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West Seattle “reasonably quiet,” Crime Prevention Council told
April 19, 2010 11:18 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(L-R, Lt. Norm James, WSCPC president Dot Beard, secretary Betty Wiberg, VP Richard Miller)
There was so (relatively) little crime to talk about at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, it didn’t even last an hour. In his meeting-opening update, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Norm James began, “Everything’s been reasonably quiet.” And he said that is particularly good news for one neighborhood, Highland Park, where burglaries have “dropped off the charts” – recent arrests seem to have ended the latest series (described in this April 1st report). More of his toplines on current West Seattle crime trends, plus a surprise presentation at the meeting, and more, ahead:Read More

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Reminder: West Seattle Crime Prevention Council TOMORROW
April 18, 2010 12:19 pm
|    Comments Off on Reminder: West Seattle Crime Prevention Council TOMORROW
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

This is a change from its usual “third Tuesday,” so we’re mentioning it again: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting – a great way to hear directly from local police leadership regarding crime trends, and to ask questions – is TOMORROW, Monday 4/19, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct. Agenda highlights are on the WSCPC website.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Don’t mess with Padme!
April 17, 2010 8:50 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

“Pity the fool who robs the cash drawer when on Padme Grace’s shift at Again & a Gain children’s and maternity consignment shop @ 4832 California Ave. SW. just south of the Alaska Junction,” began the note from Sarah at Again & a Gain. Read on for the story – which she hopes will be an alert to other businesses in the area as well:Read More

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SPD leaders tell Alki Community Council they’re set for summer
April 16, 2010 12:07 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Last year, when nerves were on edge along Alki following the May 1st shooting, West Seattle police leaders from the Southwest Precinct were at the next Alki Community Council meeting to brief the community (WSB coverage here). This year, in a pre-emptive strike, they came to the ACC last night to share updates on their work as well as spring/summer plans – coincidentally, on a night with weather so nice, the beach was still busy after the meeting, and we spotted three SPD cars in one block. At the ACC, Capt. Joe Kessler (photo left), Lt. Norm James (not pictured) and Sgt. Joel Sweetland (photo right) spent close to an hour on updates and Q/A:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car prowl x 2; business window fixed
April 16, 2010 6:34 am
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning – one from a car-prowl victim who discovered he wasn’t alone; second, a thank-you note from a business hit by a burglar – read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Arrest followup, and two new reports
April 14, 2010 10:31 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

First, a followup on an arrest we reported last week: The 33-year-old man arrested at his High Point apartment one week ago and held for investigation of auto theft, robbery, assault and kidnapping is no longer in jail – he was released Monday night. That day was the deadline for him to be either charged or released, but the case was not referred to prosecutors. Police told WSB today that the investigation is still “active,” but that it’s too soon to say whether they will determine there is enough evidence to send the case to prosecutors for possible charges. Next – two new Crime Watch reports just in, a burglary and a sighting of two suspected car prowlers – read on:Read More

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Teen who attacked bus driver from Alki gets extra-long sentence
April 13, 2010 9:25 am
|      38 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

gavel.jpgAt King County Juvenile Court, the 14-year-old who beat an Alki woman unconscious as she worked as a Metro bus driver has just been sentenced to a year in juvenile custody – Judge Chris Washington decided to impose the extra-long sentence the prosecution had requested, rather than the standard sentence (at least a third less) that his lawyer had asked for.

Before announcing his decision, Judge Washington heard from the attacker’s mother – late to the hearing, reportedly because she was working as a school-bus driver – and very briefly from the 14-year-old himself. The mother insisted her son is “a good kid” and could “never hit anyone” and started to blame the victim for what happened the January night her son lashed out while the bus stopped in Tukwila. But she was interrupted by the judge and prosecutor and told not to address the victim again. Her son briefly addressed the victim at the judge’s suggestion – saying only “Sorry for assaulting you.” The victim asked that he say it again while looking at her; the judge said he could not order the boy to do so, but he did it voluntarily. She said, “Thank you.” She had said yesterday – when she made her statement (read it in our previous report), though the sentencing itself was not concluded because of a delay requested by the defense lawyer – that she wasn’t sure she’d be here today; but this morning, she told WSB, “I needed the closure” that being here for the duration would provide.

