Our reporter, Ian Demsky, reports that an convoy of Stryker combat vehicles left the Port of Tacoma at about 9:45, presumably headed for Fort Lewis.

In the meantime, about 40 anti-war protesters were marching up Portland Avenue, perhaps headed toward the site where a military cargo ship was docked, offloading Strykers and other vehicles returned from the Iraq war zone.

Ian said there had been no arrests or incidents. He'll continue to monitor the situation.

UPDATE: At 11:30, Ian Demsky called to report the situation at the port mostly quiet. About three dozen anti-war demonstrators remained, occasionally chanting and taking photographs as a phalanx of Tacoma police officers stood by. At about 11:35, another convoy of military vehicles left the site. Protesters attempted to head the vehicles off, but could not get tot he location in time, Ian reported.

A man was killed minutes ago when he allegedly jumped in front of a car in the 3200 block of Pacific Avenue, Tacoma police reported.

This happened about 3:40 p.m., spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Officers were responding to the scene. Expect road blocks and traffic delays through the area as traffic officers investigate.

Peninsula-based sheriff's deputies are asking the public's help in finding the people who broke into a car at the Gig Harbor Athletic Club and stole a briefcase containing personal and financial documents.

The theft occurred Sunday about 3:30 p.m. A bystander witnessed the incident and provided deputies with descriptions, the Sheriff's Department's Peninsula detachment reported Wednesday.

One suspect was described a man with a darker complexion. He was wearing a backward baseball hat. The second suspect, who was seen stealing the briefcase, was described as a light-skinned man, 5 feet 9 and 200 pounds, with a stocky build, deputies reported. He was wearing a white T-shirt, baggy shorts and a baseball hat.

They were seen leaving the Athletic Club in a white, full-size Chevrolet pickup with a large Chevrolet 'bowtie' decal in the rear window. The truck was headed toward Highway 16.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Peninsula Detachment at 253-798-4940.

Tacoma police have identified a man suspected of robbing a Bank of America branch earlier this month.

Now, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Stefano Andolini, who also goes by Jerald Helsel, on suspicion of first-degree robbery.

Investigators believe the 45-year-old Andolini (pictured here) robbed the bank branch in the 3400 block of South 23rd Street about 3:30 p.m. July 17.

He walked into the bank and handed a teller a robbery note that demanded cash. He grabbed the cash in his hands and ran out of the bank, police reported.

Andolini is described as white and 6 feet tall with a medium build. He is bald and has a thick mustache.

Investigators say he has an extensive criminal background and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to Andolini's capture. Callers may remain anonymous.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Yesterday, a small contingent of Tacoma police officials honored one of their own - slain officer Minor Cudihee, who was killed in the line of duty July 30, 1892 - with a ceremony at his grave site in Michigan.

I wrote a story about Minor's death and the search for his grave that ran in yesterday's paper. Find that here.

The television station WILX covered the memorial service in Jackson, Mich. You can find their story and video of the event here.

The Tacoma Police Department reported this morning that Kayla Moody has been found and is OK.

She returned on her own, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. She was interviewed by a detective about what happened.

Fulghum said the 17-year-old girl was a willing participant in the events that transpired.

The King County Sheriff's Office will show off it's new Guardian One aircraft today at a press conference.

The new aircraft is a Bell 407. It was built in Canada and outfitted for police duties in Tennessee. A federal Department of Homeland Security grant of $3.4 million paid for the new aircraft, the Sheriff's Office reported.

The helicopter will be used in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties to fight crime, search for missing persons and be an asset in natural disasters or a terrorist incident. The office also has air contracts with the state Department of Ecology, Coast Guard and the King County Department of Natural Resources.

The Sheriff's Office's other helicopters are 1970s era and are becoming increasingly more expensive to keep in the air.

The new helicopter will be the primary aircraft used for police work. A UH-1N Huey will be used for rescues, the Sheriff's Office reported.

Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor and Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick are scheduled to attend today's press conference.

I didn't get up to Seattle today for Day 4 of Barbara Corey v. Pierce County.

However, I heard Corey's team of lawyers called deputy prosecutor Kit Proctor to the stand as well as former Idaho attorney general Larry Echohawk.

Proctor is friends with Corey and was expected to testify about her interactions with the plaintiff in the hours and weeks after she was forced to resign – then was fired – following an unpopular personnel move in the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Echohawk, now a law professor in Utah, was expected to testify that Prosecutor Gerald Horne handled Corey's departure from the office inappropriately.

I'll try to post updates periodically. I probably won't get back up to Seattle until Corey takes the stand.

Pierce County prosecutors today filed a second-degree murder charge against a man suspected of killing his girlfriend's 1-year-old daughter last week.

Steven Andre Dwight Kendall, 23, is to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. today.

Prosecutors allege in charging documents that Kendall killed Aaliyah Kahalewai on Friday at her mother's Parkland apartment. He was taking care of the girl while her mother worked, the documents state.

A motive was not given.

Kendall told investigators the girl sustained a number of falls during the day and that at one point he accidentally banged her head against a wall as he turned while holding her.

An autopsy showed Aaliyah suffered "a massive blow" to her abdomen and "complex fractures of her skull" which were not consistent with injuries sustained during short falls, the charging papers state.

Kendall also told detectives the girl was injured when a bookcase fell on her, but they found no evidence the piece of furniture recently was disturbed, the documents state.

UPDATE: A plea of not guilty was entered on Kendall's behalf at his arraignment this afternoon.

Superior Court Judge Vicki Hogan ordered Kendall jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail at the request of deputy prosecutor Jerry Costello.

Costello told Hogan it appears Kendall "lost his temper" and killed the girl. The defendant has no previous criminal conviction history, the deputy prosecutor said.

Public defender Lisa Contris, who represented Kendall at the arraignment, did not argue the bail amount. She reserved that fight for the attorney permanently assigned to handle the case.

Aaliyah's mother, Azhalane Kahalewai, attended the hearing. She met with reporters afterward.

Kahalewai said she'd left her daughter with Kendall on previous occasions, and there were no problems.

"I never thought he would do anything to hurt her like this," she said.

Kahalewai said Aaliyah was always smiling.

"She brought a lot of joy to my life," she said. "I just wish I could turn back the hands of time."

A Pierce County man has been convicted of accepting a bribe while serving with the Army in Iraq.

Cedar Lanmon pleaded guilty in federal court last week to one count of accepting an illegal gratuity.

In plea papers, Lanmon admitted he took $25,000 cash from an Albanian man seeking contracts to perform work on U.S. military installations in Iraq.

Lanmon is an Army captain who worked as resource procurement officer at the time. His responsibilities included recommending contractors to his superiors, according to the plea papers.

He accepted the bribe while deployed between May 2006 and May 2007, the documents state.

Lanmon also was charged with illegally importing an antiquity and laundering bribery proceeds, but prosecutors agreed to drop those charges in exchange for his guilty plea.

Lanmon's wife reported him to authorities when he returned home from his second tour in Iraq last year with a pregnant girlfriend, according to court papers.

He faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced Oct. 24. The Army likely will take action to kick him out of the military now that he's been convicted, according to a Fort Lewis official.

My previous story on the case follows:

=> Read more!

Area law enforcement agencies will be announcing plans this morning to create an auto theft task force to target thieves in the South King and North Pierce county areas.

A press conference on the formation of the Preventing Auto Theft through Regional Operational Links (PATROL) task force begins at 10 a.m. in Kent.

The task force will involve representatives of 18 law enforcement agencies and will partner with the King County Prosecutor's Office.

This new task force is the second to be created in recent days.

Last week, the state awarded the City of Lakewood $530,000 to establish a countywide auto theft task force.

Lakewood police is the lead agency. Tacoma, Fife, Puyallup, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol and other jurisdictions are expected to participate.

Tacoma police are searching for a 17-year-old girl after she left home to meet up with an older man she met on the Internet and never returned.

Kayla S. Moody (pictured here) was last seen about 3 p.m. Sunday. She told a friend she was going to Point Defiance Park to meet a 22-year-old man she'd met online, Tacoma police reported. In describing the man to her friend, Moody said he had light skin and curly hair. Moody didn't tell her friend the man's name.

Moody didn't return home Sunday night and her parents reported her missing early Monday. Later Monday, the friend received three text messages from Moody's Yahoo account, police reported.

The messages were written as if Moody sent them. All three said she was fine and she'd be home that evening or Tuesday morning.

As of Tuesday night, she'd not returned home. She's not communicated with anyone since the text messages, police reported.

Detectives are concerned because before Sunday, Moody had not met the man in person.

"This was to be the first face-to-face meeting," police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Investigators say Moody may be around the Spanish Hills apartments, 6409 S. 12th St.

Anyone with information about Moody's whereabouts is asked to call Tacoma police.

Pierce County prosecutors want to see the full investigation into a deadly shooting Sunday in Northeast Tacoma before deciding whether to file criminal charges.

