FBI SWAT team arrests Arkansas explosives suspect in West Seattle
Two notes came in over the weekend asking about what appeared to be an FBI SWAT team raid early Friday at a home on Genesee Hill. We have finally confirmed what that was about. It’s a case you might already have seen in regional/national media, though the stories published so far did not mention the “Seattle” arrest was in West Seattle. Agents arrested a suspect, 40-year-old Arkansas resident Mark Krause, who was visiting someone here who by all accounts has no tie to the case. Krause is accused of placing a homemade explosive device six months ago at a church in Osage, Arkansas, that was serving as a polling place (which is why this is a federal case). The device was inside a soda can, and that’s what several people thought it was when they picked it up at the church and moved it around in subsequent hours until someone noticed it had wiring.
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West Seattle Crime Watch: Front-porch theft; midday burglary
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight – first one from John in Gatewood:
I live on California Ave near Thistle Street [map]. We had a Christmas gift stolen off our front porch that was ordered off the internet and dropped by common carrier. I’ve heard of this happening but never experienced it until today. Probably happens more frequently than one would suspect. Just be aware there are bad guys out there. If it happened to us probably more will experience it this holiday season. Might want to warn W.S. residents. I’ve heard the crooks follow the trucks. Enjoy the Lego set, is all I can say. Hopefully someone who needs it more than our kids … eventually gets it.
Also tonight, Jen wanted to get the news out about an earlier burglary:
Not sure how to get this out, but our house was broken into today. We live at 32nd and Juneau [map], near High Point. It was between 10 am and 2 pm today. They threw a rock through the window, crawled through, and helped themselves to our electronics, jewelry, gift cards, etc etc etc.
Just want to get the word out and heighten awareness. Maybe it will help someone else going through what we are now.
The WSBeat: Wrong holiday; officer bitten; smashing spree…
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*After several trips to the area of 30th and Andover, officers were finally able to speak with three men –- very intoxicated men — who were partying and disturbing the neighbors with fireworks. The yard smelled of recently exploded materiel and the nearby area was covered in spent bottle rockets, mortars and a roman candle. The house was littered with beer cans, 400 bottle rockets, and 12-gauge shotgun shells. (The group hadn’t been shooting the shotgun but had been racking and unloading it.) One of the men was very apologetic at having disturbed the neighbors (he had no idea it was 3 AM) and all received a stern warning about handling a firearm while intoxicated. The three were told to go to bed, clean up the neighborhood in the morning, and stop by the precinct when they were sober to pick up the shotgun, which was temporarily confiscated.
*Early Thursday, officers were called to Morgan Junction to investigate why a woman was sitting in her parked car, screaming. She refused to exit or unlock the vehicle, and according to the officer’s report, “her mood swings were near hysterical … calm, then crying, then laughing, then angry in a matter of seconds.” She finally rolled the the window down a crack, and as the smell of intoxicants wafted out, she rooted through an assortment of bags in the vehicle. When she still refused to come out, an officer managed to reach through the cracked window and unlock the door. But he wasn’t quick enough: The “completely irrational” woman bit the sergeant’s gloved hand, clear through to (and breaking) the skin. She was finally handcuffed and transported to Harborview for an evaluation.
Another human-bite case, same area, along with 12 other summaries, after the jump:Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Car prowling/egging combined
At the last West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, while noting that local crime has been down lately, Southwest Precinct leadership also warned that some categories invariably go up during the holiday season. Too soon to crunch the local stats but we have received more direct reports in the past few days than we have for a while, and this one from Sandy is the latest:
Sometime between 10 pm and 11 pm last night my Subaru Outback was broken into and when the perps couldn’t find anything, they egged the inside of the car. ARRRGH!! This was at 45th and Andover in the Genesee neighborhood of West Seattle. When I discovered this, I saw a young man running through the neighborhood. I called 911 and the operator was very blase about it. I saw the same young man running through the neighborhood between 11:30 pm and midnight and again called 911. This time I got a different operator who said he would send a patrol car through the neighborhood.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park car break-ins
A second West Seattle Crime Watch report tonight – this one from John and Lisa, asking that it be shared “for neighborhood awareness”:
When: Wee hours after Black Friday
Where: 7000 block of 13th SW, near Riverview Park [map]
Multi-vehicle, VERY aggressive break-ins of cars and house porches, driveways. They stole lots and didn’t restrict their choices and if they saw items on your porch, those were taken too.
