Lights & Sirens reader Jacob R. inquired this week:

I am curious,

Could you post an update on the blog for Tacoma’s 2007 Murder count?

If possible could you find out Seattle’s 2007 count? It seems like they have had a lot this year.

Jacob, I can answer part of your question.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said Friday there have been eight homicides in the city so far this year. All but one are solved, Fulghum said.

The number of killings is tracking below last year's pace, according to this story written by Stacey before she flew the coop on leave.

I didn't get a chance to call Seattle PD today for its numbers. I'll try next week if I remember.

News from my town! Again, not good.

A federal judge sentenced a Kent woman Friday to five months behind bars followed by five months of home detention for her role in a marijuana distribution ring.

Trinh Tuyet Vu, 37, was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. Vu, 37, was picked up with 28 other people in a multi-agency operation spanning Pierce and King counties called "This Bud's Pho You." Agents dubbed the sting that because some of the drug trafficking was run out of a Vietnamese restaurant serving that tasty noodle soup called Pho.

As part of a plea deal, Vu admitted depositing drug proceeds into a bank. She had more than $35,000 in cash in her possession when she was arrested last year, federal agents said.

Her attorney, Mark Mestel, requested Friday that his client be allowed to serve her entire sentence at home because she acted as little more than a courier for the traffickers.

U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez declined, saying Vu enjoyed the fruits of the criminal enterprise – she was driving a 2003 BMW at the time of her arrest – and needed to be punished, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

No court today for Harold Wright Jr., the Tacoma middle school principal charged with rape.

In fact, no court until July 9 for Wright, as Judge Lisa Worswick's court is at recess next week.

To tide you over, I've assembled here links to the 10 blog posts and four stories I've written on the case so far.

Here you go:

Post one.

Post two.

Post three.

Post four.

Post five.

Post six.

Post seven.

Post eight.

Post nine.

Post 10.

Story one.

Story two.

Story three.

Story four.

Harold Wright Jr. finished testifying on his own behalf Thursday in his second-degree rape trial.

His co-defendant, Richy Carter, took the stand just before lunch and still was under cross-examination when court recessed Thursday afternoon.

The trial is on hiatus next week and will resume July 9. I think Judge Lisa Worswick isn't available next week.

Carter is expected to be the last defense witness.

Prosecutors say they may call two rebuttal witnesses – one of them likely to contradict Wright's testimony Wednesday that he didn't smoke pot the morning of the alleged rape – before the trial goes to closing arguments.

Check the home page later tonight or tomorrow morning for a story on Thursday's testimony.

Tomorrow, I'll try to get together a post that strings all my reports together to give a more complete picture of what's go on so far.

15-year-old Tramayne D. Bryson returned home at 7 o'clock tonight after he heard the Federal Way police were out looking for him.

Bryson's mom reported him missing Tuesday. He hadn't been seen since Sunday.

Federal Way police say Bryson, who has a heart pacemaker and takes daily medication, appears healthy and unharmed.

Looks like we missed this crash Tuesday.

Bonney Lake police chief Mike Mitchell gave me this account:

About 2:30 p.m. Tuesday a vehicle crossed over the center line, striking a motorcyclist on Highway 410 at 229th Avenue East. The vehicle's driver was either distracted or fell asleep.

Two other vehicles hit the wreck.

Three or four people were treated for injuries. The motorcyclist suffered the greatest injury of all of them. Mitchell didn't know his condition today.

Police shut down 410 for an hour following the crash to investigate.

Wednesday ended with Harold Wright Jr. on the stand being cross-examined by deputy prosecutor Lori Kooiman.

During questioning from his own attorney, Wayne Fricke, Wright denied sexually assaulting the alleged victim in the case or having any sexual contact with her at all. In fact, he said, he would have intervened had he thought the woman was being forced to something against her will.

Kooiman launched a bit of a bombshell when she got her chance to question the Baker Middle School principal. Barely into her cross, she pointedly asked Wright if he had been smoking marijuana on the porch that night. Wright, appearing taken aback, said no.

Check the home page later tonight for my account of Wright's testimony.

Also Wednesday, defense witness Jerry McClurkin Jr. was cross-examined by deputy prosecutor Kevin McCann.

It was at McClurkin's townhouse that the alleged rape occurred.

McCann elicited testimony from McClurkin about his friendships with the other three men and asked if McClurkin "would have their back if they ever need it?"

"Sure," McClurkin said.