A 74-year-old father who allegedly shot his daughter's on again, off again boyfriend made a brief court appearance this afternoon. Tacoma police arrested him late Sunday on suspicion of second-degree murder in the death of Harold Fridline, 49.

The father posted his booking bail and was ordered to appear before a judge for possible charges today.

Chief criminal deputy Jerry Costello told a judge he wasn't filing charges at this time.

Costello said he wants to see the complete investigation and have a chance to review it before deciding whether to file charges. The issue is whether the father's use of deadly force was justifiable under state law.

According to Tacoma police, Fridline went to the home of his on again, off again girlfriend in the 3100 block of 59th Avenue Northeast shortly before 2:20 p.m. They argued.

The father returned to the home and heard the raised voices. His daughter had told him about problems with Fridline.

The father got a gun and went around to the back of the house. He told detectives he intended to scare off Fridline.

Fridline saw the gun and ran. He was climbing a fence when he was shot in the lower back. He died of his injuries.

Once again, camera crews from the television show "COPS" are riding around with Pierce County sheriff's deputies.

The ride-alongs begin tonight, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. Camera crews will be riding with deputies patrolling South Hill and East Pierce County.

The crews will be in tow for the next four to six weeks. They'll be filming police incidents for the upcoming season of COPS.

Troyer said the Pierce County episodes will be featured along with incidents from other law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

"You will see us," he said. "There is never a shortage of material when they come here."

Two of the best-known names in the Pierce County legal community clashed Tuesday in a Seattle courtroom.

It was personal-injury attorney Jack Connelly versus Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne in a slugfest in which Connelly had a distinct advantage: He was getting to ask the questions. Horne, in a role that was clearly uncomfortable for him, was on the witness stand.

At issue was the forced resignation – then firing – of Horne's former No. 3 in command, Barbara Corey.

She got into hot water in 2004 following an unpopular personnel move that ultimately put Horne at odds with the prosecutors guild.

Corey contends Horne made her the scapegoat for that unpopular move, requested an investigation regarding her handling of some private money in the office then leaked information about that probe to the press, all of which cost her the job she loved and the reputation she lived by.

Pierce County, which is the defendant, and Horne claim Corey initiated the personnel decision then lied about it to Horne and her colleagues to save face when it went awry. Horne has contended he couldn't trust Corey anymore, so he asked her to resign. He later fired her, he contends, when she disobeyed three commands that she appear in his office to explain herself.

Corey hired Connelly and sued the county for wrongful termination and defamation.

On Day 3 of testimony Tuesday, Connelly called Horne to the witness stand to defend himself.

Using a variety of internal e-mails and letters to lay out a time line, Connelly tried to portray Horne's actions in the early part of 2004 as a conspiracy to get Corey out of his office and damage her image along the way.

He accused Horne of going to The News Tribune with information about Corey's firing in violation of his office's confidentiality policy and of making disparaging remarks about her in subsequent articles.

"You went straight to the press, and you told the press you'd fired Barbara, correct?" Connelly asked a one point during the morning's testimony.

Horne angrily denied it.

"The reporter came to me," he said. "I did not go to her. I did not call her. She came to me."

Connelly told Horne the prosecutor knew future newspaper articles were coming, so he pushed an internal investigation into Corey's handling of cash raised for colleagues experiencing family difficulties so he could get it into the papers.

Horne again denied it.

"There are some things as an open government that we have to tell the public," the prosecutor said. "Sometimes they are disparaging. I think it's appropriate for me to make these comments."

The morning session often was tense, and Connelly and Horne sometimes tried to talk over one another. Horne showed his frustration several times, and King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller admonished him at one point not to offer Connelly advice.

"Let's not suggest how he do his job," Heller said. "Just answer the question."

"I'm sorry, your honor," Horne replied.

He is expected back on the stand after the lunch break for more grilling from Connelly. The county's attorney, John Miller, should get a chance to cross examine Horne later this afternoon.

Tacoma police and firefighters were on the scene of a car crash at South 96th Street and Pacific Avenue.

Officers were conducting traffic control in the area as the crash is investigating.

It sounds as though one person was injured.

A jury convicted a man last week in the shooting death of a Fort Lewis soldier who was killed outside Bryant Montessori School in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood in 2006.

The jurors found Irvin Dale Carter Jr., 25, guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Julius James Williams, according to court information.

Carter's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. before Judge Thomas Felnagle.

Williams, 24, was found shot to death outside Bryant Sept. 8, 2006. He was absent without leave from the military at the time. Prosecutors alleged Carter shot Williams because Williams had lost a gun Carter had lent him.

During Carter's first monthlong trial, jurors could not reach a unanimous decision. Eleven jurors were convinced of his guilt.

They did, however, acquit his co-defendant, Anthony Chester Lyons, in the case.

Lights & Sirens is closely following the coverage of East Pierce County Fire & Rescue Chief Dan Packer.

Packer was killed Saturday when he was overrun by a California wildfire that switched directions on him.

Here's our story in today's paper about Packer and his loss in the community.

Here's a blog that has postings from people who met Packer over the years.

Here's a link to a nice write up in the Courier Herald.

The identification of the man fatally shot late Friday by a Tacoma police officer still has not been released.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office reported this morning that investigators were conducting a fingerprint analysis to confirm the man's identity. Until that is done, his name is being withheld.

His family has been notified of his death.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has released the name of the man killed Sunday afternoon in a Northeast Tacoma neighborhood.

Harold W. Fridline, 49, was shot in the lower back and died of his injuries at Tacoma General Hospital.

He had gone to the home of his on again, off again girlfriend Sunday afternoon. Her 74-year-old father allegedly shot Fridline as he tried to run away.

The father has been ordered to Pierce County Superior Court today to learn whether he'll be charged in the homicide.

The girlfriend requested a protection order against Fridline on July 14. In her petition, she claimed Fridline had beat her up on a recent Friday night while driving.

The two ran out of gas and he was upset.

"While we were driving, he kept whipping me with a plastic or metal object," she wrote in the petition.

The two have a history of domestic violence. She sought a protection order against Fridline in 2006.

A hearing to make the most recent protection order permanent was scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m.

Pierce County sheriff’s investigators were looking into what led up to a man getting beaten and shot Sunday night at a Parkland home.

The 40-year-old man suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

The incident occurred about 8:45 p.m. in the 13100 block of A Street South.

The victim was outside a house when two cars pulled up. The suspects, three men and a woman, started talking to the victim, Troyer said.

At one point, the suspects and victim went into the house. The suspects beat the man with a wooden stick. One of the men then allegedly shot the victim, Troyer said.

The suspects fled in the two cars. No arrests have been reported.

Detectives were investigating the shooting. A motive for what happened wasn’t immediately clear.

Many thanks to reader Chris for this "What was that?"

Listening to the scanner yesterday (8/27) there were lots of Pierce County units and some from Tacoma responding to shootings in the area of Harvard elementary. Multiple 'victims' were taken to area hospitals (accompanied by
officers) and detectives were called, as a large amount of dope was discovered at the scene. Some of the deputies observed that appeared to be "a dope rip-off".

Here's the story I have filed for Tuesday's paper.

A 14-year-old boy was shot and seriously injured Saturday afternoon in what appears to be a drug deal gone bad in an elementary school parking lot, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department reported.

The boy was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center, where he was undergoing treatment, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said Monday. The boy was in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the back, Troyer said Monday.

No arrests have been made in the shooting.

"We've got young people with guns and it's going sideways on school lots," Troyer said. "That's not acceptable."

According to deputies, the boy and two others went to Harvard Elementary School, 1709 85th St. E., just before 4:30 p.m.

"Tentatively, we believe they were trying to get some drugs," Troyer said. "It went sideways."

The teen and his friends ran away when gunshots were fired. The 14-year-old was struck in the back.

He got into a friend's car and she drove him to a nearby grocery store, where paramedics were called.

The girl and a 17-year-old boy with the victim tried to walk away but were stopped by a bystander, Troyer said. Investigators interviewed the two and arrested the boy on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Troyer said investigators found some marijuana on the younger boy.

Pierce County prosecutors are reviewing what happened in a Northeast Tacoma neighborhood Sunday afternoon that prompted a 74-year-old man to fatally shooting his daughter's on again, off again boyfriend.

Tacoma police arrested the father and booked him into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. He bailed out of jail early Monday and is supposed to return to court Tuesday to face possible charges.

"I am evaluating this and am looking at it very carefully," chief criminal deputy prosecutor Jerry Costello said Monday. "The primary issue involved here is whether the use of force was justifiable under the law."

The victim, a 49-year-old man, was shot in the lower back. An autopsy was being conducted today. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not released his name.

The father and his daughter provided statements to police about what happened Sunday afternoon. Investigators said the daughter and her on again, off again boyfriend have a history of domestic violence. She had applied for a protection order but it had not been served on the boyfriend, Tacoma police Mark Fulghum said.