The attacker has already spent 11 weeks in juvenile detention, which will be credited toward his one-year sentence; he also was ordered not to ride Metro buses between 8 pm and 6 am until he is 21, and will have to pay restitution for any costs the victim has incurred because of what happened. The judge explained his decision by citing “the severity” of the attack and saying he would not accept any attempt to blame it on the fact the 14-year-old wasunder the influence of alcohol at the time. ADDED 10:53 AM: More details from the hearing, including more of what the judge and the teen’s mother said – read on:Read More

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Bus driver from Alki addresses attacker, but sentencing postponed
April 12, 2010 10:30 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

gavel.jpgWe have just left Juvenile Court southeast of downtown. The Alki woman beaten unconscious while on the job as a Metro bus driver in Tukwila earlier this year has just addressed her 14-year-old attacker in court – but his sentencing has been postponed at the request of his lawyer, who told Judge Chris Washington that he thought the hearing was tomorrow, and therefore didn’t notify his client’s mother. Judge Washington agreed to let the defense present its side tomorrow but offered to hear from anyone who wanted to speak today – so the prosecution made its case, and that included the statement that the 57-year-old driver had told us via e-mail that she would give. As she had hoped, some fellow drivers, and transit union leaders, were there to support her, filling what few seats there were in the small courtroom. Visibly shaken just at the sight of her attacker, the driver nonetheless mustered courage and poise to give her statement clearly and firmly; during it, she asked her attacker to look at her (he did) from his seat, perhaps 10 feet away, and told him, among other things, “Hate never wins.” She also said she prays for him “to become a better man” and “to heal,” as she hopes he will. The court was told that he has substance-abuse and anger problems, and that he is a known gang member, who while he has no conviction record, has had at least 15 documented contacts with law enforcement. The sentencing hearing will resume at 8:30 tomorrow morning. We will add more from today’s proceedings a bit later. ADDED 4:05 PM: Our transcription of the victim’s statement in the courtroom today – read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Wood thieves/vandals hit Slices on Alki
April 11, 2010 5:53 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Take a close look at the fence in front of Slices on Alki – on the left side of the photo, it’s newer than on the right. That’s because the left side is a newly installed replacement for what vandals/thieves tore down and took on Friday night. We heard about it when one of Slices’ proprietors posted in the WSB Forums to ask if anyone saw it happen or knows who did it; he speculated the stolen fencing might have been used for beach firewood. He says the thief/vandals took one of their wood tables, too. Slices just marked its first anniversary a week ago.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Wheel-stealers; burglar scared off
April 11, 2010 7:02 am
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle online

Two Crime Watch reports this time. First one has to do with that car – second with a burglary victim who fought back – read on for both:Read More

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West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network’s milestone meeting
April 10, 2010 9:15 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
For the first time since its formation (largely via Facebook group), members of the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network met face-to-face this morning. While they all either lead a Block Watch group or are interested in doing so, the new network isn’t part of the official process – it’s born of the fact (as discussed in the WSB Forums a few months ago) that there’s no formal blockwatch-to-blockwatch communications system. (Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow, the area’s point person for Block Watch formation, keeps a list, but that list can’t be shared with members.) Co-organizer Deb Greer shared detailed notes of what they discussed today and what “next steps” they’re planning on – read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Kidnap/robbery case details
April 9, 2010 6:32 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | High Point | West Seattle news

Bail is now set at half a million dollars for the 33-year-old man arrested near his High Point apartment Wednesday night (WSB coverage here), suspected of crimes including kidnapping, beating and robbing a woman who called police for help from that apartment. The suspect is not yet charged – Monday is the deadline, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – but we have new details about the incident from the probable-cause document they provided, as well as the letter that High Point management sent to residents. Read on:Read More

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WS Crime Watch: What the Junction police response was for
April 8, 2010 6:40 pm
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(photo by Tyler, substituted at 6:47 pm for our original cameraphone photo)
In case you saw the big police response right at Walk All Ways in The Junction a little while ago – we’ve gotten a couple inquiries – here’s what police say happened: Someone “inebriated” randomly decided to lash out at one or more innocent bystanders. The “inebriated” person was subdued, and arrested. Police told us everybody’s otherwise OK. 7:39 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Lachlan for pointing us, in the comment section, to this tweet from Easy Street‘s owner, saying the suspect was kicking a dog. FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: After a commenter wrote that someone else was arrested at the scene, we checked with the Southwest Precinct to see if any more information was available today about the circumstances. Lt. Norm James‘ summary:

Call came in about 5:45 regarding an intoxicated male pushing people at California and Alaska. Turns out an intoxicated male confronted two male victims then kicked a dog that was passing by. The intoxicated male pushed one of the two victims and chest bumped the other. Both victims were fearful of the intoxicated suspect. Officers arrived and took the suspect into custody and placed him in the back of the patrol car. The suspect began trying to kick out the windows of the patrol car and subsequently there was a taser application on the suspect to control him. The fire department aid was called to extract the taser barbs (which is standard procedure). The suspect was then booked into KC Jail.

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Followup: Guilty plea in attack on bus driver from West Seattle
April 8, 2010 12:24 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

gavel.jpgTwo and a half months after an Alki woman was beaten unconscious in Tukwila while on the job as a Metro bus driver, she e-mailed to share the news that her 15- 14-year-old attacker is pleading guilty. We first reported on her story in January after her daughter posted in the WSB Forums. Two other teenage boys were arrested and charged, not in connection with attacking the driver, but for vandalizing the bus. Court documents indicated the incident was triggered when a group of boys became enraged that the driver wouldn’t open the rear doors long enough to let them all out. After the attack, a discussion of potential driver-safety improvements began, including the question of whether barriers could be put up to protect drivers; Metro said last month that some testing would begin soon (we’re checking). Meantime, we asked the driver how she is doing:

I am still recovering and still too traumatized and fearful to return to work. I am working with a physiologist. This has been a long, slow journey. I am still getting slight symptoms from the concussion, tiredness and headaches. Physically I will carry a scar inside my lip that will probably be there the rest of my life. *I plan on making a statement at the sentencing so if anyone, especially Metro Drivers in uniform were to show up, I would greatly appreciate the support. I was debating on whether to speak or not, but I feel I need to for closure and for reasons that I will talk about. I have had a rough time of it, but I am strong and will pull through.

She says the sentencing is set for 9:30 next Monday morning (April 12) in Juvenile Court. We have an inquiry out to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for any more information on the case’s status (we confirmed the guilty plea through an online court docket, but more-detailed records in juvenile cases are inaccessible online).

ADDED 3:24 PM: PAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB, “We are seeking an exceptional sentence of 52 to 65 weeks. This is above the standard range of 15 to 36 weeks.” And he confirms the 9:30 am Monday sentencing, JC courtroom 2. In the document he also forwarded, the boy corrected his birthdate – he is 14, not 15. In the plea agreement, the state drops a second assault charge, and the boy writes his confession: “On January 23, 2010, I purposefully slapped (driver’s name), a human being. She became unconscious and had substantial facial injuries, as I understand it.” The two boys charged with malicious mischief, for vandalizing the bus, also have pleaded guilty, but under conditions of “deferred disposition” – basically, if they stay out of trouble for a certain amount of time (almost a year for one, six months for the other), there will be another hearing at which the cases will be dismissed.

ADDED 4:36 PM: We also now have an update on the bus safety-barrier test, from Metro spokesperson Rochelle Ogershok:

The demonstration began last Saturday (April 3) with one bus outfitted with a shield deployed out of Metro’s bus base in South King County. Over the next few weeks, six additional shields will be deployed on buses in other parts of the county. The buses will be rotated around and placed on a variety of routes and bus types so as many operators as possible have an opportunity to evaluate and comment on them. Operators will also have a chance to check out the shields at their individual bases. We expect that the actual demonstration will be wrapped up at the end of June. From there, written comments from operators will be reviewed and additional input will be sought from safety and training staff, among others. Metro managers, operators and the transit union will then work together to decide how to move forward.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Kidnap victim escapes in High Point
April 7, 2010 10:38 pm
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 |   Crime | High Point | West Seattle news

(Photos courtesy Megan)
We received a couple inquiries about an incident in High Point tonight, and just as we started to inquire with the Southwest Precinct about it, the SPD media unit posted the story on its SPDBlotter site. Police say a 33-year-old man kidnapped a 19-year-old woman from 23rd/Jackson in the Central District and drove her to an apartment in the 6000 block of Lanham Place SW (map). He assaulted her, they report; she escaped and called 911. Officers got there fast, arrested the suspect, and got medical help for the victim, who was taken to a hospital. SPDBlotter says the suspect faces potential charges including kidnapping, assault, auto theft, robbery, and attempted rape. His vehicle was impounded; we received two photos from Megan, including this one:

Police also say the suspect and victim were not strangers, but they’re not sure “to what extent they knew each other.” ADDED 1:22 AM: Central District News crossreferenced the suspect through the city’s online business-license database and noted his address matched up to the one where this incident happened. Tracing that same trail, we note the license issued to him for taxi driving, at that address, expired at the end of 2008.

