One week ago, we reported the likelihood of a plea bargain for the second defendant in the Highland Park hate-crime attack on a teenager (the first defendant, 23-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, pleaded guilty in December and was sentenced last month) – and today, that’s exactly what has happened. 21-year-old Jonathan Baquiring pleaded guilty this morning; details from our partners at the Seattle Times. Baquiring will be sentenced on March 11th; he has remained in jail since his arrest last September.
65-year-old Gregory Paul Hess is now charged in the videotaped stickup at Roxbury Shell that brought him the nickname “Polite Robber” – eight years after, as we first reported early Tuesday, he gained infamy as the “Transaction Bandit.” The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Hess with one count of first-degree robbery for last Saturday’s heist. The charging documents reveal a few new details about what happened after the videotaped robbery: First, the station owner didn’t just stand there – he called 911 and then walked out into the parking lot to try to get the license-plate number of the vehicle the robber got away in. The King County Sheriff’s Office (which has jurisdiction because the gas station is outside city limits) got “several tips” on the Monday after the robbery, all identifying the man on the video as Gregory Hess. A detective looked up the name and found it belonged to a 65-year-old man on probation after serving time for bank robbery; federal probation authorities had an address for him in the Top Hat area, and investigators got a search warrant (after the robbery victim identified Hess in a photo lineup). When they found him there, the charging papers say, he told them, “I’m the one you’re looking for.” He also is reported to have pointed them to the pellet gun used during the robbery. While being questioned, authorities say, Hess confessed, saying he got $200 from the robbery and used it to buy food and gas and to pay a cell-phone bill, then depositing the remaining $90 in his bank account. Tonight, he remains in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, and his arraignment is set for two weeks from today. (Photo: Washington Department of Corrections)
*On Monday afternoon, a ongoing beef between two groups of teens came to a peaceful end when the heads of the two groups shook hands. Witnesses described the genesis of the disturbance to an officer who, in the report, states, “There was a stand-off much like the one between The Sharks and The Jets, but without the finger snapping.”
*Two juveniles had a verbal argument last week, but the victim of threats told officers he wasn’t too concerned: For one thing, the suspect claimed the incorrect gang affiliation for his part of town. (“He doesn’t live there. He should have claimed “xxxx” gang instead.”) And with street lingo favoring the word “cap” for “shoot,” the victim was apparently reassured when the suspect threatened, instead, to “clap” him.
Ahead, six more summaries, including the forger-turned-nanny and the case of the misplaced car keys:Read More
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Thanks to Blake for the tip on this: For the second night in a row, Seattle Police officers (including what appeared to be SWAT/undercover officers) showed up in force at a West Seattle location. This time, it was in the 6700 block of California SW. No word if anyone was arrested; before Christopher Boffoli got there for WSB, tipster Blake said it appeared nobody was home when police arrived. Christopher talked with officers, who said they could only say they were there serving a search warrant and conducting an investigation. The trucks shown in our photo towed multiple cars (according to Blake, they were checked out first by K-9). We’ll see if more information is available later this morning.
SIDE NOTE: No indication so far if this has anything to do with last night’s arrest of a man at 41st/Edmunds, but there’s a followup detail on that; the King County Jail Register shows that suspect got out around 9:30 last night after posting bond for $50,000 bail.
THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson says it was a “narcotics search warrant served by the (Anti-Crime Team),” no further details at this point.