On Sunday, the boyfriend showed up at the daughter's home in the 3100 block of 59th Avenue Northeast shortly before 2:20 p.m.

The father was away at the time and returned to home. He heard his daughter arguing with a man, Fulghum said. There were some threats.

"He knows of the problems she's had with this on again, off again boyfriend," Fulghum said.

The father got a gun and went to the back of the house. The father told investigators he saw the boyfriend and thought he was trying to climb into the house through the window. The daughter was trying to keep the boyfriend out, Fulghum said.

The father told detectives he intended to chase the boyfriend off. The boyfriend spotted the gun, ran around the side of the house and started to climb over a fence, Fulghum said.

The father fired one shot. The bullet struck the boyfriend in the lower back.

The boyfriend, who did not have a weapon, fell to the ground and moaned in pain. He later died of his injuries at Tacoma General Hospital, Fulghum said.

The father and daughter tried to call 911. They eventually got a neighbor to call police.

"The dad and daughter remained at the scene and were cooperative," Fulghum said.

The father was later arrested.

Day 2 of wrongful termination trial of Barbara Corey vs. Pierce County opened with Franklin Clark on the witness stand.

Clark is a criminal investigator for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. He's the one who looked into allegation of missing money when Corey got into hot water with her boss, elected Prosecutor Gerald Horne.

Corey was collecting cash for two colleagues with family difficulties at the time of her forced resignation – she later was fired while still burning her compensatory time – and the money was not accounted for when prosecutor's staff cleaned out her office.

Corey later gave an account of where the money went, and criminal charges were never filed.

Her attorney, Jack Connelly, spent more than two hours trying to paint Clark into a corner, suggesting over and over that Horne pushed Clark to pursue an investigation that Clark didn't believe would bear fruit.

Connelly showed Clark – and the King County jury hearing the case – portions of a sworn deposition the investigator gave earlier this year in which he seemed to suggest the investigation into Corey wasn't viable.

Clark admitted that was true but clarified that he didn't reach that conclusion until the end of his investigation.

Connelly suggested frequently that Horne was putting heat on Clark to finish the investigation quickly. Connelly has intimated that Horne wanted ammunition to embarrass Corey while she was still technically a county employee.

"The rush was being pushed by Gerry Horne, correct?" Connelly asked Clark at one point.

"Wrong," Clark replied. "In fact, quite the opposite."

Connelly and Clark sparred frequently, with Connelly referring to previous sworn statements given by Clark to undermine his testimony on the stand.

Clark at one point testified that his words were being "used, changed, twisted" by Connelly to suit his client's purposes.

Under cross examination by the county's attorney, John Miller, Clark got a chance to explain how his investigation into the missing money was by-the-book and how he was free to conduct it professionally.

"Was Mr. Horne pushing you in any direction?" Miller asked the investigator at one point.

"He does not direct our investigations and never has," Clark replied.

He went on to testify about how discrepancies about what Corey did with the money drove him to keep asking questions.

The trial then broke for lunch.

Clark is expected by on the stand for further questioning by Miller at 1:30 p.m., and deputy prosecutors Kit Proctor and Mary Robnett are waiting in the wings for their turn on the hot seat.

Here's the latest press release from Pierce County.

East Pierce Fire & Rescue Chief Dan Packer died late Saturday afternoon while fighting a wildfire in the Siskiyou Mountains in Northern California.

Dan was serving as a division chief for a National Type 1 Incident Management Team that had been activated on Friday for this fire.

"Dan was a true fire service visionary. His death leaves a huge void not only in Pierce County, but throughout the state and the nation," said Department of Emergency Management Director Steve Bailey.

Dan is survived by his wife, four daughters and two grandchildren.

Memorial Service details are pending.

A man shot by Tacoma police late Friday during a struggle at an apartment complex died of his injuries.

The man died about 11:30 p.m. Friday at the Tacoma General emergency room. His name and age have not been released.

Tacoma police homicide detectives were investigating the circumstances around the fatal officer-involved shooting, the second of the year in the city. Four officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

According to police, officers were called to the Spanish Hills apartments in the 6400 block of South 12th Street about 10:25 p.m. Several people had called to report a fight in the parking lot.

The first officer on the scene found a man holding a “very large butcher knife,” Fulghum said. The man appeared intoxicated.

The officer ordered the man to drop the knife. The man failed to comply with the officer’s demands. The officer asked for assistance and other officers responded, Fulghum said.

The man began to approach the officer and he shot the man with a Taser at least once. The stun gun had no effect, Fulghum said.

The officer was trying to reholster his Taser when the man, who was still armed with the knife, charged him. Fulghum said. The two struggled.

Another officer, believing the other officer’s life was in danger, shot the man in the buttocks during the struggle, Fulghum said. The man continued to fight with officers but was finally subdued. Paramedics took him to Tacoma General Hospital, where he died a short time later.

The officer involved in the struggle injured his wrist. He, the officer who fired his gun and two other officers who were at the scene were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure anytime an officer fires his gun.

After a preliminary review of the shooting, officials believe the officers acted within department guidelines, Fulghum said.

In addition to the criminal investigation, the officers’ actions also will be reviewed by Internal Affairs investigators and a use of deadly force review board.

Friday's was the second deadly officer-involved shooting this year for Tacoma police.

Tacoma police officer Dennis Quilio fatally shot Wayne Allen Koenig on Feb. 3 during a standoff at Koenig's home in the 1900 block of Lighthouse Lane Northeast.

Officers were first called to the 39-year-old's house by his wife after a domestic violence incident. When officers arrived, he was gone. The officers returned about 45 minutes later when Koenig arrived.

The wife told officers Koenig had guns and had made threats to shoot himself and officers. The SWAT team was called. Shortly after 6 a.m., Quilio, a marksman on the tactical team, shot and killed Koenig when he pointed a gun at officers through the doorway.

Koenig died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Pierce County Prosecutor Gerry Horne ruled that Quilio's actions were justifiable.

It looks as though it's going to be busy one here. Please bear with me and be patient if you've sent an e-mail that I haven't responded to yet.

Here are a few updates.

On the Northeast Tacoma homicide: The victim, a 49-year-old man, died in the Tacoma General emergency room. His name was not released this morning by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office.

The suspect, a 74-year-old man, in the case was booked into Pierce County Jail last night. He no longer is in jail this morning, which leads me to believe he bailed out. We'll be checking in with the prosecutor's office this morning to see about charges in the case.

This is the sixth homicide of the year in Tacoma.

In other news ...

A 26-year-old Olalla man was killed Saturday in a car accident. The Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as Heith Alan Murray.

The crash happened at Webb Road and Tiedman Road KPS.

More when I get it. I hope to get more information about the Tacoma police officer-involved shooting from Friday night.

Pierce County Sheriff's deputies are responding to a shooting in the 13100 block of A Street South in Parkland, according to radio traffic and law enforcement sources.

Preliminary information indicates a man has been shot and hit with a baseball bat. His condition is unknown.

I'm trying to reach Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer for details.

Nine adults and one child were displaced after an apartment fire in South Tacoma on Sunday morning, the Red Cross reported.

According to volunteer spokeswoman Jane Hughes: the 11 a.m. fire in the 5000 block of South Puget Sound Avenue displaced families from eight units. The Mt. Rainier chapter of the Red Cross was providing them with emergency assistance including food, shelter and medicine replacement.

Tacoma Police are investigating a homicide in Northeast Tacoma.

According to spokesman Mark Fulghum, the dead man had been making threats against an on-again-off-again girlfriend. Her father went to her home in the 3100 block of 59th Avenue Northeast to help protect her.

The father was armed and when the boyfriend arrived he was shot by the father.

It’s unclear exactly what led up to the 2:20 p.m. shooting.

Detectives are interviewing the father, who waited for police to arrive, and the girlfriend.

Update: I just got off the phone with Mark Fulghum. He says he's not sure if the father will be arrested tonight.

A couple other details: The dead man is 49, the daughter is 34 and the father is 74.

Police do not believe the dead man was armed.

Update 2: Fulghum said it looks like the father will be arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder tonight.

East Pierce Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Dan Packer was reported missing Saturday while battling a California wildfire and is presumed dead, fire officials said Sunday.

“At this time, we do not have confirmation regarding Chief Packer from the command staff at the Panther Fire,” East Pierce Deputy Chief John McDonald said in a news release. “Until we get a definitive answer from them, we are unable to make a statement.”

Gov. Chris Gregoire also released a statement Sunday saying:

“Chief Packer, who was the immediate past president of the Washington Fire Chiefs, was deployed as a division supervisor in the Siskiyou Mountain range in Northern California when he was overrun by a wildfire following an unexpected shift in the wind."

She also expressed loss for a Port Angeles firefighter, Andrew Palmer, who died earlier this week after being struck by a falling tree fighting the Eagle Fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

"They gave their lives doing the hard, heroic work of protecting the lives of others," she said.