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Runaway teen’s mom helps tip police to alleged “escort service”
April 6, 2010 11:56 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Gatewood | West Seattle news

Published late tonight at seattlepi.com: A woman is charged with attempting to promote commercial sexual abuse of a minor, after she was found in a Gatewood apartment where prosecutors say four teenage girls also were living – three of them runaways. The seattlepi.com report says police were tipped by one runaway’s mom, who discovered that the phone number from which her daughter had called her was linked to what the article describes as “a prostitution-oriented Web site.” Police found the 21-year-old suspect, Kendra M. Williams, with two girls in an apartment in the 7100 block of California SW (map), and say she told officers she was setting up an “escort service.” The King County Jail Register shows that Williams has been in jail since March 29, with bail set at $25,000; we’ll check the court documents after the online system reopens in the morning. ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: It has since been pointed out to us that this story originally appeared at SeattleCrime.com yesterday afternoon – with more details – you can see their story here.

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Update: Photos of West Seattle Junction KeyBank robber
April 6, 2010 9:53 am
|      59 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

That’s one of the photos the FBI has just released of the woman who robbed the Junction KeyBank yesterday afternoon (here’s our original report). They’ve sent the “WANTED” flyer too – it contains two of the other (small) photos they’ve sent; here’s another one from the FBI e-mail to media:

And one that’s on the “poster”:

We’re asking to see if they have larger versions – we’ve blown these up a bit but that doesn’t help much. Meantime, the FBI adds:

This individual should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about this individual is asked to contact the FBI by telephone at (206) 622-0460, or e-mail at seattle.fbi@ic.fbi.gov

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Update: KeyBank robbed in The Junction, 3rd time in 1 year
April 5, 2010 3:28 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

ORIGINAL 3:28 PM REPORT: From the scanner, and we’re on our way to find out more in person: There’s a report of a bank robbery in The Junction – the address checks to KeyBank at California/Alaska. 3:35 PM UPDATE: The description police are giving out so far: 35-year-old woman, white, about 5-4, slim, shoulder-length black hair, black glasses, black knit cap, black wool jacket, black scarf with red flowers and green leaves, put the money in a “B of A bag,” headed west on Alaska. At the scene, we’re seeing a “temporarily closed” sign on the bank door, with investigators inside.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 4:47 pm)
3:50 PM UPDATE: We’ve talked to police on the scene; no new description info but we did find out that the robber claimed to have a weapon, though none was actually seen. We’ll also be checking with the FBI to see if they’ll distribute a surveillance photo, as they often do after holdups. (Our archives show at least two holdups at this bank last year – April and August.) 5:03 PM NOTE: Got a question about a damaged police car “near the entrance to (The Bridge)” – according to the scanner watch at CentralDistrictNews.com, an officer crashed while rushing to help with the robbery response here. 8:38 PM: Casey sent a photo snapped while driving by that car:

Meantime, no new info in the search for the bank robber.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Seen this stolen sign?
April 2, 2010 10:10 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Pigeon Point | West Seattle news

The sign in the above-left photo is one of two that brought a lot of smiles and comments when we published photos sent by their creator, Jim Sander, a month ago. Tonight, Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding says the sign’s been stolen – along with most of the community signpost that held it (“after” photo, above right):

At some point during the day on Friday some low-life scumbag decided to vandalize one of our Pigeon Point neighborhood signposts. These signposts were donated by residents of the Pigeon Point neighborhood. These sign posts are normally used to notify residents of upcoming meetings and events that are taking place in our neighborhood. Now we will have to come up with the funds to replace this signpost and the Welcome to Pigeon Point sign that was attached to the crossbar on top. These signs have been in place for several years and we have had some occasional damage, but nothing on this scope. If anyone has any information about this vandalism please send an e-mail to pigeonpointcouncil@comcast.net.

