West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network: Preparedness, and where to get the $ for it
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
After a summer hiatus, the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network reconvened last night at the SW Precinct for their monthly meeting. Led by co-founder Karen Berge, the meeting focused heavily on Emergency Preparedness, as so many community events have this month, and a city rep was on hand to provide information about accessing matching fund grants to promote the issue.
First however, Karen had a big announcement: WSBWCN has been awarded a $4,000 grant from the Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund to help develop on online tool that will help neighborhoods find their Block Watch captains, and will help captains communicate with each other. Says Karen about the award: “We’re doing back flips over here!”
City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Project Manager Garry Owens (photo at right, with Karen) was invited to discuss the city’s matching fund grants that are available to community groups undertaking projects focusing on community involvement.
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West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘Teamwork’ nabs car-theft suspect
A suspect who ran from a stolen car is in custody tonight, thanks to what Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith calls “great teamwork by the patrol units.” We asked Lt. Smith about the incident after hearing some attention-grabbing scanner traffic around 4 pm – a search of some kind in Highland Park, resulting in an arrest. Lt. Smith told us it started with the report of a car theft in the Westwood Village parking lot. Before police even talked with the victim in person, Lt. Smith says, “an officer observed a vehicle matching the stolen vehicle at 15th SW & SW Henderson. The officer pulled behind the suspected stolen vehicle, at which time the vehicle fled.” Then the driver got out, he says, and ran through several backyards. Officers set up “containment” in the area, and caught the suspect “attempting to climb a fence in an effort to flee.”
Update: Duane Starkenburg charged, bail raised to $500,000
Bail for Duane Starkenburg – charged last January with attacking joggers in Lincoln Park, then arrested last Friday for investigation of child rape (as reported here yesterday) – is now up to $500,000. That’s the word from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which has just formally charged Starkenburg in the child-rape case. The charging documents give an approximate time frame for the crime, between April 2000 and April 2002, at which time the victim, the daughter of a then-friend, would have been no older than 11. The documents also say that investigators learned about this while doing followup investigation this month on the jogger-attacks case, for which Starkenburg was awaiting trial. He is scheduled to be arraigned on October 11th. (Photo from February hearing by Mike Siegel/Seattle Times, republished with permission)
West Seattle Crime Watch followup: No hate-crime arrests yet
Following up on the reported hate-crime attack against a Genesee couple, first reported here on Saturday night – someone smashed windows and slashed tires on their vehicles, and that they found a threatening, anti-gay note – we have checked with both Seattle Police and the victims. Police will say only that it is an “active and ongoing investigation.” Meantime, after more than 100 supportive comments following the original WSB coverage, Chris and Lyle added their own:
From the bottom of our overflowing hearts, we can’t begin to thank everyone for their show of support through the incident that happened at our home. We were surprised, as all of you were, that this even happened in our community. We have been residents of West Seattle for over 4 years now and have always been welcomed with open arms. If these cowards thought for one minute that we plan to be a victim and to live in fear, they thought wrong. Your kind words through this horrible situation have strengthened us beyond imagine and are even more proud to be part of this community. …
West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car to watch for; burglary report
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight, one from the north, one from the south. First – the last stolen car reported here was found by a commenter, and Louie hopes this one will be too:
Last night between 11 pm and 7 am our car was stolen from our driveway on 42nd and Hanford. It was parked just feet from our house and we have a motion light there but it was not enough to stop them. It is a gray Mitsubishi Endeavor 2005 with a cracked front windshield. License # 376-SWA. Please call police with any information!!
And from Rudy:
Wanted to report that a friend who lives on 31st Ave. SW just south of Thistle had her home broken into today in the middle of the day. Burglars tore a screen to the kitchen sliding window in the front of the house, climbed through and took a tv, computer, camera and jewelry. A neighbor reported seeing a male loading something into a black VW Golf and then speeding off.
If you have a Block Watch or are interested in forming one – you might want to be at tomorrow night’s meeting of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) – details here.