Packer, 49, deployed Friday to Northern California to fight the Panther Fire south of Happy Camp in Siskiyou County. As of Saturday, the fire was 36 percent contained.

East Pierce Fire & Rescue provides services for more than 73,000 people living in and around Bonney Lake, Sumner and Lake Tapps.

Update:

The city of Sumner released the following press release confirming Packer's death:

East Pierce Fire and Rescue confirmed that Chief Dan Packer passed away while fighting fires in northern California. The City of Sumner joins East Pierce in sending thoughts and prayers to the entire Packer and East Pierce family.

“There are people alive in Sumner because of Dan Packer and his wonderful vision,” said Mayor Dave Enslow. “Professionally, he knew how to bring people together to give them the best fire service possible. You can see it in East Pierce and the wonderful service it provides to so many communities, including Sumner. That’s all because of Dan. And personally, you can’t find a better guy than Dan. He knew that firefighting was really about people, about being part of a community in good times and bad. That’s why Dan was in our parades and celebrations and also helping us in our hardest hours of fires and floods. We’ll do all we can to help now that it’s East Pierce’s saddest hour.”

Mayor Enslow has declared all flags to fly at half-staff in the City of Sumner in a tribute to Chief Packer.

Tacoma residents will come together tonight to march along the southern end of Pacific Avenue and bring attention to ongoing problems with drugs, gangs and prostitution.

The March Against Crime starts at 6 p.m. Participants will walk along Pacific from South 96th Street to South 72nd. The event is being organized by the Larchmont Safe Streets Block Group

Other Safe Streets groups will participate, including the Lincoln LAWG, Fern Hill Park Alliance Safe Streets and Upper Pacific Avenue groups.

Residents have seen some improvement along the stretch but want to maintain public awareness about the activity.

It's a typical Friday on the crime team, which means it's extremely busy.

I've got two stories of interest posted on the homepage.

The first is the sentencing of convicted murderer Daniel Maples. He was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his co-worker Christine Blais, a single mother, in 1988. He has maintained his innocence.

The second is the arrest of several suspects in a series of home burglaries in Northeast Tacoma. The investigation of the incidents led to the discovering of two marijuana grow operations and the seizure of several guns.

In addition, the state Liquor Control Board conducted a raid at the Indian Country Store in Puyallup and seized upwards of $700,000 in contraband cigarettes.

Pierce County officials have closed down the Anderson Island waiting area to clean-up an act of vandalism.

The area was closed Thursday evening after someone took a fire extinguisher and blasted the foam, making a mess. The extinguisher had been locked up.

The area is expected to reopen by 9 a.m.

The off-ramp from westbound Highway 512 to Portland Avenue was closed earlier this morning because of a disabled semi truck.

The truck was blocking the ramp from 6:40 a.m. to just after 7:30 a.m., the state Department of Transportation reported.

Tacoma fire officials were investigating a possible natural gas leak this morning on South Tacoma Way.

The busy street is closed between South 58th and South 62nd streets as crews investigate, a dispatcher reported at 7:35 a.m.

A Pierce County Sheriff’s Department plane landed safely at Thun Field on Thursday afternoon after losing power and plummeting 1,000 feet during a surveillance mission, spokesman Ed Troyer said.

“They went through emergency procedures and were able to get it started again,” he said, noting the pilot had already selected a landing spot if it became necessary.

The Cessna, which was carrying two people, was near the Tacoma Mall when the failure happened. Mechanics are going over the craft to determine what went wrong.

Seattle television stations and The Associated Press were reporting early Thursday evening that a float plane had crashed shortly after taking off from a lake west of Shelton.

The Mason County sheriff’s office confirmed that a plane had crashed into a heavily wooded area and touched off a small forest fire.

Several witnesses told the department that the plane’s engine quit, then it banked left and disappeared. No information was available on the fate of the two men believed to have been on board.

UPDATE: Rescue workers reached the site of the plane crash late Thursday, and after extinguishing the fire burning at the site, discovered two men dead inside the wreckage.

Somebody lied.

Whether it was Pierce County's elected prosecutor, Gerald Horne, or his former No. 3 in command Barbara Corey – "former" because she got fired – will be up to a King County jury to decide.

Lawyers on both sides delivered their opening statements this morning in Corey's wrongful termination and defamation case against the county.

Corey contends she was fired in 2004 after she refused to be made a scapegoat for an unpopular personnel move in the office.

She further claims Horne defamed her by later telling The News Tribune that her termination sparked an investigation into the whereabouts of money she'd collected for colleagues who were experiencing personal problems at the time.

The county contends Corey made the bad personnel decision then lied to Horne and her colleagues about it to cover herself. Talking about the missing money did not defame Corey because an investigation was in fact underway, the county contends, and Horne has the right as a public official to discuss things going on in his office.

In a claim submitted to the county before she filed suit, Corey said she was seeking damages in the neighborhood of $1 million.

In his opening statement, Corey's attorney, Jack Connelly, told the jury the case was about "abuse of power."

Horne, Connelly said, fired Corey then disparaged her in the press to protect himself after an unpopular personnel decision prompted controversy in his office in 2004. The decision to transfer deputy prosecutor John Neeb from the sexual assault unit to the juvenile unit later was rescinded.

Horne, who was up for re-election in two years, sacrificed his loyal and hardworking employee – Corey – to save face when the controversy landed on his doorstep, Connelly said.

"There were concerns about his ability to make a decision," the attorney told jurors. "He was very, very, very concerned about his image in the press."

So he trashed Corey's image instead by telling a reporter an investigation into the missing money was underway, Connelly said. Corey was never charged with a crime.

"It's malicious, and it's intended to hurt her," he said. "It led to an incredibly defamatory article that ended her career. There was never another chance of her getting a job as a prosecutor."

That realization devastated Corey, who worked as a prosecutor for 20 years and loved her job, Connelly said.

The county's attorney, John Miller, told jurors during his opening statement that the evidence will show only one person lied or had anything to lie about: Corey.

"This is case simply of credibility," Miller said.

He went on to praise Corey's legal ability and work ethic – which some have called "legendary" – but said she was brought down by her own pride.

"She had a dark side," Miller said. "She could never accept or admit that she was wrong."

When Corey's decision to move Neeb went sideways, she concocted stories to deflect blame from herself, he said.

"It's not the transfer that's the issue. It's how it came about," Miller said.

He told the jury that many of Pierce County's top prosecutors will be called to the stand to rebut Corey's contentions. One of them, felony division supervisor Ed Murphy, is expected to take the stand later today.

Corey wants the jury to believe that "they're all lying and I'm telling the truth," Miller said.

He told the jury Corey's firing was unfortunate, but was "something that had to be done.

"You can't throw your boss under the bus like this," said Miller, who intends to show several times of the past few years where Corey's accounts of what happened changed.

Horne attended this morning's court session. He sat at the defense table and wrote notes on a yellow legal pad throughout the proceedings.

Corey also was there. She sat in the first row of the gallery, watching her team of lawyers work.

Also in attendance was Mike Panagiotu, Pierce County's risk manager.

"This is an important case for the county," Panagiotu told a reporter during a morning break.

Efforts to mediate an out-of-court settlement weren't successful, he added.

The trial is expected to take two weeks or more.

The lawyers in the civil case of Barbara Corey v. Pierce County are scheduled to make their opening statements to a King County jury this morning.

Corey is the former No. 3 in the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She was fired a couple years of ago following a controversial personnel move in the office.

She sued claiming wrongful termination and defamation.

I'll try to post an update over the lunch hour.

The NAACP is getting involved in the criminal case of Harold Wright Jr., a former Tacoma school principal who was convicted last year of third-degree rape.

The NAACP will hold a press conference today in Tacoma to discuss the case and its involvement. The association has voted to closely examine and review the case.

Wright's case is on appeal.

UPDATE: Here's the link to my initial story from the press conference.

In a nutshell, the state-area conference of the NAACP will be asking the U.S. Department of Justice to review Wright's case because they believe his civil rights were violated.

The state-area conference plans to make that formal request within a week.

That is separate from the appeals process already under way.

See below for our most recent story about the criminal case. The News Tribune will try to cover the press conference.

=> Read more!

The Washington Department of Transportation is reporting four near-misses for workers in two days. Here's their news release:

TACOMA – It’s the worst nightmare for anyone working on the road – a car or truck barreling at you in a work zone. On southbound I-5 near the Tacoma Dome, it’s happened four times since early Monday morning and it’s an alarming trend.

Summer is WSDOT’s busy construction season. On most state highways, motorists will see the orange signs warning them of a work zone ahead. Within the coned off sections of these work zone are men and women who want to go home at the end of their shifts in the same condition or better than when they clocked on.

Since 1950, 56 WSDOT employees have been killed in work zones. The last fatality occurred on August 12, 2002 when Jake Baarsdon was killed by an impaired driver while mowing alongside Highway 18.

WSDOT asks motorists to slow down and pay close attention when entering a work zone. The life they save may be their own since 99 percent of people killed or injured in work zone collisions are the driver or passenger.