(Starkenburg at left)
Here at the King County Courthouse, 46-year-old Duane Starkenburg has just appeared for arraignment on the charges he’s facing in connection with three attacks on women in Lincoln Park. He has been out of jail since two days after his January 25th arrest; he arrived at court in a suit and tie. With King County Superior Court Judge Ronald Kessler presiding, Starkenburg pleaded not guilty to the two indecent-liberties charges and one attempted-indecent-liberties charge against him. Prosecutors asked not only that he continue to be prohibited from being in Lincoln Park, but also that he be prohibited from being in any public park or “marked walking or jogging trail” in King County, “for the safety of the community.” The judge agreed. Starkenburg’s bail status has not changed; he remains free on $175,000 bond. Next up in the case: A hearing on March 28th. (Photo credits: Top, Tracy Record/WSB; right, Mike Siegel/Seattle Times, republished with permission)
(Updated Wednesday morning with new information from Seattle Police)
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB, added 11:07 pm) 10:16 PM: Breaking right now – what appear to be SWAT officers making arrests in the 41st/Edmunds vicinity (map) on the south side of The Junction. Christopher Boffoli is there for WSB and says what he’s been told so far is that it’s a narcotics operation. The intersection’s blocked off, so steer clear TFN. More to come.
10:39 PM: Christopher says police at the scene confirm narcotics/SWAT officers involved, and that two people have been arrested. A car is being towed away. The intersection has just reopened.
11:30 PM: No additional details – and there may not be any before morning, if then (we’ll be checking the jail register, among other places to harvest info) – but also of note, both Christopher and WSB contributor Katie Meyer report that from observation in The Junction and from radio traffic, this was the result of a planned stakeout, with support units standing by for blocks around until the operation was over. (Christopher adds that Gang Unit detectives were seen participating, too.)
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: New details from Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson: He says this was part of a “pretty extensive ongoing undercover narcotics operation – involving Gang Unit, Southwest Anti-Crime Team, and members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.” Over the past month or so, he says, “they had been buying on several occasions from a pretty prolific drug trafficker and gangster … and yesterday they decided to do the ‘order up take down’.” They had just “concluded a transaction and moved in to make the arrest.” The suspect they were seeking is a 40-year-old with a felony criminal history; Det. Jamieson didn’t have information on what kind of drugs he allegedly was dealing, but says he was armed with a “stolen handgun” so he’s been booked into King County Jail on weapons charges as well as drug charges.
We just checked – he’s still in as of 8:30 this morning. (A quick check of his court record reveals a long list of cases, including a Court of Appeals case in he appealed his convictions for “multiple counts of driving while license suspended and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle,” challenging the terminology “immediately” rather than challenging the violations themselves. He lost.) Det. Jamieson says a 48-year-old woman was in the car with him, but she was released after being questioned at the Southwest Precinct.
An update this morning in the case of accused Lincoln Park attacker Duane Starkenburg, the 46-year-old Gatewood man out on bond after being charged in connection with three incidents in which women say they were tackled and assaulted, most recently two weeks ago, the day he was arrested. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says Starkenburg’s arraignment has been moved up a day. Instead of appearing this Thursday, he is now scheduled to appear tomorrow at 8:30 am in King County Superior Court downtown, room E-1201. (For those who have asked about the process – arraignment is usually a fairly short hearing at which a suspect enters a plea, though multiple defendants are usually scheduled in that courtroom simultaneously, and it could be some time after 8:30 before he appears.) KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe says the charges against him remain the same ones filed week before last – two counts of indecent liberties, one count of attempted indecent liberties.
WSB policy is usually not to identify crime suspects until they are charged. But there are a few exceptions – same ones we had while in citywide media – including cases in which the person is photographed/videotaped actually committing the crime. So with that said, we are reporting that 65-year-old Gregory Paul Hess is the man arrested in Top Hat and then booked into King County Jail late last night on suspicion of being the so-called “polite” robber who was videotaped (here’s KING5‘s original story) holding up the Roxbury Shell last Saturday morning.
Announcing the arrest on Monday afternoon, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart mentioned that the suspect had been previously convicted of armed robbery. Researching Hess’s background last night and this morning, we discovered that his criminal past brought him media coverage before: In 2003, he was arrested after a string of bank robberies (none in West Seattle) attributed to the “Transaction Bandit.” As was the case in the videotaped Roxbury heist, the robber in those cases waited until the till was open and then changed from customer to robber. Not only that – the “need money” story told by the Roxbury robber echoes the “Transaction Bandit” saga. Charges against Hess were detailed in this 2003 Seattle Times (WSB partner) story, which began:
Gregory Paul Hess hadn’t worked in months, and he had rent to pay and groceries to buy, federal prosecutors say in court documents filed yesterday charging Hess with bank robbery.
