West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
We promised the latest on Richard Lovejoy, the convicted rapist arrested in Fauntleroy early Sunday after a helicopter-involved search following one burglary and another attempt (here’s our Monday report on his first post-arrest hearing, which includes links to our previous coverage). This afternoon, we’ve heard back from King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe: Bail for Lovejoy was set at $75,000 for the burglary investigation (no formal charges filed yet), but he will not be released any time soon, according to Donohoe, because there’s a probation hold on him stemming from a 2004 domestic-violence conviction (felony harassment and violation of a no contact order). Donohoe tells WSB, “We will ask the sentencing judge in the 2004 case to schedule a sentence revocation hearing. No date has been set, but this hearing would take place in about one to two weeks,” and says Lovejoy will remain in custody at least till then.
Early this morning, WSB Forum members discussed hearing gunshots. We couldn’t find anything obvious on scanner/911 at the time. This morning, however, Seattle Police have posted a report on the SPD Blotter site; shots fired in the 20th/Henderson vicinity, nobody hit/hurt, but bullets pierced the wall of a home; no arrests reported so far. Just a reminder, any and all West Seattle entries from SPD Blotter are automatically posted on the WSB Crime Watch page as soon as the police department publishes them – you can check the Crime Watch page for the latest updates from SPD Blotter and WSB coverage, any time.
One day after the Southwest Precinct announced arrests in the “BB Gun Burglaries” — in which BB-type guns were used to shoot out windows to enable burglars to enter — we have more information, and half a dozen photos police want you to see. Detective Ed Garcia, lead investigator in this burglary series (and others), shared six photos of recovered items that police hope to match with their rightful owners. Read on to see the other photos and the list of recovered property, and to get more information about who was arrested in the burglary spree, how, and who else is still being sought:Read More
During a brief hearing this afternoon in a courtroom at the King County Jail downtown, a judge “found probable cause” to keep 41-year-old Richard L. Lovejoy (left) in jail until a hearing Wednesday on what, if any, bail amount should be set for him. Lovejoy is the convicted rapist arrested early Sunday morning (WSB coverage here, including victim’s story) in Fauntleroy, where he is suspected of breaking into a home shortly after trying to break into the Colman Pool building in Lincoln Park. Thanks to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office media liaison Dan Donohoe for providing us with the document used at today’s hearing (which we attended, though the suspect himself did not actually appear); it says in part:
Suspect Lovejoy broke out two windows at the Colman Pool in Lincoln Park. The sound woke up the on-site caretaker, who confronted the suspect as he tried to enter via a broken window. The suspect ran off into the park and officers were unable to locate him. A truck registered to suspect Lovejoy was located illegally parked at the entrance to the Lincoln Park beach service road at 7171 Beach Drive SW. Several hours later, a report of an occupied residential burglary came out several blocks away. The suspect (Lovejoy) in that instance was captured.
The report goes on to say that a witness from Colman Pool identified him as the same suspect in that earlier break-in attempt, and later in the document, under the section that asks whether law enforcers would object to the suspect’s release, it says “Do not release. Suspect is a convicted felon and sex offender (and is on active Department of Corrections supervision).” His sex-offender status emerged in the comment thread on our followup report; we found him in the public lookup system, registered to an Arbor Heights address, and that’s where the photo you see at above left comes from. The document from today’s hearing also lists his criminal history as including: Rape, escape, drugs, harassment, domestic violence.
This just in from the Southwest Precinct‘s Lt. Steve Paulsen – even more burglary arrests (besides what we reported the past two mornings):
The Southwest Precinct is pleased to announce to the community that the suspects in the BB-Gun Residential Burglaries have been arrested.
Several suspects have been identified/arrested. Over the past 2-3 weeks, Southwest Precinct Detectives and Patrol officers (all three patrol shifts) have been working together in tracking down leads as well as processing trace evidence in order to identify the subjects involved. The burglaries have been mostly in the Highland Park/Westwood neighborhoods. Recent followup work has tied these suspects to the Beacon Hill neighborhood as well.