Ironically, the road closure/detour that inspired the signs is just a few days from wrapping up.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: HP “burglary pattern,” plus 2 robberies
April 1, 2010 5:00 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | South Park | West Seattle news

As promised yesterday, we followed up with police on the “Highland Park burglary pattern” mentioned during a Community Police Team briefing at the Admiral Crime Prevention Summit Tuesday night. Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James summarizes what’s happening:

We have had a string of daytime residential burglaries – 29 in the month of March. The one significant pattern for them is that they are forced entries. We have made a couple of burglary arrests and identified suspects of burglaries in that neighborhood but haven’t tied those to the string of burglaries. We’ve put extra patrols in that neighborhood. Again, as you know – we’ve stated over and over how much we need the citizens out there to be vigilant and call when they see something suspicious.

If you see that suspicious activity/person NOW – call 911. Meantime, we also asked Lt. James about overnight robberies. He confirms that the 7-11 at California/Charlestown (map) was held up just before 2 am today, by robbers described as “two males,” one with a handgun. Police believe the same suspects may have been responsible for a robbery attempt in South Park three hours earlier, at the SP Grocery in the 8900 block of 14th S. (map) And back in West Seattle, Lt. James also confirms a call we heard on the scanner and mentioned via Twitter – A man in the 5400 block of 31st SW (map) answered his door around midnight, and a man “brandished a handgun and forced his way in. The victim got the suspect to leave somehow without being injured or taking anything. This suspect doesn’t match the two commercial robbery suspects.” (Thanks to Diane for the 7-11 tip, after she heard it on a Channel 5 newscast.)

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Preventing crime in Admiral: Summit sparks followup plan
March 31, 2010 10:34 am
|    Comments Off on Preventing crime in Admiral: Summit sparks followup plan
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

The Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Crime Prevention Summit brought more than 50 people into a big circle at Hiawatha Community Center last night – among them, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow, who shared crimefighting tips you’ve heard before, and some you haven’t. One thing we learned: If you’re going away, you can put in a “Request to Watch” (call or visit the precinct) to ask that police keep an eye on your house; Kinlow says they’ll go by each day. As for how best to protect your house, he repeated over and over again, your watchful neighbors are your best weapons – form a Block Watch if you don’t have one already. Also at the meeting, Community Police Team Officers Adonis Topacio (at left, in plainclothes since he’s currently on a temporary stint with the burglary/theft team), Kevin McDaniel and Jill Vanskike (who temporarily handling Officer Topacio’s western West Seattle sectors – map at right). They explained that Community Police Team officers are the ones you call to talk about non-urgent but troubling problems – like nuisance properties, illegal dumping, recurring noise problems. (Their contact info is here.) But if it’s something happening NOW, they stressed – as police do, over and over again – CALL 911. “You guys know your neighborhoods better than anyone, so if it’s suspicious, call it in, there’s no harm in that,” said Officer Topacio. Finally, ANA president Katy Walum announced the summit’s success sparked plans for quarterly meetings of a Safety Committee – first one, June 7th (time/location TBA), with a focus on Block Watch formation and networking.

SIDE NOTE: While police handed out the list of Admiral area crimes we linked here yesterday, they said they weren’t seeing any particular trends in Admiral – but regarding comparison to other neighborhoods, they mentioned a current burglary “pattern” in Highland Park. We’re following up with SPD to find out more.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: More cars targeted; gate vandalized
March 31, 2010 12:47 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share tonight – one neighborhood with at least three car break-ins in recent days, another car-prowl victim who wants to remind you of the lesson too many learn too late, and a case of gate vandalism – read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car break-in at the park, and more
March 30, 2010 7:41 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

We’re writing this as the Admiral Neighborhood Association Crime Prevention Summit wraps up – no big headlines but more than 50 people are here, connecting with each other to talk about Block Watches, and hearing police share lots of good prevention info you can’t hear often enough. There’s also a plan for quarterly meetings to keep the focus on crimefighting (separate from the regular monthly ANA meetings). More details later. First, we have several Crime Watch reports to share from around the area – starting with a vehicle break-in at a popular park – read on:Read More

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