|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 05:00:00 am
Pierce County law enforcement officers will be out on the streets today with speed radars as part of an ongoing campaign to target leadfoot drivers. Starting at 7 a.m., officers will be targeting speeding “hot spots,” including River Road, State Route 509, Valley Avenue East, Highway 99 and Meridian, the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force reported. Officers will be out throughout the day. The emphasis is part of a yearlong, statewide campaign aimed at curbing deadly and serious injury accidents. During the X-52 campaign, beefed up patrols will be on the road each week of the year. Also ... Another nighttime seatbelt campaign starts Monday. Officers in Pierce County will be out looking for unbuckled drivers during the night time hours. The Click It or Ticket It campaign will run through June 1. Friday, May 16th, 2008
Posted by Adam Lynn @ 04:44:49 pm
UPDATE, 5:31 p.m.: Fire crews left the scene after finding nothing burning, Ericson reports. A report of smoke in the area prompted the Puyallup Fire Department to respond to Good Samaritan Hospital this afternoon. Fire department spokeswoman Lorri Ericson said crews are on the scene looking for the source of the smoke but that no fire had been found at the time of this writing. We'll continue to monitor and update as necessary.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 04:30:00 pm
Here are some reader thoughts on the devastating fire today that destroyed the Fabulous Firwood Roadhouse. From Robert D. Forman in Mesa, Ariz.
From Linda Sallee
From Eileen Dozier
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 03:06:11 pm
We've updated the story on the homepage about this morning's fire at the Fabulous Firwood Roadhouse. The biggest news: Officials say the fire is suspicious. It started outside the building. It's not been ruled an arson but that's not been ruled out, either.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 11:35:24 am
As most of you probably know by now, the Fabulous Firwood Roadhouse burned to the ground this morning in a devastating fire. As I've talked to people this morning, I've commonly heard, "The Firwood?!" One person remember dancing out on the dance floor years ago with his wife. Every one knows the Firwood. It's an institution. As part of our coverage of this story, we'd like to hear from you. Tell us about your memories of the place and memorable nights, memorable concerts, etc. Post your thoughts to the blog or send me an e-mail at stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 08:11:08 am
Tacoma police were investigating two separate shootings that left two people with non-life threatening injuries Thursday night. Here's what I know ... The first was a driveby shooting in the 2100 block of South L Street. The shooting was reported at 7:33 p.m., Tacoma police reported. The victim was shot in the hand and was being treated. No arrests were made. UPDATE: The man walked into a local hospital and reported the shooting, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. He said the shots were fired from a black four-door car. Members of the Tacoma police gang unit were working in the South End last night. They spotted a similar vehicle with four occupants inside about 15 minutes after the shooting. They stopped the car. Two of the occupants were immediately detained, Fulghum said. Two others ran. Of those, an officer chased and caught up to one. Officers found a stolen gun in the car. The three men, all convicted felons, were arrested and booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm. Tacoma police were continuing to investigate the shooting and whether the three were involved in the shooting. The second shooting was reported just after 9:30 p.m. Members of two rival gangs were exchanging "verbal volleys" in the 3500 block of Portland Avenue. At some point, the talk turned to gunfire. One of the suspects was hit. He was receiving treatment for minor injuries at Madigan Army Medical Center. A police dog responded to the scene to search for suspects but was found no one, Fulghum said.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 05:58:19 am
Tacoma firefighters are on the scene of a fully-involved blaze at the Firwood Tavern in Fife. Flames have consumed the building and firefighters are now battling it defensively. That's about all I know. One of our photographers is headed to the scene to see what he can see. I'll be out there in a little bit as well and will report back in. The smoke looks visible, from what KING 5 showed from one of its tower cams in the 5:30 a.m. news hour. Fife police report the tavern recently opened after being closed for a couple of months to do repairs after a health department inspection. I'll be chasing that next. UPDATE 2: I just got off the phone with a Tacoma fire dispatcher. He reported the fire is down to embers. Tacoma fire crews plan to remain on scene throughout the day to watch for flare ups and to be on hand for investigators. ATF agents and Fife police detectives plan to investigate. UPDATE 3: We did write a story at the end of last year when the Firwood was closed down. Read Ian's tale below. Thursday, May 15th, 2008
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 05:00:00 pm
Pierce County sheriff's deputies raided a suspected drug house across the street from Spanaway Junior High School on Thursday. Investigators arrested a 35-year-old man and 17-year-old boy who were living at the home in the 100 block of 157th Street East, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. The man was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of unlawful drug possession. The teen was booked into Remann Hall juvenile jail on similar charges, Troyer said. The department's school resource officers had received tips about the house. "We believe this house was being used by kids to party and do drugs before and after school," Troyer said. School resource officers and narcotics detectives investigated the information. They received a warrant to search the house and served it early Thursday. Investigators found some drugs inside the house. Detectives cataloged other possible evidence in the house.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 01:58:37 pm
Tacoma police have blocked off streets and called in the SWAT team at a house in the 3500 block of South M Street. The activity is part of a search for James D. Wamsley, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. Wamsley is wanted on a gun charge. He's also a person of interest in a recent homicide. UPDATE: Police have blocked off South L and South M streets between South 35th and 36th streets. Fulghum said officers and SWAT officers were still on the scene. They still have not confirmed that Wamsley is in the house. UPDATE 2: A reader sent in this photo of the scene for use on the blog. Thanks. Update 3: Police report no one was at the home. 