If life-saving isn’t an incentive, perhaps the double traffic fines WSP issues for violations within a work zone will remind people to slow down and pay attention.

A University Place couple wants to warn fellow residents after they were scammed by a man and woman earlier this week.

The victims don't want their names used or their address publicized but they want their story told.

The husband left the house for a quick errand Monday morning and the wife headed out front to plant some lavender. It was between 10-10:15 a.m., she said.

She'd taken her jewelry off and put in on her dresser before gardening. The back door was closed but not locked.

As the woman did her planting, a car pulled into her driveway. She didn't think much of it because the couple lives on a cul-de-sac and drivers often get turned around in there.

A man got out of the car and asked the woman about the location of a house he was supposed to be at to give a paint estimate. The street name didn't match anything nearby.

The woman told the man she couldn't help him and he walked away.

A few minutes later, a young woman approached the woman and asked for directions to Olympia. The second suspect kept the woman occupied.

Meanwhile, the man disappeared. He apparently went into the couple's house through an unlocked sliding glass door and ransacked the place.

The husband returned and pulled behind the woman's car. She was honking her horn, which the couple thought was odd. She finally backed up and left.

The husband went into the house and discovered the mess. The couple lost several pieces of jewelry and some quarters. Among the items taken were the woman's 1951 high school graduation ring and her nursing pin.

"Those things you can't ever replace," the woman said.

They filed a police report with University Place deputies.

"You feel really stupid," the woman said.

The suspects were well dressed and didn't seem suspicious, at first.

"Had I been suspicious, I would have taken down the license plate number
maybe," the husband said. "People need to be aware if you've got strangers in the neighborhood."

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer reviewed the police report.

"We do not have this problem continually," he said afterward. "We don't have a group of people doing this on a continual basis or this happening enough to make it a ring."

The department has received other reports of similar-type scams where the ruse is an offer to help someone work on his car. A second person goes inside the victim's house and steals personal belongings.

Puyallup police are again warning residents to be on the lookout for suspicious people hanging around cars because the number of catalytic converter thefts continues to increase.

The department has investigated 26 thefts and attempted thefts of the part since the beginning of the year.

Most often, thieves are targeting Toyota Trucks, 4 Runners. They've also targeted Nissan trucks, Pathfinders and Quests.

Catalytic converters contain precious metals that can be sold for quick cash.

Most often, the parts are taken from cars that have been left in parking lots for several hours at a time. In some cases, the suspects have been spotted with battery-operated saws.

Puyallup officials ask residents to be on guard for any suspicious activity in parking lots and park-and-rides. Suspicious activity would include someone "working" on a vehicle.

Officers ask residents to call 911 immediately and, if possible, get a license plate number of the suspect's vehicle and a description of the person.

I wrote about this newer crime trend in December. Read on to find that story.

=> Read more!

Pierce County sheriff candidate Robert "The Traveller" Hill was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of driving without a license, according to jail records.

Hill was booked into the jail by Tacoma Police at 6:42 p.m., not long after the 5 p.m. City Council meeting he attended. Unlike last week, he spoke at the meeting without creating a disturbance and being kicked out.

An officer spotted Hill driving in the North End near 24th and Proctor Streets and pulled him over knowing Hill did not have a valid license, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. He was released not long after being jailed.

After he left the meeting, TNT reporter Jason Hagey spotted officers following Hill as he walked away. The officers followed Hill to make sure he was really leaving and not coming back, Fulghum said.

Hill was convicted in May of forging a judge's signature on a restraining order.

Four men and one woman have been captured since Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers launched its gas card giveaway July 11.

Two men were wanted on domestic violence-related charges, one was wanted on gun possession, another on identity theft and the woman was wanted on second-degree assault.

To see the list and pictures of the most wanted felons involved in the gas card giveaway, visit Crime Stoppers' web site.

Diners at Pacific Grill had some interruptions last night.

According to Tacoma police, a man went to the restaurant at 1502 Pacific Ave. He sat down and ordered a beer the restaurant didn't carry, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The man got up and went into a private dining area and demanded money from the seated diners, Fulghum said.

He told them this was a robbery and demanded their wallets. He got aggressive and grabbed one of the victims, Fulghum said. He got one wallet and rifled through it.

At one point, one of the patrons pulled out his own gun and told the robber to leave. The man was escorted outside and the door locked behind him, Fulghum said.

Tacoma police officers found the man nearby and arrested him.

He was booked into Pierce County Jail just after 9:30 p.m. on suspicion of second-degree robbery and five counts of attempted second-degree robbery.

UPDATE: Prosecutors charged Jon Malcolm Maleak Meys, 36, today with seven counts of attempted second-degree robbery. He was arraigned on the charges.

Tacoma police responded to the restaurant shortly after 8:30 p.m.

This is a little late for the news update section of our homepage but in case you were wondering ...

The state Department of Transportation had rolling slowdowns on southbound Interstate 5 in Lakewood for about 30 minutes this morning.

The slowdown effected cars from Highway 512 to Thorne Lane, from 11:30 to noon.

Crews were removing a tree.

Walters	Coon

Charles Ray Walters won't be able to erase his past, but his future is a bit more secure after a ruling by the state Court of Appeals for Division II.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel ruled today that the state cannot re-prosecute Walters for first-degree murder in the 1988 death of Michael Coon. Such a re-prosecution would violate Walters' constitutional rights against double jeopardy, the panel decided.

But the judges declined Walters' request to vacate his original conviction for second-degree murder, meaning that mark will be on his record forever.

The attorneys who argued the case – defense attorney Sheryl Gordon McCloud and Pierce County deputy prosecutor John Neeb – were studying the ruling this morning and not immediately available for comment.

Walters was 18 when he used his van to purposely run down Coon, 19, in the parking lot of Tacoma's Allenmore Hospital in June 1988.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, he ultimately pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree predicated on assault and was sentenced to five years in prison.

He served his time, got out of prison and rebuilt his life, becoming a successful software engineer and husband.

A legal conundrum created by the Washington Supreme Court six years ago in its so-called Andress decision brought him back to court.

That decision invalidated the crime of second-degree murder predicated on assault, meaning Walters and hundreds of others like him were convicted of a non-existent crime.

The Legislature rewrote the felony murder law in 2003 to clarify that murder could be predicated on assault, and Pierce County prosecutors formulated a plan where they would offered defendants affected by Andress the same deal they got before the decision.

That is, the defendants would be required to plead guilty to second-degree murder. In exchange, prosecutors would recommend the same sentence the defendants got the first time they were convicted.

Walters didn't volunteer to take that deal, so Neeb made a motion in court to reinstate the original first-degree murder charge and begin the legal process anew.

That meant Walters was facing as much as an additional 15 years in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.

Last summer, the deputy prosecutor persuaded Superior Court Judge Stephanie Arend to his way of thinking, and she vacated Walters' second-degree murder conviction and reinstated the first-degree murder charge.

Walters appealed, saying that action violated his protection against being prosecuted twice for the same crime. He also asked that the original conviction remain vacated.

The appeals court agreed with his double-jeopardy argument, saying in its decision "the state fails to show a manifest necessity to recharge Walters.

"Walters pled guilty, served his entire sentence, met all requirements, was discharged by the Superior Court and was granted reinstatement of his civil rights," the judges wrote.

But the panel also decided that Walters' original conviction will remain on his record.

Walters can't "use his guilty plea based conviction for second-degree felony murder to bar trial" and maintain "that his previous conviction remains vacated by the trial court," the panel ruled.

In other words, he can't have it both ways.

Investigators are searching for a man suspected of robbing a Central Tacoma bank last week.

The man (pictured here) walked into the Bank of America branch at 3408 S. 23rd St. about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, detectives reported.

He handed the teller a note that demanded cash. He grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and carried it out of the bank in his hands, police reported.

The bandit was captured on the bank's surveillance cameras. Detectives released images of the robber Monday in hopes of identifying him.

The robber is described as a white man, 45 to 50 years old and 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 9. He had a medium build, a thick, gray mustache and short hair. During the incident, he work a navy blue sweatshirt, blue jeans and Seattle Mariners baseball hat.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and charges filed in the case. Callers may remain anonymous.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. You can also send Tacoma police a tip via e-mail through Crime Stoppers' web site.

Tacoma police investigated an armed robbery early this morning on the Hilltop.

A man was working on his computer and seated behind an apartment complex in the 1400 block of South J Street when he was approached by a suspect.

The suspect brandished a handgun and took the man's computer, police reported.

The suspect fled.

No arrests have been reported.

Here's the press release from the Federal Way Police:

On August 2, 2008, at 12:00 p.m. the public is invited to attend a brief memorial ceremony in honor of Officer Patrick Maher who was shot and killed in the line of duty on August 2, 2003 while serving the citizens of Federal Way. The ceremony will take place near the flag pavilion in front of City Hall located at 33325 8th Avenue South, the permanent location of Officer Maher’s badge which is encased and illuminated in a memorial stone in honor of his ultimate sacrifice.

