West Seattle, Washington
16 Tuesday
If you haven’t seen it in the SPDBlotter feed on the Crime Watch page already: 
A West Seattle robbery solved by fingerprints on a thrown beer can. The SPDBlotter report says it happened at “a convenience store in the 6300 block of 35th SW” (map) on December 12th; two people who tried to buy beer but were turned away for lack of ID started throwing beer cans at the clerk, then hit him, and one made off with the register in the meantime. They got away but prints were lifted from the beer cans and one was traced about a week ago to a 19-year-old man; turns out he’s i the King County Jail on an unrelated warrant, and has now confessed to this crime; the other suspect’s still being sought. Read the full SPDBlotter story here.
From the WSB inbox – two West Seattle homes, next door to each other, burglarized over the weekend – read on for the report, including the unusual choice of loot:Read More
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Jimmy Wong visited his dad’s cafe in West Seattle tonight.
He taped a new note to the door of the Jade West Cafe, which has held update notes and get-well cards since Jimmy’s dad Wah, brother Jason and mom Salina were hit by a drunk driver outside their Beacon Hill home:
Jimmy’s note bears a simple request: The Wong family wants to hear from anyone who can write a note of support before the driver who hit the Wongs is sentenced on February 12th.
As reported here Friday, 50-year-old Rodney James has pleaded guilty to vehicular assault. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is recommending 2 1/2 years in prison; when the crash happened Dec. 12, James was on a suspended sentence from a prior case that started with a DUI arrest. Jimmy Wong – who is visiting from California, to help out at home – isn’t sure yet about the proper protocol for making sure the notes get full consideration. That’s why they’ve set up their own e-mail address – asking you just to send a quick note now if you are willing to write a message, and then they will let you know when they get official instructions – case number, address, etc.
Jimmy tells us his family is relieved that the driver pleaded guilty: “It helps us to move closer to closure – if he had pleaded not guilty, this might have gone on for months.”
But there’s no quick resolution for his dad and brother. Jason Wong lost a leg after the crash; his intact leg was injured as well, and Jimmy says it’ll be months before he can put weight on it, so he’s currently “immobilized,” though he’s home from the hospital now.
His dad? “Wah will be OK,” Jimmy smiles. He’s out of a skilled-nursing-care facility. But the restaurant’s future is far from settled.
Right now, it holds a note, and a request. Jimmy wants to get this word to all his dad’s customers, so please share this news: The address is jadewestcafe@gmail.com. Don’t send them the support statement yet- just write and say you’d like to. Do send that 1st e-mail fast – Jimmy says there’s not much time to get the messages to the right people, before James’s sentencing (1 pm 2/12, before King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector).
And in the meantime, he says the family is heartened and encouraged by all the support expressed in comments here, signatures on the get-well cards placed on the door, and in many other ways. “I’ve been away,” he says, for eight years, living in California, “I didn’t really realize” just how many lives his dad’s one-man labor of culinary love has touched.
Wells Fargo is accepting donations for the Save the Jade West Cafe Fund to help the family pay medical bills.
First – for the second time in nine days, there’s a report of suspected stolen mail found in the Arbor Heights area. Last one was discussed here on January 22nd; the e-mail we received today says:
I was walking my dog in Arbor Heights a short time ago when I noticed a pile of soggy mail behind some shrubs on SW 102nd St. at 38th Ave SW [map]. The mail was unopened, but all of it was financially related: Social Security, tax forms, credit cards. The addresses were all on a single block of 39th Ave SW between 102nd & 104th. I’m speculating that the thief was interrupted somehow and either dumped the evidence, or stashed it for later. This would be prime time for mail theft, with all of the tax forms going out. I re-delivered all of the mail, not thinking until later that perhaps I should have notified police instead.
Mail theft is a federal crime. The US Postal Service has links for reporting it as well as tampering and fraud – go here. Ahead – two break-in reports in other neighborhoods:Read More
We just received a note from the Alki woman beaten unconscious while working at her job as a Metro bus driver in Tukwila one week ago tonight. She is out of the hospital but wanted to get this message out and is hoping you will answer her call for a sign of support:
I am keeping this brief because it is hard for me still to keep concentration but I am the Metro Driver involved in the assault almost exactly one week ago in one hour from now.
Dow Constantine is meeting with me at my home tomorrow [Saturday]. Change needs to be done. I will not say where I live, but I am in the Alki area and he is coming at 2 tomorrow, Saturday. He needs to know this sort of thing is unacceptable. If folks show up to the beach with signs and presence, I believe he will see that this does not just affect drivers, but the public as well. We need to keep pressure on for change.