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 11:34:46 am
Tacoma firefighters were on the scene of a house fire this morning. The fire was reported just before 11 a.m. at a house in the 800 block of South Oakes Street, Tacoma fire spokesman Kevin O’Donnal said. He could not comment on whether any one was injured in the blaze. KIRO TV reported that a man was pulled from the burning house. The house fire was under control, O’Donnal said. One of our copy editors reports that KIRO's news helicopter is hovering overhead.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 10:00:00 am
I didn't get a chance yesterday to post more details about James D. Wamsley and the accusations made against him. Tacoma police detectives announced Wednesday they were searching for the 30-year-old Wamsley on a gun charge and as a person of interest in the Eric Nevils homicide. Nevils was fatally shot March 27 in a drug-related robbery in the 900 block of North Park Drive. Two men have been arrested in the case. Pierce County prosecutors charged Wamsley last week with one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Tacoma detectives were executing a search warrant May 8 at a home in the 3500 block of South M Street. A detective went into the garage and saw Wamsley, who immediately ran from the garage, got into a car and drove away at a high rate of speed. Wamsley crashed the car into two parked vehicles just south of the intersection of South 35th and South J streets. He then ran and got away, court documents state. Officers found a pistol in a holster on the front bench seat of the car. The passenger told police Wamsley had the holster on his waist earlier. Wamsley has previously been convicted of residential burglary and at least nine other felonies. A suspected meth lab was found at the house during last week's search warrant. As a side note, the service of this search warrant attracted some attention last week. And now we know exactly why. Lincoln High School went into a brief lockdown because of the search for Wamsley.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 09:57:43 am
I am still gathering some of the details but Tacoma firefighters responded to a business on the Tideflats this morning for a propane tank leak. The leak has been stopped and no injuries were reported, firefighters reported. Workers were filling a 1,000 gallon propane tank with propane when the filling hose failed, Tacoma Fire spokesman Kevin O'Donnal said. "It just broke," he said of the hose. The workers were evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. Firefighter went in and shut off the leak at the valve below the hose. Officials estimated that about 600 gallons of propane leaked out before the valve was shut off. Officials have gone through the building with their censors. "The air is all clear," O'Donnal said. "Everything is under control." Workers were returning to their duties. Again, no injuries were reported.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 09:39:05 am
Two people were stabbed repeatedly during a heated confrontation with a man in Upper Tacoma early Thursday, Tacoma police reported. The victims – a man and woman – were taken to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries, which were described as serious but not life threatening, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. Officers were searching for the suspect, who has been identified and is known to law enforcement, Fulghum added. The victims and suspect arrived in the area of the 1100 block of South I Street in two vehicles about 4:50 a.m. During a brief argument, the suspect stabbed the man several times, Fulghum said. The woman ran off. The suspect chased her down and stabbed her several times in front of Bates Technical College in Tacoma. The suspect got back into his car and fled the area, Fulghum said. The victims provided officers with information about the suspect. Detectives were investigating what the argument was about and the relationship between the victims and suspect. “It was not a random encounter,” Fulghum said. Investigators also were looking into why the victims and suspects were in the area. The victims do not live in that Upper Tacoma neighborhood where the crime happened, Fulghum said.
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 08:01:42 am
You might see some of this training exercise today if you're in the Commencement Bay area today.
According to Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum, participants will be doing vessel rescues and transferring of "patients" this morning. The helicopter exercises will be this afternoon. All the water activity will be in Commencement Bay near the Browns Point Lighthouse. Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
Posted by Ian Demsky @ 07:47:40 pm
Jeremy Bates, the Roy man recently charged with making threats against a State Patrol trooper -- and who was convicted last year of attempted stalking against officers of the Roy Police department -- has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is competent to stand trial, court records show. 
Posted by Ian Demsky @ 07:42:30 pm
(Photo courtesy of dbking.)
Categories: What was that?