The 58-year-old Seattle man had quit his job steaming lattes at a Starbucks in Madison Park before Christmas, and he was sure his unemployment benefits would dry up any day, according to charges filed against Hess in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
According to federal court dockets we reviewed online this morning, Hess struck a plea bargain in 2004, pleading guilty to three of the five counts with which he was charged. He was sentenced to 4 years, 9 months in prison. According to the Bureau of Prisons website, he was released in July 2007. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says he’s due for a bail hearing at 2:30 this afternoon.
3:38 PM UPDATE: Hess’s bail was set this afternoon at $250,000. Prosecutors have until Thursday to file formal charges.
Two reports to share this morning – one, a car break-in that netted the thieves religious items as well as more common loot, so the victim’s hoping you will keep an eye out in case they were discarded; the other, an attempted car theft. Both after the jump:Read More
Thanks to Kim for pointing out this KING 5 story. The robbery at the Shell station at 2805 SW Roxbury happened Saturday morning in King County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, not Seattle Police, so it wasn’t on our radar till now. The robber looked to be 60ish and apologized profusely to the storekeeper, as you’ll see in the video; if you recognize him, call 911.
SUNDAY EVENING NOTE: We checked this afternoon with KCSO; no word of an arrest so far.
This morning’s West Seattle Crime Watch update starts with good news before we get to a new crime report. Last time around, we included Shay‘s report about her stolen car. She e-mailed last night to say a WSB’er found it!
Because of you, we got our stolen car back SO MUCH FASTER than I ever imagined. One of your faithful readers read about our incident today, called us, and we found our vehicle! There was damage and my skateboard was stolen, but we can’t be more appreciative of the service you provide for our community. When you have your property violated by strangers, it’s very reassuring to know that there are a whole lot more strangers that actually care.
There was rope left in our trunk and the back bumper looked as though it pulled something along (maybe someone ON my skateboard?). If anyone SAW an old Accord pulling anything (Thursday) night, please let us know.
Now, the burglary report – it happened yesterday afternoon in Arbor Heights, 9800 block of 42nd SW (map):
They kicked in the back door between 12:45 pm and 3:00 pm. They stole our Mac desktop, iPad, and iPod touch, plus my jewelry. The police came and we filed a report. If anyone knows anything please let us or the police know.
Two weeks after the sentencing of one defendant in the Highland Park hate-crime attack (WSB courthouse coverage here), there’s word the second suspect might also enter a plea instead of going to trial. A hearing scheduled today for 21-year-old Jonathan Baquiring was instead postponed till next Friday, and a new document in the online court files explains the delay as: “Parties likely have reached a plea bargain.” A hearing is now tentatively set for next Friday morning; Baquiring’s trial had been set for February 22nd. He is charged with robbery and malicious harassment in the May 2010 attack on Shane McClellan, the teenager beaten and tortured for hours on a Highland Park staircase. The other defendant, 23-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, admitted with his guilty plea that he “maliciously and intentionally … caused physical injury” to the victim because of his race; Mohamed was sentenced to almost six years in prison.