If you can support her – send this around – use the Share This feature beneath this item, or right-click on the headline to get the URL for this so you can send it any way you choose. While she does not want to publicize her name or address, we believe it’s the central part of the beach district (Bathhouse vicinity). Meantime, as reported here Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy is now charged with assault in connection with the attack.
A month and a half after the Beacon Hill crash that seriously injured Jade West Cafe owner Wah Wong and his son Jason Wong, the drunk driver who hit them has pleaded guilty. King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe confirms that 50-year-old Rodney James pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault. He is scheduled for sentencing at 1 pm February 12th before King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector, and Donohoe says prosecutors are recommending 30 months in prison (of a possible 10 years).
According to the original charging documents, his blood-alcohol level was .16 at the scene, twice the legal limit, and beer was found inside his car. The crash happened while he was “on a suspended sentence for reckless driving (amended from driving under the influence)” in a case from 11 months earlier, and James also had a record that included escaping from a Pennsylvania maximum-security prison in 1981 (without a description of why he was there). Jason Wong lost a leg after the crash; he and his father are both now home after weeks of inpatient care, but the restaurant’s future is not yet determined.
One thing for sure; The family has a pile of medical bills; donations can be made to the Save Jade West Cafe Fund at any Wells Fargo branch.
Got this report from a West Seattleite who wants to be anonymous:
I work in Westwood Village and was arriving for work when I was approached by a couple of individuals who threatened me, then took my wallet and my car. I’ve filed the proper police report but I was thinking that the more eyes that were out there looking the better chance I would have to get it back quickly. The car is a 2001 Chevy Impala lic #389-Yxx, the color is silver. I would guess it is somewhere in the Delridge/Westwood/White Center area.
We spoke to the victim by phone after reading that e-mail. He says it happened just after 4 am; he didn’t see a weapon, and wasn’t physically hurt. We will follow up this morning with police, who did report a rise in “strong-arm robberies” – this would qualify for that label, though we haven’t heard lately of one including a car – while updating crime trends at last week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (here’s our story). 4:12 PM UPDATE: Talked with police. No description to share at this point, but this is the first carjacking they’ve heard of in West Seattle in a long time, so it’s not – so far – part of a trend.
From Heather:
I just thought I would send a note that my neighbor’s car was broken into last night. We’re in Highland Park on 17th between Trenton & Cloverdale (map). It seems they broke the window only to open the trunk….then threw most of the contents onto the ground. We think a camera was stolen out of the trunk but the radio was left untouched. My neighbor was waiting for the police when I left for work….not sure how long she had to wait or if there have been any other break-ins like this.
We covered tonight’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting, coverage area including Highland Park – report to come, but police didn’t report any particular spike in car break-ins.
Last August, we reported on charges filed against a 23-year-old Westwood man, 10 months after police found child pornography on his computer. Documents said Chas Voelckel was not believed to have taken any of the photos, but some of them contained what police described as “known victims” as young as 8. We’ve been checking the online court file in the case against Voelckel from time to time, and our latest check showed a major development: He pleaded guilty last week to a felony charge of “possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.” He could face up to 10 years in prison, but the documents note the standard sentencing range is about a year, and indicate that’s what will be recommended when he is sentenced – currently set for March.
From the scanner: Police are responding right now to a reported armed robbery at the mini-mart in the 4000 block of California SW. First report was that there were two robbers, both wearing masks, and they were last seen running or walking from the scene, westbound on SW Andover (map); they’re described as white males, “fairly short, 5-5 to 5-6, at least one armed with a handgun,” one masked by a black bandanna with a white pattern, the other with a green bandanna, both with hooded jackets. 6:17 AM: No word of arrests, but police were working on potential evidence/leads such as surveillance video and prints.
Sarah at Again and a Gain baby/child consignment shop in The Junction says their store’s been burglarized:
Many of the 5000 families, mostly based in West Seattle, who participate in reducing / recycling / & reusing at Again & a Gain will be sorry to hear (what happened to) this consignment shop for Everything Baby, Kid & Maternity dedicated to supporting and sponsoring many of our local schools, charities and organizations to promote Healthy Children & a Healthy Planet including WestSide Baby, Family Services and more including to help children and families in need in Haiti.. Discovered the shop was broken into overnight and the till cleaned out.
Police may have obtained some good fingerprints, incident # 10-30397. The community’s support of the shop will be greatly appreciated as we work to recover from this setback.