McCann then pressed in on McClurkin's early testimony about how he'd been making out with the alleged victim Jan. 31 when Richy Carter came into the room and basically moved in.

"Your friend Richy comes in and just takes over for you?" McCann said. "Didn't it bother you?"

McClurkin said he was "mildly disappointed."

"It wasn't because of Richy," he said. "It was because of her."

McCann moved on to McClurkin's memory of events.

McClurkin testifed on the stand that when he went downstairs after being interrupted by Carter he saw Wright in the downstairs portion of the townhouse.

McCann pointed out that during an interview with defense attorneys five days ago, McClurkin was much more specific about where he saw Wright: on the back porch.

Why the change, the prosecutor asked.

McClurkin said he was only comfortable saying "downstairs" on Wednesday.

McCann also spent time trying to get McClurkin to say he and his friends were out that night looking to pick up women.

McClurkin wouldn't bite. He said the men just went out that night to socialize and that the decision to invite the young women back to his place was spontaneous.

There was more, but that's all I've got time to blog tonight. See posts below for previous reports on this trial.

Prosecutors got their crack at Daryl Wright after lunch.

Deputy prosecutor Lori Kooiman pointed out at least three cases where his testimony on the stand contradicted statements he'd given investigators from the Bethel School District back in 2004 when it investigated the alleged rape. Wright worked for the district at the time as an administrative intern.

One concerned what he was drinking that night. Daryl Wright told school investigators he'd been drinking beer late on Jan. 30 and in the early-morning hours of Jan. 31. He said on the stand Tuesday he'd drunk rum-and-Coke.

Another concerned whether he'd gotten out of the car when the group stopped for beer at a gas station on their way from the Puyallup bar where they met to the townhouse where the alleged rape occurred.

Daryl Wright told school investigators he'd remained in his car during that stop. On the stand Tuesday, he said he'd gotten out and gone in to the station, possibly to buy condoms.

The third contradiction pointed out by Kooiman concerned whether Daryl Wright saw his brother, Harold Wright Jr., on the ground floor of the townhouse in the minutes after Daryl said he and Stefanie Fincham had sex.

He told the school district he hadn't seen his brother then. He said otherwise on the stand Tuesday.

When pressed by Kooiman on the discrepancies, Daryl Wright testified Tuesday that he remembers more about the event now than he did when he gave his statement to school district investigators three years ago.

Defense attorney Rob Freeby then called Jerry McClurkin to the stand.

=> Read more!

After 5-1/2 days of calling witnesses, Pierce County prosecutors finished presenting their case against Baker Middle School principal Harold Wright Jr. on Tuesday morning.

The defense began about 11 a.m. with Wright's attorney, Wayne Fricke, asking Superior Court Judge Lisa Worswick to dismiss the second-degree rape charge against his client. Fricke said there was no evidence that Wright had sexual intercourse with the victim, who was 19 at the time, and only dubious evidence that he was in the room when she alleges she was raped.

Worswick declined, however. The judge said she felt there was enough evidence – including DNA that could have come from Wright that was found on the alleged victim's body – for the jury to continue considering the charge.

Fricke then called Wright's brother, Daryl Wright, as his first witness.

Daryl Wright testified about his recollection of the events of Jan. 30-31, 2004.

He spent much of his testimony talking about his attraction to the alleged victim's friend, Stefanie Fincham, how they hit it off that night and later engaged in consensual sex in an upstairs bedroom.

Fincham testified last week that Daryl Wright, who works as an assistant principal at a Tukwila high school, was hitting on her that night but that she didn't have sex with him.

Daryl Wright also testified that he saw the alleged victim dancing around the townhouse that evening without her shirt.

"(She) kind of took the lead and started dancing provocatively," he said.

Under questioning from Robert Freeby, who represents Harold Wright's co-defendant, Richy Carter, Daryl Wright said he saw the victim's friends looking at her at the time.

Freeby asked if Daryl Wright had an opinion about what those looks conveyed.

Deputy prosecutor Lori Kooiman objected to the question, saying it called for Daryl Wright to speculate about what the women were thinking. Worswick allowed him to answer.

"It was defintely disapproval," he said.

The trial then broke for lunch. Daryl Wright faces cross-examination this afternoon.

See posts below for previous reports on the trial.

Lights & Sirens sends out another salute, this one to Judge Betty Binns Fletcher of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Fletcher has received the King County Bar Association's William L. Dwyer Outstanding Jurist Award.

