County Courthouse downtown, we’ve just left the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque, where jury selection is now complete for the trial of Brandon Chaney and Bryce Huber, after prospective jurors went through almost two full days of questioning. Eight women and six men comprise the fourteen-juror panel (12 jurors and two alternates) who remained in the courtroom after the rest were dismissed. Huber and Chaney are on trial for the February 2009 West Seattle shooting death of 26-year-old Steve Bushaw; two others, Danny O’Neal and John Sylve, have pleaded guilty. The trial is now in recess until 9 am Monday, when prosecutor Jeff Baird and defense lawyers Tony Savage (for Huber) and Jim Roe (for Chaney) are scheduled to begin opening statements.
MONDAY MIDDAY NOTE: Opening statements haven’t started, after all – one of the jurors had to be excused from the case, and they are going through a new pool of jurors to select a replacement. That’s expected to take the rest of the day.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon – two are followups from last night: First, we have finally tracked down what brought a large police response to North Admiral around 7 pm. Someone reported to police that a man with a gun was shooting at crows. It turned out to be a BB gun, according to SPD spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson; the BB gun was taken into evidence, but there were no arrests. Also, we checked to see if the search in Arbor Heights, which related to a stolen car, had resulted in arrests; Det. Jamieson says no. Finally, a new report this afternoon – a car theft reported by Elizabeth:
Our Toyota Highlander was stolen out of our alley driveway last night. 38th and
Dakota. Just FYI for all our West Seattle neighbors.
P.S. For stats fans – SPD announced today that June crime stats have been added to its ongoing online tallies.
Two and a half years after 26-year-old Steve Bushaw was shot dead outside Talarico’s, jury selection has begun in the murder trial of the two defendants remaining in the case. In two sessions this morning, 120 prospective jurors were brought into King County Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque‘s courtroom, and askedwhether serving on the jury for this trial would cause hardship. For those who were not excused in that round, questioning this afternoon (voir dire) will involve the defense and prosecution lawyers deciding who is acceptable to be seated.
Judge DuBuque has outlined a timetable for the case: Court will be in session Mondays through Thursdays, 9 am to 4 pm (except August 15-16, when it will be in recess), until the case goes to the jury, at which time they will also deliberate Fridays if necessary. It is projected to last three or four weeks before the jury gets the case. The defendants are alleged mastermind Bryce Huber and alleged getaway driver Brandon Chaney, both on trial for first-degree murder after prosecutors dropped the conspiracy charge; John Sylve and Danny O’Neal have already pleaded guilty to being the triggermen and are expected to testify. Earlier this week, it was agreed that opening statements would start next Monday, though that is of course dependent on how the rest of the jury selection process goes.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight. First, if you’re seeing police activity in Arbor Heights around 32nd and 106th, officers are searching right now for suspects who apparently fled a car that turned out to be stolen. Second, we’re still trying to track down information on an incident earlier tonight in the Admiral District that led to a brief, albeit reportedly sizable, response (will add whatever we find out). Third – two people e-mailed on behalf of neighbors who sadly can’t do it themselves because burglars stole their computer equipment. The break-in happened today near 44th/Cambridge, and one of the neighbors reports:
Burglars hit during the day, broke down the front door, stole computers, including a brand new Apple desktop computer just out of the box, and a Rolex. Left everything else. A burgundy car was seen yesterday, parked just down the hill, with a man inside it watching the neighborhood for quite awhile.
One week from tonight – on Tuesday, August 2nd – it’s Night Out, the annual nationwide celebration of neighbors banding together to fight crime. If you want to close your (non-arterial) street for a block party, hurry! Other neighborhoods have already done it – like the lively people of Pigeon Point, whose official signpost invitation to neighbors is up (artwork by Jim Sander, photo courtesy Pete Spalding). The registration link is on this Seattle Police Department infopage. And if you wouldn’t mind us stopping by your party for a pic, please e-mail us the location and who to ask for!
Meantime, if you use Twitter, and follow the feed for Seattle Police, you were probably startled this morning (we were!) to suddenly see their feed changed into an information stream with single-line messages about calls officers were handling around the city. (Usually, the SPD Twitter feed only has a few messages a day, mostly links to updates on their SPD Blotter site of selected incident summaries.) At a mid-morning briefing about Night Out, they explained they’re doing a “tweet-a-thon” today, 6 am to 6 pm, highlighting incidents that the public tipped them about. Media Response Unit leader Sgt. Sean Whitcomb explains it here.
P.S. Before Night Out gets here – make sure your Block Watch is linked up with the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network! You can find them on the Web, on Facebook, and this Thursday night, info-tabling at the West Seattle Candidates’ Forum (6:30-9 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center – updated details coming up later this afternoon).