Again and a Gain is at 4832 California SW, east side of the street a few doors south of Edmunds. ADDED 10:19 PM: Of potential interest to other local businesses, this note from Square 1 Books (WSB sponsor) in the WSB Forums, reacting to this story, recommending an alarm-monitoring company.
Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office:
A 15-year-old boy was charged today with assault in the second degree and assault in the third degree for attacking a METRO bus driver early last Saturday morning in Tukwila. The victim was beaten unconscious during the assault.
“Any assault on a bus driver is a very serious matter,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. “In addition to the harm to the bus driver, the passengers, other motorists and pedestrians are all put at risk when a driver is attacked,” Satterberg added.
Based on the victim’s injuries, assault second degree is the maximum charge. Because state law sets strict parameters for allowing adult prosecution, the 15-year-old defendant is not eligible for adult prosecution because of his age, lack of criminal history and other factors. However, King County Prosecutors will request a sentence above the standard range on the assault charge based on the seriousness of the offense and the risk to community safety.
Under state law, the standard sentence range in Juvenile Court for assault in the second degree is 15 to 36 weeks in detention, but prosecutors will recommend a sentence of over a year of incarceration if the defendant is convicted.
Two other boys, ages 16 and 17, were charged with malicious mischief in the first degree for breaking windows on the back door of the bus and damaging the door frame. Their cases are also required to remain in Juvenile Court where they each face a maximum sentence of up to 30 days in detention.
Two of the defendants remain in custody. The 16-year-old charged with malicious mischief is currently out of custody on electronic home monitoring. All three are scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. in Juvenile Court.
The victim’s daughter first talked about the incident in the WSB Forums, revealing her mom is an Alki resident; that post sparked our followup over the weekend. The family called on Metro to put more measures in place to protect drivers; Metro’s deputy general manager told us on Monday they will be looking at that.
An update this morning on the Tuesday raid that brought King County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members to a house in the 9400 block of 35th SW (here’s our original report): KCSO spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart says they found heroin inside the house and arrested three people who lived there – women ages 21 and 41, and a 19-year-old man, all of whom he says have been booked into King County Jail. He adds, “Because of information that one or more suspects had been armed or there might be weapons in the house, our SWAT Team served the warrant.” They didn’t find any weapons, though, and aren’t saying “what led (them) to the house” – as noted yesterday, it’s in Seattle city limits, but KCSO handled it because as Sgt. Urquhart put it, they “developed the case.”
(photo added 5:05 pm – one of the many officers who were there before sunset, thinning out some now)
Checked this out after a phone tip: There’s a sizable King County Sheriff’s Office presence on 35th just north of the strip mall at the northeast corner of Roxbury (map). So far, we’ve been told it’s “warrant service.” Checking with KCSO (this is in the city limits but no Seattle Police in sight – so it’s clearly a county case) to see if there’s any more info. No traffic effects, though the operation is quite eye-catching if you’re driving by. 5:16 PM UPDATE: Some of the officers have left, but right now the “search” part of the reported search warrant appears to be under way – from the street, you can see that officers are inside conducting an extensive search. 5:36 PM UPDATE: Just got a call back from Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart. He confirms it’s a drug case but, since it’s still ongoing, doesn’t have info on arrests or what’s been seized, yet. The house is in the city limits but since KCSO “developed the case,” as he put it, they’re the ones handling it.
Wanted to publish this separately since as mentioned this morning, an e-mail claiming a teen burglary gang is active in West Seattle seems to have ricocheted around the peninsula: Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James has talked with detectives – the people in the precinct who work burglary (among other) cases – and they are NOT dealing with anything resembling what was described in the widely forwarded e-mail from a burglary victim. Burglaries, yes; organized gang of students, no, he says. The confusion, says Lt. James, might be arising from ongoing followup to the arrests late last year of several teenage burglary suspects, but he stresses there are no “burglary patterns” of any kind active in West Seattle right now.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports: First, an e-mail that may have landed in almost every inbox in West Seattle, judging by the number of people who forwarded it to us. When we first saw it Monday morning, we tried reaching contacts at the Southwest Precinct to get it confirmed or denied; we didn’t hear back but will try even harder tomorrow. Anyway, the note tells the story of a daylight burglary last Friday, apparently in Highland Park, going on to say that police told the victim that there’s “a ring of high school students that look for empty homes during their lunch hour” and are dropped off and picked up by someone; the note also says “This is going on 6-8 times a day in West Seattle alone, in all neighborhoods.” Higher than any local burglary rate we’ve ever heard, so we will persist with our police inquiries today to see if that’s really the case. Meantime, one other burglary report has come in, from Grace in Gatewood:
Wanted to let everyone know that there’s been a burglary in the Gatewood area on the 3500 block of SW Southern Street (map) right off of 35th Ave. Entry was through a kicked-in ground-level back door while the owners were out of town. If anyone saw anything suspicious on this block between Friday the 22nd and Sunday the 24th of January, please report it. No one was hurt, but lots of items of sentimental value were stolen.