A reception will follow in the Patrick Maher Room, City Hall first floor.

Tacoma Police were assisting King County deputies and the U.S. Marshals apprehend a suspect in the 2300 block of South M Street this afternoon, Tacoma Police said.

Some initial reports we heard that there was gun play involved aren't true, said police spokesman Mark Fulghum.

Patience is not always virtuous.

Last summer thieves skimmed debit card information from a South Hill gas station. Then, nearly a year later, over the July 4th weekend, they withdrew tens of thousands of dollars from Pierce County residents’ bank accounts, Pierce County Sheriff’s officials said.

By waiting, the thieves can be pretty sure surveillance videos showing them will have been erased and by making ATM withdraws over a holiday weekend, it takes the banks an extra day to realize something is amiss, Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Detectives have identified about 75 victims, including cases reported to Tacoma Police, and expect many more may be out there, he said. Some victims lost several hundred dollars, others lost thousands.

[The story continues after the jump -- I'm also posting some video about credit card skimming.]

=> Read more!

Residents in a Hilltop neighborhood had a bit of excited shortly before noon today.

A car came down South M Street and then was boxed in by two unmarked law enforcement vehicles near the intersection with South 8th Street. (Rumor has it the vehicles were being driven by U.S. Marshal officers but that has not been confirmed. I've left a message.)

Officers got out of at least one of the cars and were trying to take the man into custody, neighbor Curtis Sell said.

The suspect car then rammed one of the unmarked vehicles and got away, going the wrong way down South M Street. The car fled and so did the officers, leaving stunned residents behind.

"They had guns drawn," said Larry Dickson, another neighbor.

Dickson and Sell shielded their young children from the police activity. Sell thought he heard gunshots but Dickson said the noise was the car ramming the law enforcement vehicle.

"The whole situation was dangerous," Sell said. "It was poorly organized ... with all the kids out there. Very easily someone could have gotten hurt."

Tacoma police animal control officers are up in Northeast Tacoma today, trying to locate two pit bulls who attacked a woman and her dog on Friday night, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Animal Control officers have checked their database to see if the dogs descriptions match other problem animals. (Each time an animal control officer responds to a complaint, they log the information into the database.) The search revealed no matches, Fulghum said.

The officers have received a few tips after the attack was publicized last night in The News Tribune and several Seattle television stations.

So far, the dogs have not been located.

Tacoma police have arrested a fourth person in the May shooting death of a man outside a South End apartment.

The woman was booked just after 9:45 p.m. Sunday in Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and on a drug-related warrant.

Three men already have been charged in the driveby shooting that left Tracy Steele dead. The 32-year-old man was shot May 10 as a party was breaking up at an apartment in the 800 block of South 41st Street.

Michael Mee, the alleged shooter; Hokeshina Lee Tolbert, whom prosecutors contend supplied the rifle used to kill Steele; and Jesus James Cota Ancheta, who allegedly drove a car involved in the shooting; have pleaded not guilty in the case.

Tacoma police investigated a serious-injury accident Sunday night in the city.

A 30-year-old Tacoma man on a Moped hit a parked car and critically-injured himself just before 8:30 p.m. in the 7600 block of South Fawcett Avenue, Tacoma police reported.

No other information was immediately available.

UPDATE: The rider apparently took a corner too fast and struck the car, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

He was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious head and face injuries.

Fulghum added that alcohol was suspected.

The governor has ordered officials at all state agency buildings to lower their flags to half-staff today in honor of U.S. Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar.

Bogar was killed in action in Afghanistan earlier this month. He began his military career as a member of the Washington National Guard, Gov. Chris Gregoire's office reported.

Under the order, flags will remain at half-staff until sunset today or first thing Tuesday.

They're good theater, but don't do a whole lot, according to this Boston Globe article.

Here's a snippet:

In the first independent study of whether Amber Alerts work, a team led by University of Nevada criminologist Timothy Griffin looked at hundreds of abduction cases between 2003 and 2006 and found that Amber Alerts - for all their urgency and drama - actually accomplish little. In most cases where they were issued, Griffin found, Amber Alerts played no role in the eventual return of abducted children.

During his bike ride Friday evening, a little voice in Lind Simonsen’s head told him to pedal harder.

He did and coming over the hill on Norpoint Way in Northeast Tacoma, he saw his wife, Jorgann, and their yellow Labrador, Gallagher, being attacked by two pit bulls.

On Sunday, Lind, 55, said he credits divine intervention for putting him at the right place at the right time to save his wife and dog from the vicious animals. As it was, Gallagher’s side was torn open, requiring 37 stitches, and both Lind and Jorgann were left with broken hands.

The Simonsens are urging anyone who saw the attack or anyone who knows anything about the two pit bulls to contact Tacoma Animal Control.

“We need to find these dogs,” Lind said. “It could be a child next time.”

=> Read more!

Update: Ian went out an interviewed Lind and Jorgann Simonsen, who, along with their Lab, Gallagher, were injured in an attack by two pit bulls on Friday. That story appears in another post. You can read Mike Gilbert's initial post after the jump.

=> Read more!

Horne	Corey

Pierce County's top prosecutors will find themselves in an unusual position over the next few weeks: On the witness stand answering questions instead of before it asking them.

Elected Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne and many of his chief deputies are listed as witnesses in the case of Barbara Corey v. Pierce County, which is set for trial Monday in King County Superior Court.

Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor also is on the plaintiff's witness list as is former Idaho attorney general Larry Echohawk, who Corey intends to call to bolster her claims of wrongful termination and defamation. Echohawk currently teaches law at Brigham Young University in Utah.

Corey sued the county in 2006 after Horne fired her from the No. 3 position in his office the year before.

Corey, who now works as a private defense attorney in Tacoma, said in a claim filed in advance of her lawsuit that the county owes her between $850,000 and $1.5 million in damages.

The dispute revolves around Corey's firing in March 2004 after a controversy erupted in the prosecutor's office over the transfer of a deputy from one unit to another.

The move of John Neeb from the special assault unit to the juvenile division was unpopular and led to a series of internal discussions that put Corey at odds with Horne and some of her colleagues, according to court documents.

Horne said he ultimately fired Corey because he believed she lied about her role in the controversy and later, in an act he described as despicable, tried to shift blame to her co-workers.

Corey has denied that she lied and claims Horne unfairly heaped the blame for an unpopular personnel move onto her. She also contends his office improperly leaked information to The News Tribune that she was being criminally investigated in connection with some money missing from the office. Corey had collected the money to buy gifts for colleagues suffering personal troubles. She was not charged.

The information about the criminal investigation hurt her ability to get jobs and denigrated her reputation in the community, she contends in her lawsuit.

Judging from pleadings filed in the case, the trial promises to be contentious.

Echohawk submitted an affidavit last month outlining what his testimony will be.

In it, he characterizes Horne's actions in dismissing Corey as unprofessional, arrogant and disingenuous.

"In my opinion, he appears to have allowed her to become the scapegoat for a bad management decision rather than himself," Echohawk wrote.

Horne swore out an affidavit of his own, which was submitted to the court file in June when the county unsuccessfully asked that the case to be dismissed.

"Barbara's blatant lying had totally shaken my confidence in her," he wrote. "If she had tried to explain what she was doing and admitted that she had made a mistake and gone overboard in trying to 'sell' the transfer, I could have forgiven that. But her putting me in the position of being the liar and then denying it and calling her co-workers liars was something I could not tolerate."

King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller will hear arguments on pre-trial motions Monday before beginning jury selection. Opening statements could come as early as Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.

I'm planning to be at the openings.

Stay tuned.

City residents are invited to learn more about law enforcement and Tacoma police operations during a citizen's academy that starts next month.

The academy class will meet Tuesday evenings from Aug. 19 through Nov. 11.

During the academy, citizens learn about different aspects of the Tacoma Police Department.

The academy is free but space is limited.

Sign up online here or contact Tacoma police Sgt. Dwayne Joseph at 253-591-2015.

A reader got woken up this morning by loud bangs and police sirens. The reader, of course, wanted to know what happened and e-mailed Lights & Sirens.

This happened in Parkland near Parkland Putters and Eagle’s Landing apartments off Steele street parallel to Hiwy 512. Within the hour there was a patrol car driving through the apartment complex and near the intersection at the 76 station on Steele and Sales and an officer on foot walking through the complex courtyard. WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!

Pierce County sheriff's detective Lynelle Anderson filled in Lights & Sirens.

A woman called 911 about 2 a.m. to report her boyfriend had assaulted her during an argument over a text message and was armed with an AK47. He also was threatening to shoot himself. Deputies responded to 110th Street and Park Avenue.

They found the man and woman outside. He was holding a white trash bag. Deputies could see the barrel of a gun sticking out of the bag.