We’re at the King County Courthouse, where jury selection was supposed to start right about now for the two remaining defendants on trial for the murder of Steve Bushaw two and a half years ago, after a week of final pre-trial motions and discussion. But jury selection has just been delayed till Wednesday because of a tangled set of circumstances that made it safer, for the case’s chances of surviving any later challenges, to wait for a new pool of jurors to arrive at the courthouse. Key among the challenges today, the fact that some members of today’s overall courthouse jury pool, while waiting to go into another courtroom, might have seen deputies bringing cuffed defendants Brandon Chaney and Bryce Huber down the hall, a sight that might prejudice them if they were then “recycled” into this jury pool. So Wednesday morning at 9:15, everyone will reconvene. Prosecutor Jeff Baird proposed opening statements then be set for next Monday morning, and no one objected.
(Memorial in Roxhill Park paying tribute to murder victim Bernard Martin, September 2010)
The 22-year-old man jailed for beating another man to death in Roxhill Park last September has pleaded guilty. We discovered this on a routine check of court records this weekend. Chatri Thip was charged with killing 40-year-old Bernard Martin by jumping onto him and smashing a shopping cart against him. This past week in King County Superior Court, Thip pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, the original charge against him. His written statement blames an “aggression-laden environment” at the park the night it happened, starting, he claimed, after a group upset he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant – including her half-brothers – attacked him. The murder victim was not part of that attack, Thip wrote. The original charging documents had said Thip had six beers that night – stolen from the nearby Safeway – and told police he experiences rage when he drinks, and lashed out when Martin came up to him in the park and asked for a beer. Court documents indicate prosecutors will recommend the lower end of the standard sentencing range, 11 years and 2 months in prison (the high end is just under 20 years). Thip is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Susan Craighead at 1 pm September 23rd.
Out of the WSB inbox today, from Jason:
Our house near 36th and Barton was burglarized during the day on 7/21. The front door was kicked in and several items were stolen. Please let others know so they can keep an eye out for suspicious activity In their neighborhoods.
Police say door-kicking is a common method of break-in; here’s their advice on burglary prevention.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*On Monday just before 6 pm, a drive-thru teller was able to stall for time when a customer tried to cash a $5,000 check with a suspicious signature. She called the man who had supposedly written the check, and when he denied having done so, other bank employees called 911. An officer arrived and pulled in behind the suspect’s car. The suspect was ordered to turn off the ignition and drop the car keys to the ground. He did so, but while the officer was running a computer check, the engine started up and the car squealed out of the bank lot, nearly hitting a pedestrian. Continuing eastbound, the driver swerved into oncoming traffic and ran a red light, just missing additional pedestrians. Because a chase would have posed additional dangers, the officers opted to not pursue the fleeing car. But citizens later noticed a suspicious car in front of an abandoned house in the 5600 block of 31st SW. Officers identified it as the suspect’s vehicle. Behind the residence? A pile that included ID cards for more than 15 victims, stolen checks, washed checks, cell phone chip cards, a laptop computer, and a loaded Springfield Arms 9mm handgun stolen in a car prowl in north Seattle earlier in the month. The car and all of the property was placed into the evidence room. The suspects remain at large.
8 more summaries after the jump, including two cases of bullet casings found in local streets, and two updates on crimes previously covered on WSB:Read More
6:14 PM: Police are investigating a stabbing at 14th and Henderson in Highland Park. The victim is male and being rushed to the hospital now. More as we get it.
6:34 PM UPDATE: This happened at an apartment building; while we wait to talk to the lieutenant who’s on scene, scanner communication describes it as a domestic-violence incident, with the suspect(s) possibly in a brown Ford Bronco with tinted windows and spinner-style rims, headed north. While few crime scenes are “calm,” this one seems particularly tense, with more than a few of the people outside the building expressing themselves loudly and emotionally.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
7:15 PM UPDATE: At the scene, Lt. Ron Smith tells us it’s still too soon to say exactly what happened, as different people are telling them different stories. One person who he says may or may not be a suspect has voluntarily turned himself in. They have found what may be the weapons that is used, but they’re still searching, to be sure.
From Jason, via Facebook:
Our Honda Accord (white – yr 96) was stolen last night from the corner of 18th & Kenyon. Police came by to make a report and said there has been a rash of Honda thefts in the area…kids taking them for joyrides and then dumping the cars up north or else where. Police recommended, especially if you have a Honda, to get a club for the steering wheel !……
Here’s other police advice for how to try to prevent car theft.
Thanks to Pat for the photo taken in Westwood, 8600 block of 31st SW, where neighbors wondered what brought out so many Seattle Police cars as well as King County Sheriff’s Office deputies. SPD told us it was a KCSO case; sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart says they were trying to arrest someone on a county warrant for second-degree assault: “He didn’t want to come out so we talked to him for a while and then went in and got him.”