Detectives have also recovered several items of victim’s property and are working closely with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office to ensure that the cases are adjudicated in court.
Most if not all of the suspects have affiliation with Asian Street gangs. All but one of the subjects are juveniles and none live in the West Seattle community.
This has not been a good week for West Seattle-area Burglars. Thanks again to our observant citizens who report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.
(photos by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
Thanks to everyone who’s e-mailed us with a tip about this – major police activity in the Belvidere/Admiral area (map). Police there tell us there’s a possible burglary suspect in a house there. More to come. P.S. That’s also why you are hearing/seeing helicopters – there’s at least one news chopper in the area. 11:43 AM UPDATE: This is breaking up now – two suspects have just been arrested. ADDED 12:28 PM: Here’s Christopher’s photo of one suspect – we are not showing his face because at this point, he is not formally charged (that would come later and be up to prosecutors):
Click ahead for one more photo PLUS a brief update on the Sunday morning burglary arrest in Fauntleroy (Southwest Precinct police have been busy!!!!):Read More
2 reports tonight: First, SPD Blotter has posted more details on the incident that sparked the helicopter-assisted search and arrest we reported early this morning (previous WSB coverage here). Seems the 41-year-old man eventually arrested for burglarizing a home in the 4300 block of Cloverdale (map) also is suspected of trying to break into another house near Lincoln Park first. Read the details here. ADDED 8:17 PM: Just posted as a comment on our original early-morning report, Kelly tells the story firsthand:
Hi All: I was the victim in this incident. A white male broke into my house in Fauntleroy last night around 12:30. I’m a single mom, home alone with two young kids (5 and 3). The guy tried kicking in my side door and then walked around up front and kicked in my front door. That noise woke me up and I went downstairs to see what was going on… and froze on my landing as I looked down and saw this jack ass standing in my doorway. I backtracked upstairs, had a complete and total moral dilemma about what to do next: cell phone and interior lock were in my bedroom, to the right but to the left were my kids’ rooms. I headed into my bedroom, locked the door, and called 911 from my balcony. The burglar juggled on the bedroom door handle and… I don’t remember much then. The police arrived within probably 5 minutes. They had been in the neighborhood because the same person had tried to break into Colman Pool (earlier) and they were just winding up their search for him in Lincoln Park. I was lucky. The police had already identified the suspect from his truck and apparently was a level one sex offender. The guy ran with a few of my household items and the police found him a few blocks away. I was taken to that scene and identified him. It was awful and scary and shattering considering the fact I thought this neighborhood was so safe. The police were excellent and gave me a lot of good pointers for security on my house. At least next time, if it happens, I’ll be more prepared.
Thanks to Kelly for sharing her story. (continuing with original 7 pm post) Meantime, we’ve just received e-mail about an Admiral break-in this weekend, including a plea for neighbors everywhere to be more watchful — read on:Read More
It’s pretty much right over our house in Upper Fauntleroy. Nothing on 911 in terms of medic call. Listening to the scanner to see if we can pick up anything about who they’re looking for and why – they’re focused on a house (where, we don’t know) where radio traffic indicates they are following footprints, plus a canine is involved in the search. 8400 block has been mentioned, on or near Tillicum (east of Lincoln Park; map). 12:43 AM UPDATE: Per scanner, it was a burglary, and there is a suspect now in custody. Helicopter has just moved on.