Jogger-attack suspect Duane Starkenburg back in jail
The West Seattle man waiting to stand trial in connection with allegedly sexually motivated attacks on joggers is back in jail, in connection with a different investigation. We have been working since Friday night to get details on what put Gatewood resident Duane Starkenburg back in jail Friday morning, with the King County Jail Register noting “investigation of child rape.” Police could only tell us that night that there were no new incidents of sexual assault under investigation in the area. Sources subsequently told WSB the investigation apparently involved a past allegation, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has just answered the inquiry we sent first thing this morning.
Without going into details that could give clues to the victim’s identity, we will say that probable-cause documents indicate this incident is alleged to have happened about 10 years ago, when the victim was 9 years old (the statute of limitations, we’re told, wouldn’t run out for another 8 years), and that Starkenburg was known to the victim’s family. Starkenburg’s bail is set at $100,000, after a judge found probable cause to keep him in jail pending a charging decision; KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe says they will decide by tomorrow whether to file charges. (We do not usually name suspects before they are charged, but we do evaluate on a case-by-case basis.) Starkenburg is still awaiting trial on the charges filed against him in January for allegedly attacking three female runners/joggers in the Lincoln Park area; he was last in court earlier this month, at which time the case was pushed back another two months, with the trial now tentatively scheduled for November, though court documents indicate that possible plea-bargain “negotiations” had been a factor.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Hate-crime vandalism in Genesee
Police are investigating a case of malicious harassment – the official term for hate crime – and vandalism reported in the Genesee Hill area. We just received this report from one of the targets:
My partner and I live in the 4400 block of 50th Ave SW. After midnight on Friday night, we woke up after hearing a noise from the street. We didn’t know what it was, as our first thoughts were, a sprinkler trying to go off or something involving our cat. My partner opened the front door and turned on the porch lights but didn’t see anything odd.
10 minutes later, that same noise again happened, and I quickly moved the drapes to get a better look. I did see shadows running South on 50th Ave but didn’t see any faces. I walked down to our cars and noticed that both had rocks thrown in our windows. (my partner’s back window and my front driver’s side). His car was in our driveway and my car was along the street, directly in front of our home.
I came back to the house and called 911. Within a few minutes of the call, the Seattle Police department arrived. Officer N. Nguyen and his partner were the first to arrive. We then noticed that all 4 tires of each vehicle had been slashed. When one of the officers found the rock in my partner’s car, it was surrounded by a typed hate note. It read as follows…
God Hates F*gs!
Get the f**k out of our neighborhood.
The bible says God forbids men committing indecent act with other men.
Pack up your sh*t and get you gay sh*t out.
– KKK
Upon notice of this note, both the Sergeant and Lieutenant were notified and arrived on the scene. Another police officer arrived to take pictures and gather the evidence of the rocks and note. One of the police officers told us that they take these crimes “very seriously” and we were thankful for their presence that evening.
We’re checking to see if police have any leads. If you have tips – call 911.
7 PM UPDATE: Chris (who sent the report and says we can use his first name) says, “After speaking with my neighbors, one was outside around midnight last night. He did witness 2 while males walking up the alley behind our house. He did ask both if they were all right and they responded that everything was fine. He thought it was odd that people were walking the alley that late at night. He didn’t get a good look at their face as the alley doesn’t have much lighting. First was described as around 5’10’ish with a stocky, muscular build. The other was around 5’7″ with a chubby build. Both were wearing black.” Also note, we have corrected the block number from Chris’s original report, after comparing with the police-call map and checking with him.
Victim’s family furious as Roxhill Park killer sentenced to 11 years
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One year and one day ago, a gruesome discovery in Roxhill Park – the body of a man who had been viciously beaten. The disturbing details emerged in subsequent days and weeks- the victim, 40-year-old Bernard Martin, had had a shopping cart smashed into him, and had been jumped on, from a low wall nearby.
21-year-old Chatri Thip (right) was arrested and charged within days. His record included involvement in another murder in South King County. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Today, members of his family came from as far away as Montana to speak to the judge who would decide the price Thip would pay.
After an emotion-wracked hearing lasting almost an hour, King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead has just announced her decision: 11 years, the low end of the sentencing range, as recommended by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, while acknowledging she was worried that because Thip is so young, he will be as much of a threat when he gets out as he was when he killed Martin in a self-described alcohol-fueled rage.