Today (Wednesday) will be Day 3 of pre-jury-selection motions and other business in the murder trial of Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, two of the four men charged in the February 2009 West Seattle shooting death of Steve Bushaw. (The other two have pleaded guilty and are expected to testify.) Tuesday brought about two hours of courtroom activity. Big headline: Jury selection isn’t likely to start before Monday – among other things, all sides agreed that a new group of jurors is more likely to yield people who can stay through a trial that will last weeks rather than days. Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque is asking for a pool of more than 60. Otherwise, evidence and motions were discussed on Tuesday afternoon, including cell-phone records for defendants and witnesses. Observed Huber’s lawyer Anthony Savage, “We have a three-page document here that’ll strike you blind if you try to read it.” Prosecutor Jeff Baird came with a sheaf of charts that apparently show timelines with arrows, horizontal lines, and photos, to help visualize the cell-phone trail. Then came the discussion of what evidence will be admissible – for example, the home-invasion robbery that is alleged to be the reason why Huber allegedly wanted Bushaw dead, and the marijuana dealing in which both were allegedly involved. Said prosecutor Baird: “I think everyone knows by now that marijuana is in a state of quasi-legality in Seattle, and other parts of the country, and does not rise to the level of crimes that require close police attention. I don’t think anyone would hold it against Mr. Huber or for that matter Mr. Bushaw that they happened to buy marijuana and sell it on a small scale to their acquaintances.” Proceedings are scheduled to resume at 9 this morning.
No word of any arrests yet, but the police report “narrative” from the Saturday night North Admiral stabbings is available online. Many details are redacted in the online copy – not just names but some places – which we are denoting below with asterisks. Read on:Read More
Only two weeks till this year’s Night Out Against Crime, Tuesday, August 2nd. Still time to register your block party so you can close the street, providing it’s not an arterial. Here’s where to sign up.. You can also check out the Night Out page on Facebook – find it here. And if you wouldn’t mind us stopping by your party as we travel around that night trying to get to as many as possible, please send us the address (here’s how to reach us) before party night, and let us know who to ask for! Also note the city is inviting people to map their parties by adding them to a calendar – this is the first time ever for that – once you’re in the calendar, there’s a map on the city Night Out page showing locations that have been added!
7:19 PM: Thanks to those who tipped us (206-293-6302, voice or text any time) about a big police presence at the Super 24 on Delridge within the past hour. Police at the scene tell us there was a report of a road-rage incident, involving someone waving or pointing a gun out of a car. They pulled over the suspect; no injuries reported.
ADDED 12:19 AM: Here are more details in a summary published on SPD Blotter:
On July 19th, just after 4:30 PM, a 29 year old male suspect was involved in a traffic dispute with another driver. Both vehicles had just exited the West Seattle Bridge onto Delridge. The suspect raised a semi-auto handgun and pointed it at the victim. The victim fled and called 911. Officers responded but the suspect vehicle had left the area.
Just before 6:00 PM, an officer from the Southwest Precinct located the suspect vehicle, a black 1997 Mercedes Benz, at a gas station in the 5400 Block of Delridge Way SW, occupied by two males and a female. The occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody without incident. The suspect admitted to officers that there was a handgun in the driver’s door compartment and gave officers consent to search the vehicle. Officers recovered the 9mm pistol, a loaded magazine, and a box of ammunition. The 29 year old suspect was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Harassment. The other occupants were identified and released.
Charges have just been filed against the man who police thought was inside a Delridge home last Friday morning, leading to hours of SWAT-team presence that all traced back to an incident at Camp Long on Thursday night. 
20-year-old Jory Lee Preston is charged with two counts of domestic-violence assault, one 2nd degree and one 4th degree. The charging documents refer to two incidents: First, the Thursday night incident in which he allegedly pointed a gun at his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend; and also, the previous Monday (July 11th), Preston is accused of “confront(ing) the victim at a park in West Seattle, angry with her that she was hanging out with other guys. He grabbed her and attempted to force her into his vehicle and threatened to push her in front of a moving vehicle.” He had been held on $100,000 bail, but prosecutors are asking to have that raised to $250,000, saying in the documents, “The gun in the July 14, 2011, incident was not recovered, but when the SWAT Team made entrance into his residence they recovered a rifle, a loaded revolver and a shotgun and shotgun ammunition, and a large knife. In February 2011, the Seattle Police Department responded to a 911 report that the defendant had threatened to kill his step-father. According to the police report, when police responded to the scene, they took the defendant into custody and … recovered several firearms from his bedroom.” The probable-cause section of the charging documents, based on the police report, say that Preston and the victim broke up last March, and say that the July 11th incident happened at Me-Kwa-Mooks on Beach Drive, but was not reported to SPD until that afternoon. The charging documents also include an extensive account of how police say events unfolded at Camp Long and then during the SWAT presence at Preston’s Delridge residence; we will add that to this report a bit later – there are a lot of witness and victim names to excise. (Friday photo courtesy of Amanda)
ADDED 10:26 AM: The transcript of the “probable cause” narrative by police – we transcribed it from the documents that accompanied the charges filed yesterday, as they were not in a “cut-and-paste”-enabled format. Names aside from the charged person have been excised, as have addresses, license plate numbers and other identifying information. This begins with the Camp Long incident and carries through the overnight SWAT standoff, quoting those who were inside the house as saying they didn’t open up because they thought police would “go away”:Read More
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