Last night at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting (full report on main topics coming up later), some attendees (good crowd BTW!) were abuzz about e-mail from a neighbor detailing a Halloween night scare. Before reporting it, we checked this morning with Lt. Steve Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct to confirm the basics of what happened: Just before 3 am Saturday, “officers responded to a disturbance in the 5600 blk of 26th Ave SW (map). An unwanted guest came to the party with a rifle. Party guests wrestled the gun away and secured the subject. Police took the suspect into custody.” According to the neighbor’s e-mail, it was an assault rifle (police don’t dispute this, though we haven’t yet seen the full report), and “securing” the suspect involved duct tape. 4 PM UPDATE: MB just left this as a comment – wanted to add it here too for those who don’t usually read comments:
I can’t help but comment since I was at the party and grew up just down the street, so I know the neighborhood well. My mom mentioned it to a neighbor, who then brought it up at the recent Delridge meeting. I had already gone home when this went down, but it was my brave husband who took the rifle away from this idiot…and it was an AK47. I can’t thank him and his friends enough for literally saving the day. My husband initiated, but his amazing and brave group of friends were right behind him to help. They showed GREAT restraint in not doing serious physical harm to this guy. Thanks to them the night ended with no one hurt. I want to stress that this was not a party full of drunk teenagers or bad people who brought this on in any way. We had a great night with no problems until this happened. For whatever reason this guy didn’t like being told the party was about over. Thank god for people like my husband who aren’t willing to stand by and watch a tragedy unfold without trying to stop it. I am shaking with pride as I type! I guess he learned a thing or two during his two deployments (2005 in Iraq and 2007 in Afghanistan, he just got home in May). I am a lucky lady
From Joe at 45th/Andover (map):
This morning after I left for work (5:30), my wife was investigating a sound she heard in the kitchen. There stood an unknown black male. Asked to identify himself and his intentions he said he “was there to take anything he wanted.” Someone had told him he could have whatever caught his eye. My wife had him wait outside while my son was summoned to speak with him. During this period my wife called 911. After speaking with my son the man left heading north through the alleys. In minutes 4 SPD units responded. Police caught him 2 blocks away; he was brought back for identification as the intruder. Long story short he is now a guest downtown. Hopefully this will help other local burglary investigations. Maybe the return of missing property.
Several Crime Watch updates just arrived in the inbox — first, Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen says a lot of great teamwork involving police and alert businesspeople may have solved a series of eyeglasses thefts:
On 11/04/08 at about 1230 hrs, SW Officer Bruce Wind observed an occupied suspicious vehicle at Westwood Village. Officer Wind checked the license plate of the vehicle. About a half hour later, Highline Eye Care Center (Westwood Village) called 911 when the employees recognized a possible suspect who robbed them last April. Highline employees provided Officer Wind with crime bulletins from Bellevue PD regarding a string of eyeglass thefts.
As Officer Wind was speaking with the Highline Eye Care employees, SW Officer Phil Rees on-viewed a complaint of an incident at West Seattle Optical (4500 blk of California SW).
Officer Wind recognized the incident and provided vehicle information to other officers. A Traffic officer spotted the vehicle in the 2600 blk of SW Genesee. Both male and female suspect were arrested. Suspected stolen property was also recovered.
Robbery detectives are following up on the case which may be tied to over 55 eyeglass theft cases in Bellevue and Auburn.
Just got word from Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen that 51-year-old Daniel P. Ward, wanted in the October 17th stabbing of a woman at the Stewart Manor complex in High Point, has been arrested. SWP officers took him into custody last night. According to the King County Jail Register, he was booked just before 9:30 pm, and is being held not only for investigation of assault, but also for “failure to appear” on a previous domestic-violence assault charge.
BULLETIN: Verdict for the 18-year-old defendant: Not guilty, not of murder, not of manslaughter, not of anything. His mother cried, “Oh my God,” sitting in the front row. More shortly. 4:15 PM UPDATE: Took extra time to get to “shortly” — we talked with defense lawyer Robert Perez after he went down a floor to handle paperwork for his client’s immediate release. The trial is not completely over — on Monday, jurors will return in order to decide another matter: Perez filed a motion for the state to pay his client’s legal costs if he was cleared. We’ll be there for that part of the case too. Separate full report later recapping the case and today’s developments. (Again, full archive of trial coverage is at the bottom of last night’s story.)