The Tacoma native was honored Thursday at the association's annual banquet in Seattle. Fletcher is a senior circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The award recognizes outstanding service by a judge whose jurisdiction includes King County. The Ninth Circuit includes Washington and other western states.

Fletcher was nominated to the Ninth Circuit bench by President Carter and confirmed in 1979. She was an active judge for nearly 20 years before accepting senior status. She continues to hear cases.

She made her mark writing opinions on questions of civil rights, women's rights, free speech, legal ethics and other issues, according to a news release issued by the bar association.

"In connection with core values, I have know that Betty would always be there," Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Mary M. Schroeder said in presenting the award to Fletcher. "She always has been, and so far as I can tell, will probably be there forever."

I wasn't able to get to Harold Wright Jr. trial today, but I saw his attorney at lunchtime and got a quick briefing on where things stand.

Defense attorney Wayne Fricke said deputy prosecutors Lori Kooiman and Kevin McCann continued to put on their case, calling among other witnesses a trauma nurse who examined the woman who's accused Wright and a friend of raping her.

Kooiman and McCann could rest their case as early as today, Fricke said.

Then it will be the defense's turn, which means Wright or co-defendant Richy Carter could be on the stand as early as Tuesday afternoon to tell their side of things.

Past posts on the trial below.

Bumped into Gary Shilley at the courthouse today.

I barely recognized him in his civilian clothes. Shilley (seen here) said he was there to tie up a few loose ends from the attempted murder trial of Tremayne Reed.

The careful reader will recall that Reed was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison earlier this month for shooting Shilley in the face outside the South Hill Mall in March 2006.

The attacked nearly killed the veteran officer, and three weeks ago Shilley still had not returned to duty.

That's changed.

He said Monday he's back on patrol. "Day shift, unfortunately," Shilley said.

Whichever shift, Lights & Sirens says welcome back.

The man charged with killing an elderly Tacoma woman six years ago may find out Wednesday if prosecutors will pursue the death penalty against him.

Joseph Anthony Neal, 32, is charged with the state's highest crime – aggravated first-degree murder – in the May 2001 slaying of Elizabeth Crawford.

Authorities contend Neal raped, beat and strangled the 76-year-old Crawford in her I Street home. Detectives theorized that Neal, who once did yard work for Crawford, intended to rob her.

Prosecutors notified Neal at his arraignment last month that they might seek the death penalty against him. That gave them 30 days to make a decision. On June 13, they were granted a time extenstion by Superior Court Judge Lisa Worswick.

The extension runs out Wednesday.

Neal has pleaded not guilty in Crawford's death.

Friends and family will gather at 2 p.m. Sunday to remember Beverley Ann Steward-Hill, who died in a suspicious fire a year ago.

Associated Ministries also will hold a blessing ceremony at the site of the fire, which occurred at the Castellan West apartments, 2625 Cascade Place W. in University Place.

The cause of the fire was never determined.

Steward-Hill's relatives have been passing out flyers seeking information about the fire and also have set up a MySpace page about the case.

Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County also is publicizing the case.

A Lights & Sirens salute goes out to Pierce County Superior Court administrator Andra Motyka, who has been selcted to receive the Award of Merit from the National Association of Court Managers.

That means she's been judged the best court administrator in the country. She's scheduled to receive the hardware next month in Chicago.
The county's Superior Court judges nominated Motyka for the honor.

Presiding judge Thomas P. Larkin praised Motyka, who's been with the county since 1995, for her leadership skills and progressive thinking on technology as member of the Pierce County Trial Court Coordination Council.

"The first project the council assumed was the brainchild of Andra: the creation of public court calendar monitors, much like one sees at an airport, in our courthouse," Larkin said in a news release issued by the county.

The monitors show what's happening in each courtroom that day and help people find where they need to go.

The complete text of the county's announcement of Motyka's award follows:

=> Read more!

The woman who has accused a Tacoma middle school principal and another man of raping her back in 2004 spent much of the morning being cross-examined by the men's defense attorneys.

The woman, who was 19 when she claimed the men attacked her in a Puyallup townhouse, testified that she couldn't remember many details of that night, including who was in the room with her when she was raped and who attacked her.

At one point, defense attorney Robert Freeby pressed her about whether she screamed for help that night or tried to pull away when she claims some of the men pulled or pushed her into an upstairs bedroom.