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 03:24:06 pm
 Tacoma police detectives are searching for a 30-year-old man for unlawfully gun possession and in connection with a homicide earlier this year in the Old Town neighborhood. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of James D. Wamsley (pictured here). Pierce County prosecutors have charged Wamsley with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He's described as white, 6 feet 1 and 190 pounds. He has dark blonde hair, blue eyes and sometimes sports a goatee. He's known on the streets as "Long Haired Jimmy." He's a person of interest in the March 27 shooting death of Eric Nevils, a 30-year-old Parkland father and husband. Nevils was shot in what has described as a drug-related robbery. Two men have been arrested in the case. The level of Wamsley's involvement in the homicide was still unknown. “There’s some kind of involvement,” Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. “We are just not sure to what extent.” Investigators say he has an extensive criminal history and should be considered armed and dangerous. Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to Wamsley's arrest. Callers remain anonymous. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. 
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 02:11:25 pm
Tacoma police have arrested a second suspect in the March shooting death of a Parkland man in a quiet Old Town neighborhood. Investigators arrested the man about 5:30 a.m. today. He was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. He’s the second person to be arrested in the March 27 death of Eric Nevils. The 30-year-old husband and father was fatally shot about 8:30 p.m. in the 900 block of North Park Drive in what has been described as a drug-related robbery. Last month, Pierce County prosecutors charged John Arthur Richardson III with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a gun in connection with the homicide. He pleaded not guilty and remains at the jail in lieu of $1 million bail. According to court documents, Nevils and Richardson met so Nevils could buy cocaine from Richardson. Witnesses told police they saw Nevils get into Richardson’s car about 2 ½ hours before the shooting. Richardson has told investigators that Nevils tried to rob him and another man that night. A struggle broke out among the three and Nevils was fatally shot. The exact involvement of the man arrested Wednesday was not immediately released. Fulghum said investigators have been sorting through statements to determine who was involved in the shooting and how. Investigators have been searching for this man for a week. Detectives served a series of search warrants in the Nevils homicide last week. More arrests could be made in the case. The investigation was continuing.
Posted by Adam Lynn @ 11:00:51 am
Stacey wrote a comprehensive story a bit ago about the South Sound's battle against the scourge of graffiti. Apparently, the problem isn't relegated to Tacoma and environs. The city of Covington Police Department issued a news release today asking for the public's help in cracking down on the problem in the central King County town. Here's the full version of the release:
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 10:00:00 am
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor has announced that he's reconfiguring the top of his command staff. He is creating the position of undersheriff, who will be the No. 2 person in the Sheriff's Department. He's appointed Eileen Bisson to that new post. For the reconfiguration, Pastor took one of the his three bureau chiefs (Bisson) and promoted her. So instead of three bureau chiefs, he'll have two bureau chiefs and an undersheriff. Pastor sent out this announcement to Sheriff's Department folks Tuesday. Look for a story in the coming days in the News Tribune about the move and the budget implications.
:: Next Page >>
|
Lights & Sirens
This blog will provide breaking news, updates on on-going investigations and insights into other news from the local criminal justice community. It will also give The News Tribune another avenue to interact with readers, answer “What was that?” questions and provide a venue for readers to ask about on-going criminal justice issues and problems in their neighborhoods. The blog aims to inform, educate and, at times, entertain with weird or wacky crime news. The Lineup
Stacey Mulick covers Pierce County crime and safety issues for The News Tribune. She’s been the crime reporter since May 2000 and been a reporter at the paper for more than seven years. Her first taste of Tacoma’s rich crime life was the Trang Dai massacre on July 5, 1998. Since, she’s reported on a slew of crimes, from scams targeting seniors to serial rapists to high-profile homicides. Contact her at stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com. Adam Lynn covers courts as part of the Crime and Breaking News Team at The News Tribune, where he’s worked since 2003. Lynn spent nearly half of his 20-year career chronicling criminal justice matters in Washington and won reporting awards for his coverage of serial killer Robert Yates. “The Corpse Had a Familiar Face” by renowned Miami Herald reporter Edna Buchanan is among his favorite books. You can contact him at adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com. Ian Demsky covers criminal justice as part of the Crime and Breaking News Team at The News Tribune, where he’s worked since 2007. Before coming to the TNT, Demsky worked at newspapers in Florida, New York, Missouri, Tennessee and Oregon. Outside work, he reads science fiction and hikes. You can contact him at ian.demsky@thenewstribune.com. Local crime links
• Tacoma Police Department• Pierce County Sheriff's Department • Pierce County Superior Court • Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers • Tacoma Fire Department • King County Sheriff's Office • Washington State Patrol • Seattle Police Department • Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs • National Center for Missing & Exploited Children • Safe Streets • The South Tacoma Way Category
Calendar
Archives
 XML FeedsWhat is RSS? Misc
Who's Online?
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Contact Us | About Us | Site Map | Jobs@The TNT | RSS 1950 South State Street, Tacoma, Washington 98405 253-597-8742 © Copyright Tacoma News, Inc. A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company  |