ORIGINAL 2:37 PM POST: There’s word the jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial that only WSB has been covering, with an Alki 18-year-old claiming self-defense in the deadly shooting of 33-year-old Francisco Bailey-Ortiz inside a car at 59th/Admiral on 10/13/07. I am now standing by in the downtown courtroom of Superior Court Judge Richard Eadie, with reporter Rachel Gabrielle – who’s been covering the trial – on the way here, and I will post the verdict as soon as it’s read. (To catch up on the story, follow the links at the bottom of Rachel’s latest report.) – TR
Jury deliberations have begun in the trial of the Alki 18-year-old charged with murdering the 33-year-old man he says sexually abused him for years. This is the third week of the trial that WSB is covering, start to finish, as followup to our initial coverage of the 10/13/07 shooting (and updates in the ensuing months); read on for the latest report from our courtroom correspondent:Read More
Two West Seattle Crime Watch updates for you right now: First, a followup on yesterday’s arrest of the woman accused of using stolen credit cards for $2,000 worth of purchases at local businesses. Southwest Precinct Officer Brian Ballew tells WSB that the item involved in the biggest of those purchases — a $700 fountain from West Seattle Nursery (WSB sponsor) — has been returned to the nursery today. The 53-year-old woman was booked into jail last night; as for how she got caught — Officer Ballew says she had pre-purchased some items at a local business, and before she returned for them yesterday, they and police had matched her to the investigation. Meantime, in separate Crime Watch news, we just got word of another break-in with the “method of entry” involving a BB gun – for those details and what police are saying about this apparent burglary wave, read on:Read More
Meg sends word of two break-ins last night:Read More
Testimony is over in the trial of the Alki 18-year-old charged with murdering the 33-year-old man he says sexually abused him for years. WSB is covering the trial, start to finish; read on for the latest report from our courtroom correspondent:Read More
Just in from Sgt. Jeff Durden at Southwest Precinct: He says they have just arrested the woman they believe to be behind the fraudulent credit-card use we told you about two days ago; she’s being interviewed at the precinct right now and expected to be booked on felony charges later. Sgt. Durden wasn’t ready to share details of the arrest’s circumstances – but when those can be made public, we’ll bring you an updated report. He adds, “We got all the credit cards back.”
Seattle Police have just released that photo of the man they’re looking for in connection with the stabbing at the Stewart Manor apartment complex in High Point on October 17th. (Original WSB coverage here.) Here’s the information they sent along with the photo: “On October 17th, 2008 Daniel P. Ward (DOB 2/6/57) and his 42-year-old girlfriend were in her apartment in the 6300 block of 34th Avenue SW. After a brief verbal argument, Ward attacked his girlfriend. Ward stabbed her several times with a box cutter causing severe injuries to her neck, arm, and face. Ward told her that he would kill her and then kill himself. The victim was able to get away from him and seek help. Ward fled the scene and remains at large. The King County Prosecutor’s Office has since charged Ward with Assault 1st degree – Domestic Violence. Anyone with information regarding Ward’s whereabouts is asked to contact 911.”
As WSB continues covering the trial of the Alki 18-year-old charged with murdering the 33-year-old man he says sexually abused him for years, the defendant has concluded his testimony, and members of his family have taken the stand. Read on for today’s report from our courtroom correspondent:Read More
3 break-in cases in the latest update — a house (in an area where neighbors have just gotten word of a “48-hour burglary spree”), a car, and a store:Read More
Looks like Arbor Heights resident Edda Mellas will have to spend a lot more time in Italy – her daughter Amanda Knox is now ordered to stand trial in the murder case that’s drawn international attention over the past year-plus. Here’s the latest, via the P-I.
The trial of the Alki 18-year-old charged with murder in the 10/13/07 deadly shooting inside a car at 59th/Admiral is now in its third week. WSB is covering the trial start to finish; today, the defendant took the stand – here’s our courtroom correspondent’s latest report:Read More
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