"Did you turn around and shout, 'What the hell's going on?'" Freeby asked.

"No, I didn't," the woman said.

He pressed further, asking if she screamed for help when someone tried to open the door to the bedroom from the outside during the alleged rape.

"No," the woman said. "It could have been one of those guys. They wouldn't have helped me."

During testimony Thursday morning under questioning from deputy prosecutor Lori Kooiman, the woman reiterated that she did not consent to sex that night and told whoever allegedly raped her that night to stop.

"I just remember saying, 'stop,'" the woman said. "It wasn't consensual."

She also described the indignity of undergoing a sexual-assault exam later that day and how she felt ashamed about what she said happened to her in the townhouse that night.

"In a way, it was my fault for going there and trusting them," the woman said through tears. "If I hadn't gone there, it wouldn't have happened."

She broke down several times during her testimony Thursday, saying at least twice that she was upset because she could not remember more details.

"That's one thing that's really frustrating. I don't remember everything from that night," the woman said.

She will be back on the stand in about 20 minutes, so I have to go back to court.

Look for a wrap-up of her two days on the stand in Friday's print edition and on-line at thenewstribune.com.

No need to call and tell us about smoke in the sky and fire fighters surrounding the Kingdom Inn in Fife, dear readers. Fire crews are burning down the hotel on East Pacific Highway to make way for a neighboring business to expand.

Reporter Steve Maynard is on the scene. He will file a story later today on the burning.

In the meantime, busy yourselves with Adam Lynn's story on the ol' Kingdom. It includes this choice quote: "I've lived in some bad places before, but I have never seen anything like this before," one police informant told officers. "This is crazy."

The woman who has accused a Tacoma middle school principal and another man of raping her back in 2004 began testifying in Pierce County Superior Court on Wednesday.

The woman, now 23, spent about 1 hour, 50 minutes, on the stand during Day 3 of Harold Wright Jr.'s second-degree rape trial.

I'm not reporting her name, per The News Tribune's policy of withholding the identities of people who claim they were sexually assaulted.

Deputy prosecutor Lori Kooiman questioned the woman, who was 19 at the time of the alleged rape, about what happened in the hours preceding the Jan. 31 incident.

The woman described drinking a couple of beers at a party before sneaking into a Puyallup bar, where Wright, his brother and two friends were having drinks.

She then testified about how she and two of her friends followed Wright and his group, including co-defendant Richy Carter, to a townhouse owned by Jerry McClurkin Jr., another friend of Wright's. The woman said she knew Carter and McClurkin from her neighborhood and Wright from Spanaway Lake High School, where she had been a student while he served as dean of students before taking over as principal at Tacoma's Baker Middle School.

"I trusted them," she said.

The woman said she drank two or three shots of liquor at McClurkin's house and may have drunk some beer as well.

At one point, she said, she was pushed or pulled into an upstairs bedroom and attacked.

Someone held her down while someone else raped her, she said through sobs.

"Somebody was on top of me. It stopped and then started again," she said. "It felt like forever."

The woman said she didn't know who exactly was holding her down or who raped her – it was too dark to see in the room, she said – but she was adamant that she didn't consent to having sex with anyone and said, "stop, this isn't right," at least once.

Kooiman asked her if she screamed.

"No," the woman replied.

"Why weren't you screaming when your clothes were being taken off?" the deputy prosecutor asked.

"I don't know," the woman replied. "I was scared."

The woman testified that at some point she was allowed to get up.

She said she began putting on her clothes and trying to get out of the room. When she got to the door, she ran into a man she contends was Wright. She could tell it was him, she said, because the man was wearing a leather jacket and Wright was the only one wearing a leather jacket that night.

The woman testified the man groped her and said, "Come on. More, more."

Wright and Carter both have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Their lawyers contend the woman had consensual sex with Carter that night and that Wright, while exercising bad judgement by partying with former students, did nothing illegal.

The woman is scheduled to be back on the stand Thursday morning, and the men's attorneys should get a chance to cross-examine her before the day is through.

I'm planning to write a wrap-up of the woman's complete testimony for Friday's paper.

Also Wednesday, prosecution witness Stefanie Fincham completed her testimony.

=> Read more!

Day 2 in the Harold Wright Jr. trial saw one prosecution witness cross-examed by the defense and another take the stand to begin answering questions from prosecutors.

Jamie Whittaker, the first witness called in the case, continued testifying Tuesday about what she heard and saw.