Items ranges from work truck oxygen tanks, scooter, backpacks from vehicles, and more. Lots of time spent searching thru cars. Police report made and multiple case numbers issued.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Genesee Hill break-in
Out of the WSB inbox, from a neighbor who didn’t want her name used:
Just learned that my neighbor (2 doors down) was (burglarized) this morning in broad daylight. They left their home at 9 AM and returned at Noon and many electronics were boosted. Most of us on the street were home during that time, but didn’t notice anything.
Another neighbor thinks she saw an older model rust-colored car in the driveway during that time. Around 11 AM, I went on a walk nearby … didn’t notice anything at their house, but did take notice of a car fitting a similar description further down the road. It was a 80’s style small sedan, rusty red color with a bit of a loud muffler/engine. I noticed the car because it was older looking and it was driving rather fast and loud down the road while I was walking.
House is between Dakota and Andover on 50th Ave SW. [map]
The city’s “My Neighborhood” map often shows incidents like this within a day or two – but e-mails like this can get the word out quicker. The map’s default view is for reports filed during the week preceding your map view – three West Seattle burglaries are shown on or since last Saturday, November 20th: that date in the 3300 block of Admiral Way; last Sunday (11/21) in the 8600 block of 35th SW; Wednesday (11/24) in the 12000 block of Marine View Drive.
The WSBeat: Where there’s smoke, there’s … warrants
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Thursday afternoon in Morgan Junction, the exhaust of one driver’s car was so thick that it seemed, to a passing officer, to be blinding the drivers who had the misfortune to be behind it. The officer made a U-turn to catch up to the driver, who simply hit the gas pedal (increasing the smoke) and refused to pull over until he reached his home on 47th SW. He was not carrying his license. A records check showed that he was wanted on three warrants: from Lynnwood ($5,100) for possessing drug paraphernalia), from Seattle for possession of cocaine, and from Seattle Municipal Court ($10,000) for assault. He was booked into King County Jail on the warrants and was cited for excessive smoke and for driving without a license.
(5 more summaries ahead:)Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Police search in The Triangle
Thanks to everyone who sent tips about a search around the Link site (38th/Fauntleroy/Alaska). It was breaking up when we arrived; one officer still on the scene told us there was a report of an intruder. We just confirmed that with Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says the big response was because it was a big site to search, but “no sign of entry, theft, damage found.”
Burglaries down, police tell West Seattle Crime Prevention Council
First topline from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: Crime is notably down. If you’ve noticed we’ve had fewer crime reports lately, it’s not that it’s going unreported – it’s just not happening, according to Capt. Steve Paulsen. Last week, only one burglary was reported in all of West Seattle, he said – bringing the total for the month so far to 11, compared to what would usually be 27 to 30 by midmonth. (We crosschecked with the online police reports – indeed, only one listed from last Wednesday through today.) The precinct commander cited “significant recent arrests” – people suspected of burglarizing homes by day and prowling cars by night, arrested thanks to what Capt. Paulsen described as “outstanding detective work” as well as alert citizens and timely reporting by victims. West Seattle is getting a reputation among thieves as a bad place to do business, he suggested – while promptly cautioning that an uptick in theft is likely within the next month as holiday shopping begins. Time-honored advice: be aware of your surroundings; don’t leave purchases visible in your car while you go from store to store. In one unsolved case, Capt. Paulsen said there’s no arrest yet in last night’s Highland Park armed robbery. Meantime, he introduced “three-quarters of (his newly aligned) command staff”:
At right, Lt. Pierre Davis is the new operations lieutenant – second in command for the precinct – the job Capt. Paulsen had before leaving the SW Precinct early this year for a short stint at the West Precinct (where his SWP successor, Lt. Norm James, now works with former SWP commander Capt. Joe Kessler). At left, Lt. Alan Williams is third-watch commander (night shift); that’s the job from which Lt. Ron Smith, center, moved into the second-watch (day shift) role. Lts. Davis and Williams are new to the SWP. He also noted that the Community Police Team now has three officers (as reported here when one of them, Officer Ken Mazzuca, visited the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting last week). CPT Officer Jonathan Kiehn, also at tonight’s meeting, praised citizens for providing improved info when calling 911 lately – a topic on which he spoke at the last West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting. In particular, Officer Kiehn said, they’re giving better descriptions of suspects and the direction in which they’re heading.