Prosecutor Scott O’Toole explained at the start of the hearing that his office believed Thip was truly remorseful, and that is why they made the recommendation.
The victim’s family left the courtroom hissing insults at Thip, who had read a letter of apology, after their pleas for a tougher sentence.
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West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen cars to watch for
Courtney sent that photo of her car, which she says was stolen from outside West Seattle Bowl (39th/Oregon) between 6:15 pm and 10 pm Thursday night: “I have already reported it to the police but hope to get the word out here too. It is a 2-door, tan, 1996 Honda Accord EX, license plate 943-VZJ.” If you’ve seen it, call 911.
ADDED 9:02 AM: Another stolen-car report just in:
Our car was stolen sometime during the night. We live on the 3200 of 41st Ave SW. It is a blue/green sparkly 1995 Acura Integra LS, 2 door hatchback. License plate # 192SFK. Please call 911.”
West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Higher bail for Ryan Cox
As promised, we followed up on our report early yesterday about the latest arrest of 33-year-old Ryan Cox, 
who gained regional notoriety two years ago after a wave of homophobic-graffiti vandalism (2009 SPD-distributed photo at right). First: The arrest at Thriftway on Tuesday night was sparked by a report from the person he pleaded guilty to stalking in August. Municipal Court documents from that case do not include details of what the “stalking” involved. But Cox was under court order to stay away from the victim – and, according to Seattle Police, on Tuesday night, she called 911 to say she had spotted him close to her Morgan Junction-area home. Police responding to the call searched the area and found him in the nearby grocery store. They also discovered he had a $7,500 warrant for “failure to appear” related to the stalking case, and their report says they found a knife on him. He is charged with harassment, for the alleged no-contact-order violation, and possession of a concealed weapon. Online court records say he has pleaded not guilty to both, and that his next court date is set for October 6th. He is still being held in King County Jail, where the register indicates his bail has been raised to $25,000 total, for the warrant and the new charges.
Side note: In the comment section following yesterday’s story, we mentioned having met Cox’s mother in the past, and hoping she would contact us again. She saw the comment, and e-mailed us. We have asked her several questions about his case; a few of them, she is still mulling, but one answer for starters: “Ryan has had court-ordered treatment in the past, just for a few weeks at a time. When he takes the medications, he is nearly normal and we can have a conversation. When he is released with prescriptions and a medical card to pay for the prescriptions, he chooses to not take them. Then it’s impossible to communicate with him.” According to court records for the new charges, he has been referred to Mental Health Court, which has handled some of his previous cases.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Ryan Cox in jail again
As noted in our West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting report, Southwest Precinct leadership mentioned noteworthy arrests. But they did not foreshadow an arrest local police would make just a few hours later – the one that has landed 33-year-old Ryan Cox back in jail.
Cox is known mostly for his arrests in 2009 and 2010 following graffiti vandalism all over West Seattle, usually a homophobic slur written in black marker. Three times, he was arrested, found not mentally competent to stand trial, and sent to Western State Hospital for an evaluation. Inbetween the second and third graffiti-vandalism arrests, he was arrested for tire-slashing, and pleaded guilty.
In the year since his last vandalism arrest, we have kept a periodic eye on the King County Jail Register and court records, but hadn’t noticed him turn up. Then a few hours ago, we got a tip that police had just arrested him at West Seattle Thriftway. We checked online records and found Cox had spent almost two weeks in jail last month, arrested for and pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of stalking. The details of that case are not available online, so until we can check with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office later this morning, we can’t find out what it’s about, but the Seattle Municipal Court website says a “failure to appear” arrest warrant was issued for Cox a week ago. That’s one of two reasons listed for him being booked into the jail at 11:30 Tuesday night; the second is “violation of a no-contact order.” Total bail: $8,450.
West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: How to avoid ID theft
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
West Seattle Crime Watch: Genesee training; burglary; auto theft
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
The WSBeat: 2 robberies and … casing; racing; chewing
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
West Seattle Crime Watch: Have you seen this stolen kayak?
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.
West Seattle Crime Watch: 1st sentencing in Bushaw murder
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.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Restaurant patio vandalized
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.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Anybody missing a safe?
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.
West Seattle Crime Watch: The case of the boosted blooms
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.
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