Whittaker recalled that at one point the alleged victim – 19 at the time – came downstairs in the townhouse where they were partying and told her friends they had to go immediately.

"She said she'd been raped," Whittaker said under continued questioning from deputy prosecutor Kevin McCann. "She was screaming, 'They raped me. They raped me.' I remember her pants were inside-out."

Attorney Robert Freeby, who represents Wright's co-defendant, Richy Carter, then cross-examined Whittaker.

Freeby, employing an avuncular manner, got Whittaker to talk about smoking marijuana that night. He pointed out that Whittaker had lied about that on at least two previous occasions, including during interviews with defense attorneys earlier this year.

"You lied to us as you had lied to the police officers?" Freeby asked.

Whittaker admitted that she had.

She also testified under questioning from Freeby that the alleged victim traveled upstairs (where the bedrooms are) and downstairs several times that night without incident.

"Did she ever say she was in trouble? Did she ever ask for help?" he said.

Whittaker said no.

Then it was Stefanie Fincham's turn on the stand.

=> Read more!

Gretchen Leanderson will be the new chief at the Tacoma Division of the state Attorney General's Office.

AG big kahuna Rob McKenna made the announcement Tuesday.

Leanderson, a 16-year veteran of the AG's office, replaces Linda Moran, will head up another division.

Prosecutors are scheduled to deliver opening statements at 1:30 p.m. Monday in the case of Harold Wright Jr., the Tacoma middle school principal accused of rape.

A jury was seated to hear the case at 11:30 a.m. Monday.

Wright and another man, Richy D. Carter, are charged with second-degree rape for allegedly assaulting a woman at an after-hours party a few years ago. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors dismissed a rape charge Monday against Jerry McClurkin, another man involved in the case. McClurkin's attorney, Barbara Corey, said there was insufficient evidence against her client.

Wright has been on paid leave from his job at Baker Middle School since his arrest last year.

Watch the home page for an update this afternoon.

An Auburn couple is temporarily homeless after fire destroyed their workshop and damaged their home Friday.

The blaze broke out about 5:35 p.m. on Pike Street Southeast, said Kimberly McDonald, spokeswoman for the Valley Regional Fire Authority. It quickly engulfed the workshop and a nearby shed before jumping to the house, she said.

The man who lives at the home tried to extinguish the blaze, burning his hand in the process, McDonald reported.

A large column of black smoke rose high in the air before fire crews, including one from my town of Kent, got the flames under control.

Inspectors were looking for the cause.

Defense attorney Zenon Olbertz and deputy prosecutor Ed Murphy are scheduled to deliver closing arguments Thursday in the insanity trial of Ki Ho Lee.

Lee, 27, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Christmas 2005 shooting deaths of his parents. He's pleaded not guilty.

Olbertz has asked Pierce County Superior Court Judge Sergio Armijo to find Lee not guilty by reason of insanity. The judge has been taking testimony for most of the week.

Two psychiatrists hired by the defense testified Monday that they believe Lee was insane at the time of the killings.

On Wednesday, a Western State Hospital psychologist called by prosecutors disputed that contention. Ray Hendrickson, who spent about six hours examining Lee during an involuntary commitment, agreed that Lee suffers chronic paranoid schizophrenia.

But Hendrickson said he believes Lee knew what he was doing when he killed his parents and was able to determine right from wrong at the time.

If Armijo finds Lee was insane, the judge can have the Spanaway man involuntarily committed to Western State Hospital for the rest of his life. If Armijo rules the other way, Lee will stand trial like any other defendant. If convicted as charged, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison.

I plan to cover the closing arguments and Armijo's ruling when it comes. Check the home page for updates.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are picking jurors to hear the rape case of Baker Middle School principal Harold Wright Jr.

Wright is charged with one count of second-degree rape.

He and two other men are accused of attacking a 19-year-old woman at an after-hours party on Jan. 31, 2004.

Authorities say DNA evidence found on the woman matches Wright's DNA profile, with a 1-in-17,000 chance that the DNA was left by someone else. The match wasn't made until recently because of backlogs at the Washington State Patrol crime laboratory.

Wright has pleaded not guilty.

He's on administrative leave from his job, pending the outcome of the case.

Opening statements could come later this week.

Man, I really dropped the ball on this one.

A Tacoma jury has found Louis T. Stanback Jr. not guilty of murdering his stepson in Arpil 2006.

The verdict came down June 1.