Special guest at the meeting: Detective Suzanne Moore, who works on abuse/neglect cases, especially those with elderly victims. She shared two hotline numbers that can be used to report suspected cases – if they involve a residential facility, 800-562-6078; if they involve a private caregiver or home, 206-341-7660.
The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets the third Tuesday of the month, but they’re skipping December, so January’s the next meeting; keep an eye on www.wscpc.org.
2 court updates: Pedestrian-crash case; credit-card-skimming fraud
Two court-case updates with local links: First, the West Seattle woman accused of drunkenly running her car into people outside Showbox SODO on October 28th has pleaded not guilty. Juanita Wright was in court Monday to answer four charges of vehicular assault; prosecutors say her blood-alcohol level was .29. Wright remains jailed in lieu of a quarter-million dollars bail, and is scheduled to return to court on December 13th.
Meantime, court documents reveal a West Seattle link in the case against two men who prosecutors say “allegedly plac(ed) skimming devices on local bank ATMs to steal data from the magnetic strips of customer debit and credit cards.” While no West Seattle skimming is alleged in the current charges against Claudiu Tudor and Mihai Podaru, the charges say Tudor used a stolen card number (after trying unsuccessfully to use another) to withdraw cash from the BECU ATM at Roxbury Safeway – not far from where he lives in White Center. Prosecutors say the numbers were skimmed from a machine in Renton, where the two men are suspected of skimming more than 50 cards, using them for more than $170,000 worth of fraud. They are charged with 1st-degree theft, identity theft, and improperly obtaining financial information; both remain jailed in lieu of $250,000 bail, awaiting arraignment one week from today, and prosecutors say a third suspect is still under investigation, as are possible crimes that the documents say may result in “hundreds of additional counts of identity theft.”
West Seattle Crime Watch: Armed robbery in Highland Park
We’re on the way to check out a reported armed store robbery in Highland Park, in the 7700 block of Highland Park Way SW (map). Scanner ace Katie says the robber is described as a dark-skinned man about 25 years old wearing a black parka, hood up, gun was shown, last seen headed westbound on SW Kenyon. 7 PM: We’re in the vicinity; police are combing the area and, according to the scanner, bringing in a K-9. The store is still open. No other details so far. TUESDAY NOTE: This was written up for SPD Blotter, but the short item isn’t much more than we reported here.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Hit-run information sought
Out of the WSB inbox, from Jagada:
We would like to request the following info regarding a hit and run accident that occurred 11/10/10 at approximately 3:30-4pm, be posted on the blog.
Location: SB Fauntleroy Way SW in front of Midas Service Center
Description of car/person that fled the scene:
Older model dark blue or black Chev Tahoe or Suburban type vehicle with a damaged grille guard on entire front end.
White male, reddish-gray scruffy beard with long unkept hair. He also had a dog in the car with him.
If you know who that might be – please contact police. (The non-emergency number is 206-625-5011.)
The WSBeat: Telltale tire; sleeping suspect; drug necklace
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the sixth weekly installment of this new WSB feature, and now it has a name! If you missed the explanation/introduction with which we prefaced the series, you can see it here.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*On Wednesday around 3 a.m., officers were dispatched to 26th SW and Hudson, where citizens reported that a man was driving up and down the street with a flat tire and repeatedly trying to start the already running vehicle. Officers found the abandoned car in the 7000 block of 21st SW (complete with a smoking engine, shredded tire and with fresh damage to a fender and door).
The registered owner lived a couple of blocks away, so officers went to the home to continue their investigation. Smelling strongly of alcohol, the owner insisted that his car was with friends: “I’m not supposed to be driving because of my three DUIs.” He denied he had been driving the vehicle, and went back inside.