Several West Seattle Crime Watch reports from the WSB inbox – a stolen car to watch for, a stolen car apparently found, and two hit-and run cases, one unsolved – (update: a newly reported roof-rack theft added) – after the jump:Read More
A note from Brendan reminded us that today marked 2 years since 26-year-old lifelong West Seattleite Steve Bushaw died, hours after being gunned down on California SW. If not for a last-minute twist, the trial of his accused killers would likely have been starting testimony about now – but, as reported here last month, two of the four suspects pleaded guilty just as the trial was about to begin, and gave statements that the other two suspects’ lawyers say completely changed the case, which has been described by prosecutors as a revenge plot related to a robbery for which the suspects blamed Bushaw, though police say they had no evidence he was involved. So now , as reported last week, the trial is delayed until June 1st. We just checked the case files; since the last official court proceedings last week, various motions have been filed by lawyers for one of the two remaining defendants, Bryce Huber, including one to grant him two public defenders, on the grounds that the case against him is so complicated he needs two. Nothing has changed in the case of the other defendant, Brandon Chaney. Meantime, the two defendants who struck plea bargains, Danny O’Neal and John Sylve, both are scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Three months ago, we reported on charges filed against Admiral resident Juanita Wright, found to have a blood-alcohol level of .29 after driving into seven pedestrians in SODO. Today, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Wright “pleaded guilty … to three counts of Vehicular Assault and one count of Reckless Driving … The sentence range is 22 to 29 months in prison.” She is scheduled for sentencing February 18th.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports from the WSB inbox today. First, what appears to be a random case of car vandalism (though the victim’s wondering if it happened to anyone else in the area); second, a report of garage break-ins. Both after the jump – plus a third report that *might* involve a stolen car:Read More
Before the Lincoln Park jogger-attacks case even came to light earlier this week, we had already been planning to visit the King County Jail courtrooms this afternoon. On the docket, a “sentence-revocation hearing” for 20-year-old Skyelar Hailey, the repeat offender sentenced to prison for burglary and theft in fall 2009 (WSB coverage here). He had been in jail since police picked him up in West Seattle on a warrant January 20th. Read More
Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office:
Duane E. Starkenburg, 46, was charged this afternoon with assaulting three women in West Seattle’s Lincoln Park. Prosecutors charged Starkenburg with two counts of Indecent Liberties for allegedly attacking a woman in August and another in December. He is also charged with one count of Attempted Indecent Liberties for the January 25 assault. The defendant was released from jail yesterday after posting bail totaling $175,000. Starkenburg is scheduled for arraignment on February 10 at 8:30 a.m. at the King County Courthouse, courtroom 1201.
Arraignment is when he will enter pleas to the charges that have been filed against him.
ADDED 3:06 PM: We’ve just reviewed the charging papers, and the information is the same as in the “probable cause” documents from Thursday. Prosecutors asked for bail equivalent to what he had already posted – the $175,000 is the sum of the $150,000 ordered yesterday and the $25,000 ordered in Municipal Court the day before – and he remains on order to stay away from the victims and to stay out of Lincoln Park.
Southwest Precinct leadership has said repeatedly that car prowling is the most persistent crime problem they keep working to reduce. According to precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen, one more dent’s just been made in that problem:
Last night we arrested two suspects for car prowling in the 4400 blk of SW Genesee (map) – this is an area that has been impacted by car prowls. Earlier that evening, we contacted the subjects in a vehicle for suspicious behavior. Thanks to our citizen who called 911 to report. We arrested the subjects after we were able to link them to a car prowl. Both suspects are well-known to us for this activity. Again…our West Seattle folks are helping out big time in catching bad guys!
Four hours after we reported here that jogger-attack suspect Duane Starkenburg was getting out of jail, with bond posted by his parents (10 percent of the $150,000 bail), TV crews caught up with him outside the jail. KING 5has just posted the unedited video of their interview, which you can see above. We watched an edited version at 10, in which he repeated what he was quoted as saying in the court documents mentioned here earlier – that he went to Lincoln Park to exercise and would watch women run, because they’re “half-naked.” He also insists he’ll never go to “any park, anywhere, ever again.” And he says he was the victim in the 2005 road-rage case that’s on his record. Prosecutors are expected to decide tomorrow whether to file more charges against him.
My car was stolen today from my work at the Harbor Marina Office Park at 1001 Klickitat Way. It is a 1998 Blue Subaru Outback wagon license plate 324 ZOR. Please post on the blog in case anyone sees it.
And from K:
We are in the 3200 block of 48th Ave SW near Hinds. Car prowlers were out last night. Neighbor’s car door was open this morning and the entire vehicle ransacked. Kind neighbors found the contents of the glove compartment and placed it in their mailbox. Had to happen between 11 PM and 5 AM this morning. Just a warning to keep doors locked and your vehicles empty of anything important.