Stanback, 54, had been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Robert Luea, 21.

The affidavit of probable cause filed at the time of Stanback's arrest indicates he and Luea had argued the evening of Arpil 6. Stanback told police he pulled out a pistol to scare the younger man, and it accidentally went off during a struggle.

The jury apparently believed him.

Superior Court Judge Kathryn Nelson signed an order releasing Stanback from jail immediately after the verdict was announced.

Sorry this is so late. I was in court all day Monday and didn't get to this until today.

Lights & Sirens reader Jodi inquired:

Quick question - while driving home (Sunday) at about 8 PM I noticed a lot
of smoke in the area off South 84th Street between Tacoma Mall Blvd and
South Tacoma Way. Can you find out where/what that fire was? It seemed
like a lot of smoke to be non-inquisitive about!

Lakewood fire inspector Michael Dobbs told L&S today that a house burned on 83rd Street South. Blaze started in the kitchen and pretty much destroyed the house. The homeowner was slightly injured trying to extinguish the fire, which has been ruled accidental.

So there you go.

In an effort to boost safety awareness, the Lakewood Police Department will hold a motorcycle rally and ride June 23.

The event will coincide with the city's Summerfest celebration.

Riders should show up at City Hall, 6000 Main Street S.W., about 8 a.m. to register. There will be prizes, refreshments and information on motorcycle safety.

At 11 a.m., L'wood PD motorcycle officers will lead groups of riders on a tour of the Tacoma waterfront and selected sites in Pierce County. The ride will end at Fort Steilacoom Park right about 12:30 p.m. when Summerfest is scheduled to begin.

Information: 253-830-5000.

Terisha Marie Ann Schodron is off to prison for her role in the death of Joshua May.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Rosanne Buckner sentenced the 21-year-old woman to 41 months Friday. Schodron pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery in the June 2003 death of May, 17.

Detectives said she acted as a look-out while three men went into a South Hill home to rob the occupants. May, a guest in the house, was shot to death after he reached for an inhaler to sooth an asthma attack.

Two of the robbers are serving long prison terms.

The third, Antwonn Demetries Washington, is set to be sentenced June 22.

Don't be alarmed by all the lights and sirens at Puyallup's South Hill Mall today and Sunday.

The hubbub is part of the "Pile Up in Puyallup," a training program and competition sponsored by the Puyallup FD.

Firefighters from across the region will practice extricating victims from cars smashed in simulated wrecks. The fastest crew will represent the region in up-coming national competitions.

Fire trucks also will be on display, and a team from Mary Bridge Children's Hospital will inspect kids' car safety seats for free.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, although the car seat checks will be Saturday only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A fire sparked by an unattended candle caused a stir at the Sanford & Son building downtown, fire officials reported Friday.

The blaze broke out about 1:07 p.m. after the taper burning in part of the building ignited some furniture. Luckily, the flames melted a plastic water line running through the ceiling. The pipe burst, and the spewing water helped douse the fire, witnesses told TNT photographer Peter Haley, who was dispatched to the scene to snap some frames.

Citing federal privacy laws, fire department spokesman Kevin O'Donnal declined to say if anyone was hurt. But the bloggers over at Spew say at least one person suffered from smoke inhalation.

O'Donnal estimated damage at $1,000 to the building and $2,000 to the contents.

Safe Streets and the Pacific Avenue Business District organization will hold a pep rally Saturday to kick off their efforts to clean up a 10-block stretch of PacAve.

The event will be held in the parking lot of the Garlic Grocery at 56th and Pacific beginning at 10 a.m.

Ribbons will be cut. Flowers will be planted. Speeches will be made.

The two groups are embarking on a project to beautify the area between 56th and 46th with large planters filled with flowers. They also hope to install a lighted crosswalk at some point.

The area has seen problems with prostitution and gang activity.

"I'm excited to see citizens come out and lead this project," said Darren Pen, community mobilization specialist with Safe Streets. "They are cleaning up this area, and at the same time helping it become a better place to do business."

Lights & Sirens reader Rick dropped me a line to ask about the status of the investigation into a recent assault that left one of his co-workers hospitalized.

The victim, a 59-year-old woman and Pierce Transit bus driver, was attacked in her Tacoma home last Thursday and badly beaten.

I asked Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum for an update this morning. Fulghum said detectives have few leads at this point. "Not much to go on" were his exact words, I believe.

L&S will continue to inquire.