A while later, the owner showed up as officers were arranging to have the car towed. (Interestingly, he knew just where to find the car, even though the officers hadn’t disclosed its location.) He demanded the officers’ badge numbers before leaving and then spent several minutes—to no avail—trying to persuade the tow truck driver to simply drop the vehicle off around the corner.
(Four more summaries, including the case of the sleeping suspect, after the jump:)Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Drive-by BB shooting
Out of the WSB inbox, from a Fairmount Springs resident who doesn’t want to be identified:
I … wanted to let the community know that yesterday, Sunday, 11/7/10, at about 1:45 pm, two youths drove by our home on the 5900 block of Fauntleroy Way [map] and shot a bb gun at our front window, putting a hole through both panes. A neighbor walking by with her young son and was startled by the sudden POP! She noticed the culprits were driving a gray sedan but was unable to get the license plate number. The police have been notified and a case # was assigned. Please comment here if you have any helpful information or if you hear of any similar unfortunate incidents. Thanks very much, and be safe.
The city’s My Neighborhood map, which catalogs many police responses within a few hours, does confirm a case categorized as “property damage” in that block yesterday afternoon; because the classification is so general, it’s impossible to tell at this point whether there were other similar, recent cases, but we’re checking with police – West Seattle has had past cases of serial BB-gun shooters, with people being hit and hurt.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Prowlers startled; egg attacks; more
Several West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this afternoon, starting with this one from Cassandra:
Recently sighted three men breaking into home on corner of 10th Ave. and SW Elmgrove St. They were surprised by the homeowner¹s landscapers. The three men fled on foot heading south bound down alley between 10th Ave. and 9th Ave. Occurred approximately 1:15pm. Police have been notified.
Four more Crime Watch reports ahead:Read More
From the police files: Neighbor rescues toddler, and more
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth weekly installment of this new WSB feature – if you missed the explanation/introduction with which we prefaced the first one, you can see it here.
By Megan Sheppard
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Just after midnight early Monday, a Highland Park man awoke to the sounds of a child crying outside his residence. He saw what appeared to be a three-year-old walking barefoot in the middle of the street. He also noticed the front door open on a nearby residence. He went out, picked up the child, rang the bell and banged on the door. When no one answered, he took the child home and called 911. Officers arrived, entered the home through the open door, and found a four-year-old sleeping alone in a bedroom. There was no bed, and he was lying on some blankets on the floor. No other adults were present, except for a renter who came out of a basement room. A Child Protective Services social worker took custody of the children.
Six more cases, after the jump:Read More
West Seattle woman charged with drunkenly hitting pedestrians
This afternoon, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed four charges of vehicular assault against 43-year-old Juanita Wright, an Admiral resident who also uses the surnames Mars and Carpenter, in connection with a crash outside Showbox SODO last Thursday night. Prosecutors allege Wright had a blood-alcohol level of .29 as measured two hours after the crash – more than three times the legal-drunkenness level – and hit seven people who were crossing 1st Avenue South after a concert at the venue. Four of them were seriously hurt, with multiple broken bones, including a 28-year-old woman with a head injury that required removal of part of her skull. Wright’s car is described in court documents as having been full of empty or partly empty 24-ounce cans of 8.2% beer at the time of the crash. has been in jail since early last Friday morning, with bail set at a quarter-million dollars, and is scheduled for arraignment on November 15th. According to the charging documents, her record includes an unresolved drunk-driving charge from Pierce County 20 years ago, and more recent violations including speeding and driving without a license.
Seattle city budget: Police Department up for discussion tomorrow
Three weeks till the Seattle City Council is expected to take its final vote on next year’s budget, with whatever changes they make to the original proposal that Mayor Mike McGinn presented five weeks ago. Next Budget Committee meeting is tomorrow – and one of the agenda items involves reviewing specific parts of the Police Department’s budget, including one that’s been of particular interest in communities including West Seattle – the Crime Prevention Coordinators’ status. The mayor’s proposal would eliminate three of the seven coordinators citywide; those coordinators are civilian employees who handle a wide variety of programs dealing directly with the public, including Block Watch and the annual Night Out. If you have something to say about this (or any other aspect of the city budget), this page includes a variety of ways to do that; meantime, tomorrow’s all-day budget hearing is scheduled to focus on SPD at about 3:15 pm (here’s the all-day agenda).
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