Among the stories we covered over the weekend – we learned from WSB’er “breanna43” via the WSB Forums that her mom, who lives on Alki, is the Metro bus driver hospitalized after being attacked on the job while her bus was stopped in Tukwila. Here’s our original story; we are following up this morning with safety concerns raised by her family. First in: King County Council chair Bob Ferguson sent a statement today:
I want to express my concern about the vicious attack on a County employee on Saturday. The County joins the employee’s family in hoping for her complete and speedy recovery.
As a regular bus commuter, I understand that safety aboard Metro buses is paramount. The County will investigate what additional precautions can be taken to ensure the well-being of drivers and riders alike. Bus drivers and their passengers are also grateful for the quick action of law enforcement in arresting the individuals responsible for the attack. No one should have to fear violence for simply doing their job.”
We have requested interviews with Metro/King County Department of Transportation to find out more about safety precautions and also about what will be done for this specific driver. Her daughter, meantime, tells us her mom is recovering physically but dealing with post-traumatic stress from what happened; she also has gone online and read the comments of support posted after our earlier story and elsewhere, and is “thankful that people are supportive,” her daughter says. The family’s doing some TV interviewing too; look for a followup story tonight on KING5. And we are checking with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office regarding the status of the 15-year-old arrested in connection with the attack.
1:35 PM UPDATE: Almost as soon as we hit “publish” on this story, we got a call back from Jim Jacobsen, Metro deputy general manager. He says they will be reviewing safety procedures because of this, though it’s been a while since the last time Metro checked into the possibility of enclosures for drivers; he says they’ll await results of the police investigation to see what else might be worth looking into. He says the system averages one incident each month that results in a driver injury. Drivers go through training to deal with difficult riders, he says, but in this case, their understanding is that it was unprovoked, and there was no time to go through any sort of “de-escalation.” We received early documents from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office that indicate the suspect became angered because the driver, in keeping with Metro policy, refused to open the bus’s rear door – it was after 7 pm, which means you’re supposed to exit through the front door. The suspect is identified in documents as a 15-year-old Renton High School ninth-grader; he is due for a detention review in Juvenile Court at 2:30 this afternoon.
Back to Metro – Jacobsen says, most of all, “We’re pretty concerned about the operator and her family want to make sure she gets the help she needs and makes a full recovery.”
ADDED 5:31 PM: King County Executive Dow Constantine has issued a statement about the attack and Metro security – read on for the full text:Read More
Lightning may not strike twice, but crime can, as Jim in Seaview just found out.
Overnight someone stole all four wheels off our Honda Fit in Seaview. This is the second time, first time it happened in October 2008. It was the exact same pattern – Sunday night / Monday morning, car up on concrete blocks, lug nuts left behind, no other damage to the car.
We published Jim’s 2008 report here. (A few months later, a similar theft happened in Sunrise Heights, and that car’s owner sent a photo.)
(photo by Paul Sureddin, taken early 2008)
It’s been more than a month since we found out that a Beacon Hill crash had left West Seattle restaurateur Wah Wong, 67, and his 22-year-old son Jason Wong badly hurt. Wah Wong’s one-man labor of love Jade West Cafe (map) has been closed ever since; well-wishers have put cards on the door; and a fund has been set up. Tonight, new information in this writeup sent to news organizations by Wah Wong’s daughter Janet Wong:
After many surgeries and over a month of being in the hospital, 22-year old Jason Wong will finally be released from the hospital since his accident.
On December 12th, Jason was helping take luggage out of his dad’s trunk when out of a nowhere a 1998 black Chevy Corvette came barreling down on South Columbian Way. The Corvette veered off the street and struck both Jason and father, Wah Wong, in their front yard pinning the two between the front of the Corvette and their own car. The family later learned the driver was drunk. The drunk driver was arrested and booked in the King County Jail.
Despite the release from the hospital, it will take many months to rehabilitate his foot. Jason’s left leg was so badly injured that his left leg was amputated. The family’s hope is for Jason to walk again.