The inaugural Fists 'N Cuffs charity boxing event has come and gone.

Cops from 10 law enforcement agencies gathered at the Emerald Queen Casino to beat up on each other for charity Saturday night. The participating agencies: Tacoma Police Department, King County Sheriff's Office, King County Corrections Department, Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Pierce County Corrections Department, Seattle Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Milton Police Department, Lacey Police Department adn the Puyallup Tribal Police Department.

There were no knockouts, but three of the matches ended in TKOs, according to a news release issued Thursday. No serious injuries were reported.

The event raised more than $30,000 for several children's charities, including Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, Shop with a Cop and the Law Enforcement Youth Camp.

Three years ago a sailboater received a nasty shock after his vessel's mast contacted some power lines strung over the Sound near the Purdy bridge.

Scott Alprin sued the city of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities after the incident, which also badly damaged his boat, The Wizard. Alprin claimed the city and TPU didn't do enough to warn boaters about the lines.

Pierce County judge Kathryn Nelson rejected Alprin's claim for damages, so he appealed.

On Tuesday, a state appeals court upheld Nelson's ruling. The three-judge panel said Alprin should have noted the location of the lines on a nautical chart.

Click here to review the full opinion.

This tidbit comes to us from TNT reporter Debby Abe, who's helping out the Light & Sirens' staff today in the continued absence of Ms. Mulick.

Lakewood police are on the lookout for a 24-year-old man they say armed himself with a homemade spear and tried to rob an espresso stand.

The attempted robbery occurred last Thursday afternoon at K.D. Espresso on Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest.

L'wood police Lt. Dave Guttu said the would-be robber walked up to the coffee hut carrying a spear fashioned from a serrated butcher knife and a 3-foot-long pole normally used for hanging clothes in a closet.

The bandit grabbed the young barista and demanded money.

The barista's dad showed up as the attempted robbery was in progress and the fight was on, Guttu said.

Dad grabbed the spear wielder, and the two tussled for a bit before the bandit tore free, attempted to stab dad with the spear then took off running.

Father and son sustained some minor injuries.

Authorities locked down nearby Custer Elementary School while they searched for the suspect, who got away.

Guttu said police think they know who the guy with the spear is and are searching for him, although no warrant has been issued for his arrest at this point. L&S is withholding his name until he's charged, per TNT policy.

A quick review of the court records shows the guy has numerous felony arrests and convictions, the last in 2005 when he was sentenced to a little over a year in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting a corrections officer at the Pierce County Jail.

Oh, and here's surprise: The guy apparently has a drug problem.

The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the death penalty for a King County man convicted of raping and murdering a woman near Sea-Tac Airport more than 15 years ago.

We've posted a story about the case of Cal Brown on the home page, but here's the link to the full decision should you want to read more.

Loyal readers,

Lights & Sirens, your friendly (after we've had our coffee) South Sound crime blog, received an honorable mention in the 2007 journalism contest sponsored by the Western Washington pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Best Web Log (general news and commentary)

1. D.F. Oliveria, Spokesmanreview.com, “Huckleberries online”
2. Angelo Bruscas, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Seattle@Nite”
3. Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, “The Trail”
HM. Steven Gardner, KitsapSun.com, “The Bremerton beat”
HM. Stacey Mulick, Adam Lynn, thenewstribune.com, “Lights and sirens”

And to think we barely know what we're doing! Anyhow, we're pleased as punch and want to thank you for helping us make it happen.

So: Thanks.

P.S. Our good friend, Ed Murrieta, received a honorable mention in the "Web log specialized" category for his blog, "Ed's Diner."

This came into the Lights & Sirens' inbox last week:

Hi - there was a dead person found about 2 weeks ago under the Hwy 16 overpass at 12th street south. I have been watching the lights and sirens and haven't seen a thing about it. Any news?Thanks, G.

Well, G, here's an update that was published over the weekend.

At least three things on the docket today that will generate stories.

Convicted cop shooter Tremayne Reed is scheduled for sentencing. A jury convicted him of shooting Puyallup police officer Gary Shilley during a stop at the South Hill Mall last year.

Verrick Yarbrough is scheduled to be sentenced. Yarbrough was convicted of murder in the gang-related shooting death of Rhaczio Simms downtown last summer.

Judge Lisa Worswick is scheduled to hear arguments on a request by Pierce County prosecutors to hold a single trial before two juries in a 1998 murder case.

Stay tuned to the home page for updates.