Alert neighbors can make a difference – as police reminded us again today with this burglary-busting success story. ADDED: One more report arrived late tonight, from Mark:
Just wanted to let WSB readers know there was a burglary today in the 9300 block of 31st PL SW. Happened sometime between 1:30 and 6:00 pm. Thieves shattered the back sliding glass door and took off with a laptop and 3 video game systems. Not very smart individuals as they left behind their cell phone and one of their gloves, both taken into evidence by the SPD. Officers also dusted for fingerprints. Hopefully this will lead to their arrest and prosecution.
(WSB photo from January 9th)
The day after we reported that the driver in the 47th/Charlestown crash, Mohammad Nema, was out of jail but shouldn’t have been (here’s our story), we just got word from King County Jail Commander William Hayes that he is now behind bars:
I have had an opportunity to obtain more information regarding Mr. Nema. Our Department never took over guarding him from SPD on January 16th. One of our officers understood that we were to guard him so he booked Mr. Nema into our system. An hour later, it was determined that Mr. Nema was not at the hospital prior to us taking possession. Because we could not take custody of him, we could not book him, and it was coded as an error in the system. However, today Mr. Nema was scheduled for a hearing in court today at the MRJC. He was arrested by the King County Sheriff’s office when he arrived and booked into jail. He is now in our custody.
We just verified that via the jail register – he was booked at 2 this afternoon, bail set at $100,000. We’ll continue to watch the case as he progresses through the system.
(Quick recap if you don’t recall the story: Nema was driving the car that hit a pole at the bottom of the steep Charlestown hill early the morning of January 9, cutting power for hours to more than 2,000 West Seattle homes and businesses. He and his passenger, a woman described as his estranged girlfriend, who had protection orders against him, were cut out of the wreckage by rescuers. Both wound up in the hospital. She got out before he did. He is charged with vehicular assault/domestic violence; investigators believe he was driving drunk.)
(ADDED 6:25 PM: Final 2 1/2 minutes of this afternoon’s hearing; you’ll hear the defense lawyer and judge) 2:57 PM REPORT: We’re at the King County Jail, where Lincoln Park attack suspect Duane Starkenburg has just returned to court.
(ADDED 9:25 PM: Seattle Times photo by Jim Bates, used with permission)
As noted earlier, additional charges are under consideration against him. Besides the two potential cases of “indecent liberties” we reported here around noontime, a third was mentioned in court – a possible case of attempted indecent liberties. Starkenburg’s parents, with whom he lives in Gatewood, were again in court, and addressed the judge, saying they could vouch he would stay out of trouble. His lawyer characterized the alleged grabbing incidents – while not confirming his client had definitely been responsible – as “an inept attempt at meeting people.” The judge cited potential danger to the community in setting bail at $150,000 – less than the $250,000 requested by the prosecutor. He has another court date scheduled tomorrow afternoon, which is also the deadline for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to file official charges against him (he is already formally charged in the Tuesday Lincoln Park grabbing incident, but that is filed with Seattle Municipal Court as a misdemeanor). More to come.
3:23 PM UPDATE: A bail bondsman has told reporters (including us) outside the jailhouse that the Starkenburg family is posting bond to get him out of jail. (The jail register has yet to show that, or the increased bail amount.) We also have just received paperwork to clarify what he’s being investigated for, in addition to the Tuesday incident. The two others happened on August 11th and December 8th – near Colman Pool and near a Lincoln Park stairway. The documents we’ve just received from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office tell the story of what victims and police say happened – we will transcribe excerpts here shortly.
3:36 PM UPDATE: In light of word that Starkenburg may be out of jail, we should note that the judge at today’s hearing also ordered him to stay out of Lincoln Park. It was also mentioned that he has a problem with alcohol. Notes from the “probable cause” documents, ahead:Read More
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Two weeks after the sentencing of one defendant in the Highland Park hate-crime attack (
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