At gunpoint, deputies ordered the man to drop his weapon and to get on the ground. He dropped the gun but didn’t get to the ground. Deputies took him into the ground and arrested him. In addition to the Ak 47, deputies recovered $16,324 from the white trash bag.

The man was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, second-degree malicious mischief, interfering with reporting of domestic violence and threats.

There was some screaming and yelling but no gunshots.

Thieves have struck another public safety agency.

Earlier this week, we had a story about life jackets being stolen from Spanaway Lake. The free program is sponsored by Central Pierce Fire & Rescue.

Today, we got a press release from the Lewis County Sheriff's Office. It seems thieves also have targeted them.

Here's the release:

Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield is imploring citizens to help in the recovery of essential Search and Rescue equipment which was stolen Wednesday night from a storage shop in the Onalaska area.

Taken by thieves:

• White 16 foot enclosed cargo trailer bearing Washington License 0795NR
• 2003 Double Delight Snowmobile trailer, 14 feet long marked with Mossyrock Search and Rescue bearing Washington License 8816PZ
• 1995 Gray NWCT, 20 foot trailer bearing Washington 8587TL
• 1986 Honda ATV 3 Wheeler – currently inoperable

The total loss is approximately $9,000.

“This isn’t just a theft out of someone’s garage this is one of those despicable acts that has the potential to jeopardize how we conduct business in the delivery of search and rescue services.” said Sheriff Mansfield.

A possible suspect vehicle is a dark gray, late 90’s model Dodge extra cab pick up with large tires, and chrome wheels

The Sheriff’s Office is asking for citizens with any information on this theft to call 911 or Crime Stoppers immediately. Rewards are available for information provided which leads to the conviction and/or recovery of the stolen property. Callers may remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers may be reached at 1-800-748-6422.

A young man was sentenced to nearly two years in prison this morning after he pleaded guilty to charges in a January 2007 car crash that killed his friend.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Kitty-Ann van Doorninck sentenced Carlos Espino, 20, to 20 months in prison during the morning hearing.

Espino pleaded guilty last month to vehicular homicide by disregard for the safety of others in the Jan. 21, 2007, crash that killed Logan Thomas Gowdy, 18.

Espino was behind the wheel of a 1987 Ford Bronco early that morning when it went out of control and rolled on Key Peninsula near Lackey Road and South Vaughn Road KPN. Espino and Gowdy (pictured here) were ejected from the vehicle. Gowdy, a Lakebay resident, died at the scene; Espino was treated for his injuries.

An analysis of Espino's blood revealed the presence of alcohol and marijuana in his system, according to court documents.

Espino wrote in his plea of guilty:

On January 21, 2007, in Pierce County, I was driving my car. I had been out with my friends and we were going to someone's home. I was driving too fast for the conditions of the road which was icy in spots. I failed to slow down sufficiently for the turn, lost control of the vehicle which rolled. My friend Logan Gowdy was a passenger in my car. As a direct result of my driving he was injured and died from those injuries.

Espino faced 15 to 20 months in prison, deputy prosecutor Kevin Benton said. The prosecutor and defense attorney made an agreed recommendation of 20 months, which the judge imposed.

Among other things, he also has to undergo an alcohol evaluation and follow the recommended treatment. He will be subject to 18 to 36 months of probation once he's released from prison.

Espino was taken into custody after the hearing Friday to start serving the sentence, Benton said.

"People have to learn from this," he added.

(Photo of Logan is from a MySpace page set up in his honor.)

We're too late for the print edition on this one, but the Pierce County Sheriff's Department was investigating an unusual carjacking Thursday evening.

According to spokeswoman Det. Lynelle Anderson:

The victim told police he was at a self-storage facility in the 7600 block of River Road. Around 8 p.m., a black Chevy pickup pulled up. There were three people inside. One pointed a gun at the victim and demanded his wallet and they keys to his Chevy Silverado.

Here's where it gets a little odd. The victim said the carjackers ordered him into the back of their pickup truck while one of them drove off in his vehicle.

He was dropped off in the 5600 block of 66th Avenue. Deputies discovered his credit card had been used at one of the Emerald Queen Casinos.

Listen to excerpts from my interview with Robert "The Traveller" Hill after he was booted from a Tacoma City Council meeting on Tuesday. (Sorry about the wind noise.)

Clip 1:
"I've never been caught with any firearm or weapon on me..."

Clip 2:
"I was only two-thirds hearing on the connection..."

Clip 3:
"The only thing that's bugging me..."

After a six-month hiatus, the Auburn Police Department once again has a Parking Enforcement Officer, according to this news release.

AUBURN, Wash. – July 17, 2008 – The City of Auburn Police Department is pleased to welcome Andrew Bond as the department’s new Parking Enforcement Officer.

This is a position that has been vacant for approximately six months. Bond’s duties will entail enforcing parking laws throughout the city, including the timed parking lots in the downtown area and handling abandoned vehicle calls.

Bond spent many years as an Explorer and is currently studying at Green River Community College with hopes of becoming a police officer. He will complete training and begin his duties the first week of August.

The FBI has released statistics for bank robberies that occurred between Oct. 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2007. (The fourth quarter of the year.)

There are no comparisons to the previous quarters or yearly totals.

In the state of Washington, there were 50 bank robberies and three bank burglaries during the time period.

There were 1,561 bank robberies throughout the country, with more than $24.5 million taken.

To read more, click here.

The state Supreme Court ruled today that officers cannot arrest every occupant of a car if the officer smells drugs in the vehicle.

It was a unanimous, landmark decision on a Skagit County case.

Here's the court opinion.

Semaj Booker, Tacoma's well-known runaway with a penchant for getting through airport security, was ordered to remain in juvenile detention this morning.

Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson said he was concerned about the stability of Semaj's home and the boy's mental health. Semaj has been at Remann Hall since his arrest last month on allegations of residential burglary. He's been charged in that case.

Cuthbertson ordered a mental health evaluation for the 11-year-old boy and requested more information about his life.

The judge held open the possibility that Semaj could be released into his mother's custody after those reports are provided.

Read Adam's blog post about Semaj's latest problems at Remann Hall here.

A burn ban in Pierce County starts this morning.

Pierce County Fire Marshal Wayne Wienholz announced the ban, which starts at 8 a.m., earlier this week.

Here's the reasoning, as relayed in a press release from the county.

Prompted by dry and hot weather, the phase 1 ban will be in effect until further notice. Phase 1 applies to all outdoor burning except small recreational fires in established fire pits at approved camp grounds or on private property with the owner's permission. Persons with approved DNR burn permits may call 1-800-323-BURN for burn ban information. Phase 2, which is rarely called, bans all recreational burning, even in approved firepits.

Pierce County deputy prosecutor Fred Wist tells Lights & Sirens that Semaj Booker destroyed the mattress in his room at the Remann Hall juvenile detention center earlier this week.

Semaj caused $175 damage to the mattress, said Wist, who hasn't decided whether to prosecute the 11-year-old boy for his latest alleged transgression.

Semaj was confined to juvenile detention earlier this month after being arrested for allegedly breaking into a Tacoma apartment and lying to police.

A judge will hold a hearing Thursday to determine whether he should stay in detention or be released to the custody of his mother while that case plays out.

The boy twice made national headlines recently for making his way to Sea-Tac Airport and either boarding or trying to board a jet.

A reader sent us several photos of folks not wearing their life jackets near Pt. Defiance today.

These photos were taken at about 1:00 7.16.2008 of an open canoe under tow by a cabin cruiser headed north toward Pt. Defiance. None of the ten or so occupants of the canoe are wearing life jackets. Two people in the canoe MIGHT be children. Based on long experience, including rescuing drowned boat and diving victims in the Narrows, I know these waters are deadly dangerous. The Tacoma police was notified at approximately 1:10.

Here's a news release from the Washington State Patrol about an automated license plate reader at two ferry terminals -- if it's successful the program may be expanded.

WSP STARTS PILOT PROGRAM TO CHECK LICENSE PLATES AT TWO FERRY TERMINALS

(Seattle)-- The Washington State Patrol has begun testing a camera system designed to automatically check the license plates of every vehicle entering two of the state’s busiest ferry terminals.

An Automatic License Plate Recognition System (ALPR) is now in place at Colman Dock and at the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal. The test system reads the license plates of every vehicle entering those terminals, digitizes the number, and checks it against four very critical lists.

“Recognition of the plate may be automatic, but any action is still taken by live police officers using discretion and good judgment,” said Capt. Mark Thomas, head of WSP’s Homeland Security Division. “The system simply alerts troopers to vehicles that might warrant some extra attention.”

The system will check to see if:
· the vehicle is stolen,
· if there is an AMBER Alert for the vehicle,
· if a subject associated with the vehicle is wanted for a serious crime, or
· if the license plate is associated with a known or suspected terrorist.

The ALPR system is capable of taking photographs in any conditions, day or night. If a match is detected, an alarm goes off at a WSP command center, and troopers are dispatched to first verify the plate and then inquire of the vehicle occupants.