Sister, Janet Wong, says, “He has been bedridden for the last month and will continue to be for the next few months. As soon as his leg is healed, he will need to be fitted for a prosthetic. Then rehabilitation will begin. The timing is a little tricky since he is unable to use his right foot. He will be able to do some kind of rehabilitation, but the big question is how much and how soon. We see long and intensive rehabilitation for Jason’s future.”
Jason’s Father, Wah Wong, is currently at Leon Sullivan Skilled Nursing Facility. Wah had leg surgery two weeks ago and is now in a cast. He continues to wear a neck brace for his fractured vertebrae, which will be removed in the next week or so. There is no discharge date for him at this time.
“We hope to have my dad home soon so he can recover comfortably there. Otherwise, things are progressing well for him and he will possibly need a little physical therapy,” says Janet.
Wah has been running the family restaurant, Jade West Café, for the last 22 years. Wah mostly runs the restaurant by himself. He does everything from cooking to cleaning to tending to his customers. Over the many years, he has built a solid customer base with many loyal customers who return to enjoy his food and friendship. Due to the accident, he will not be ready to return to work for another few months, if at all.
In the meantime, the house will undergo some renovations to accommodate Jason.
If you would like to help, please donate to “Save Jade West Café” at any Wells Fargo Bank. Your donations will help to cover mounting medical bills for the family.
The driver charged with vehicular assault in the case, 50-year-old Rodney James, remains in King County Jail, bail set at $250,000. Online court records indicate another pretrial hearing in his case is scheduled this week.
Out of the WSB inbox, from Kevin:
Someone driving a late model white Volvo wagon just sideswiped my truck in the Alaska Junction, parked on Rutan Pl SW [map] at approximately 8:00 PM. Driver continued down Rutan (a dead end street), turned around and sped past my neighbors who were trying to get the plates on the car. Seattle Police are out looking for the vehicle as it sounds like the driver may be intoxicated. Any info would be great as I am about to move out of state and this is really bad timing for me!
You may have heard the story already today – a 56-year-old Metro bus driver beaten unconscious while on the job, driving her bus in Tukwila early today. In some reports, like this one from KING5, the assault was somewhat overshadowed by the fact two police cars crashed while rushing to help. Tonight in the WSB Forums, member “breanna43” says the driver is her mom, an Alki resident, and asks for prayers. A news release from King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John Urquhart says:
The incident occurred just after midnight this morning (January 23rd). The Route 124 bus stopped in Tukwila at S. 144th and International Blvd [map] to let passengers off. A group of seven or eight youths gathered at the back door but only two got off before the doors closed. At least some of the group went to the front of the bus and the driver was punched in the head several times, knocking her unconscious.
Meanwhile two suspects kicked and hit the rear door of the coach, breaking glass and bending the door frame. All suspects then ran off. A Tukwila K-9 dog tracked the group to a house in the 13700 block of 45th Ave South. Eight people were detained. Eventually witnesses from the bus identified three people who were directly involved in the altercation. They were arrested.
All three were booked into the Youth Center, including a 15 year-old boy from Renton for felony assault. Two males were booked for felony vandalism, ages 16 and 17, from Tukwila and Kent, respectively.
Neither of the officers whose cars collided – one KCSO, one Tukwila Police – was seriously hurt; one was treated at the scene, and the other was treated at a hospital and released. The bus driver is at Valley Medical Center. In her WSB Forums post, the driver’s daughter writes, “What would be so hard about building metal enclosures to keep our drivers (and relatives) safe from physical attacks?” In a followup e-mail exchange, she tells us her mom’s been with Metro for 7 years, adding, “I’d just like to say that she is a strong person and was just doing her job. I pray that King County will review its policies regarding Metro drivers’ safety. My mom was defenseless last night. I appreciate all well wishes, and she will too.”
At last week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (WSB coverage here), the crime trends discussed by local police indicated car prowls had been on the decline lately. Today, though, we have reports of at least three incidents since then, west and southwest of The Junction – read on:Read More
From WSB’er Buddsmom:
This morning at approx. 7:20 I found a pile of stolen mail behind the bus shelter at 35th AVE SW and SW 108th [map] in Arbor Heights. The addresses are from four separate houses in the vicinity of SW 106th and 107th between the 3100 block of 106th to 35th Ave SW. Anything that appears to be of a financial nature had been opened. The Westwood branch of the post office has been notified and will turn the items over to the postal inspector for investigation.
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