License plate photos are stored for 60 days and then completely purged from the system. This system does not take pictures of vehicle occupants. Registered owner information from vehicles photographed is not stored or maintained in any database associated with ALPR.

If the test is successful, WSP may seek funding to expand ALPR to other ferry terminals.

Our news partner, KIRO-TV, is reporting that the man who punched a 60-year-old Seattle resident after a confrontation at a traffic circle is now in police custody.

Go here to see the station's story.

I uploaded audio from Tuesday's Tacoma City Council meeting to YouTube so that you can hear Robert "The Travller" Hill's comments that got him kicked out of the meeting. Mayor Bill Baarsma gives him two warnings and tells Hill he's "being disruptive to the orderly conduct of the council meeting." When Hill presses on with his schtick of pretending to be phoning in instead of standing in the Council chambers, he gets the boot.

Hill's campaign for Pierce County sheriff recently ended when he was convicted of forgery. On Friday, Pierce County filed court paperwork seeking to strip Hill's name from the ballot.

Hill is also known for bringing fake guns to public meetings and agitating on behalf of masturbation.

Former Puyallup Fire Deputy Chief Kelvin Johnson has been sworn into a new post in Chehalis.

And he had a little excitement his first day on the job.

Read The Chronicle's story here.

The daughters of Gerald Munce, who was gunned down by his father last month, have sued their grandfather for wrongful death.

Kristy Rickey and Kelley Cavar filed the suit in Superior Court on Monday.

They claim their grandfather, 81-year-old Clarence Munce, breached his duty to "properly exercise reasonable care and control of his deadly weapons" when he hit his 58-year-old son with a golf club before shooting him in the back, killing him.

Munce has pleaded not guilty in criminal court to one count of first-degree murder in his son's death. He told investigators he was just trying to scare his son when he fired a gun in his direction after the two argued over a hood ornament.

Rickey and Cavar say otherwise in their suit, which seeks monetary damages for medical care and funeral expenses for their father and mental pain and suffering experienced by them since his death.

Clarence Munce's actions showed a "callous disregard for the safety and well-being of decedent and are not only negligent, but so far beyond the pale of human decency, that the constitute a tort of outrage," according to the lawsuit.

The sisters also asked that Munce's assets be frozen so he can't sell off his property or protect his cash in a way to become "judgment proof."

The civil case is scheduled for a hearing July 30.

This info comes from Tony Judd, Operations Chief for Graham Fire & Rescue about the fire July 8th at 22723 Meridian Ave East:

We were dispatched to the fire at 3:15 pm. Our first engine arrived at 3:19 pm to find smoke coming from behind the 2 story house. The fire was on the outside of the house and had worked its way up the exterior of the building and into the attic. The crews quickly extinguished the exterior fire and made entry into the house. They then pulled the ceiling into the attic to extinguish the attic fire. The fire was under control in less than 15 minutes from our arrival. No injuries occurred.

There was no damage to the shop behind the house and no one was living in the house. The fire was investigated by the Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Sorry for the last minute notice ...

Buckley-area residents are invited to a meeting TONIGHT to hear from law enforcement officials and others about the latest news in the world of meth.

The forum is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Buckley Multipurpose Senior Center, 811 Main Street.

Traffic might unclog quicker under a new towing plan from the Washington State Patrol that's aimed at removing disabled and blocking cars from the highways in a speedier fashion.

The new instant-towing plan in Pierce and Thurston counties begins Wednesday.

Under the plan, State Patrol dispatchers will use state Department of Transportation cameras or at least two citizen phone calls to confirm a tow is needed. They will then call a tow company to respond to the scene as troopers also are responding.

Before the new plan, a tow truck was dispatched AFTER a trooper responded to the scene AND confirmed a tow truck was needed to remove a blocking and disabled car, the State Patrol reported.

Under the new plan, DOT officials estimate disabled vehicles will be towed away 15 minutes quicker. It will all depend, of course, on the time of day, traffic volume and how many lanes are available to drivers and how many are blocked.

"Response times vary when troopers respond to a disabled vehicle or collision blocking lanes," trooper Brandy Kessler wrote in a press release. "A lane can be blocked for up to 15 minutes depending on the distance a trooper has to travel to reach the scene."

Two women were taken to the hospital early today after a one-car crash along State Route 162 in eastern Pierce County.

Both were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup for treatment, the Washington State Patrol reported.

The crash occurred just before 2 a.m. on State Route 162 around milepost 13.

The State Patrol said the car of the Geo Metro was westbound on SR 162 when the car left the roadway and struck the guardrail on the right. The car continued westbound and struck a bridge, then came to rest under the bridge.

Drugs and/or alcohol was suspected.

Lakewood police raided a home and business full of suspected forged auto parts Sunday after the owner was arrested at a Pennsylvania car show over the weekend.

Investigators returned to Layson’s Restoratons, 3107 106th St. S., on Monday to continue looking into allegations the owner was selling forged Chrysler car parts, from headlights to metal emblems, Lakewood Assistant Police Chief Mike Zaro said.

“It’s a pretty extensive deal,” he said. “It’s going to be a part that looks real but it’s forged.”

The owner has not yet been charged in Pierce County in connection with the case.

Chrysler Corp. started investigating the business three years ago and tried to get the man to stop selling the suspected forged parts. He was also overcharging customers.

Zaro said the corporation got frustrated and contacted law enforcement.

The owner was arrested Saturday at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pa., after he allegedly sold some of the fake parts to undercover officers, Pennsylvania television station, WGAL, reported.

Agents seized about 1,000 car parts, many of them for headlights, the station reported.

The officers also notified Lakewood police, who executed search warrants on the man’s home and business warehouse Sunday, Zaro said.

“We’ve been working with the Chrysler investigators out at the warehouse, identifying the auto parts that are forged,” he said.

Lakewood investigators were talking with the man’s current and former employees to find out more about the operation.

“He’s having somebody made his own auto parts,” Zaro said. “They are doing it at his behest.”

No other arrests have been made so far.

“It’s got the potential to really explode in lots of different directions,” Zaro said of the investigation.

UPDATE: Layson's owner Dave Layson released a statement denying "any wrongdoing."

Read it after the jump.

=> Read more!

Pierce County prosecutors on Monday charged a man with a history of drug convictions in the hit-and-run death of a woman run down by a car while walking home from lunch.

Pleas of not guilty were entered on behalf of Anthony Paul Cisco, 40, during his arraignment in Superior Court. Cisco was charged with vehicular homicide, failure to remain at the scene of an accident and driving without a license in the death of Rebecca Ann Wilkie-Moore.

Superior Court Judge James Orlando ordered Cisco jailed in lieu of $150,000 at the request of deputy prosecutor Kevin Benton.

Benton cited Cisco's criminal record, which includes 11 felony convictions since 1985, in requesting the bail amount.

Cisco was last convicted in Pierce County of heroin possession. He received a three-year sentence in March 2005.

Public defender Lisa Contris represented Cisco at Monday's arraignment. She did not argue the bail amount, reserving that argument for the lawyer permanently assigned to represent him.

Prosecutors contend Cisco was at the wheel of a Mazda RX7 (seen here) that struck Wilkie-Moore, 43, as she walked along Purdy Drive Northwest on Friday afternoon.

Her son, Christian Wilkie-Moore (seen here with his mother in a family photo), said Monday his mother was on her way home from lunch at the time.

"She was the most amazing gift from God anybody could ever ask for," Moore said at a news conference following Cisco's arraignment. "She was just full of life all the time."

Wilkie-Moore was the mother of two and made her living by delivering newspapers for The News Tribune. She'd worked for the newspaper for more than a decade, said her supervisor, Bob Cowan, most recently delivering papers in the Cromwell area near Gig Harbor.

"She was very dependable," Cowan said. "She was very independent and very self-motivated."

Witnesses said the Mazda RX7 was northbound on Purdy Drive when it veered "well onto the shoulder" and hit Wilkie-Moore. The car stopped for a moment then took off at high speed, witnesses told investigators.

A man who works nearby followed the Mazda and ultimately told police how to find the driver, who later was identified as Cisco (seen here in the orange jail suit).

Deputies reported that Cisco showed signs of intoxication, according to charging documents, saying he "was having trouble staying awake, appearing groggy and sleepy."

Cisco is next scheduled in court in August.

The Border Patrol sent out this press release:

Lynden, Wash. –Lynden Border Patrol Agents seize duffel bags containing marijuana and arrest three suspected narcotic smugglers.

Early Monday morning, Lynden Border Patrol agents responded to an alert indicating the presence of individuals in an area commonly used by narcotics smugglers along East Boundary Road. Upon arriving in the area, Border Patrol agents discovered foot tracks suggesting an illegal entry into the United States. Border Patrol agents, including a service K-9 Unit, began searching the area. Agents discovered two large duffle bags and three individuals attempting to conceal themselves in the brush. The duffle bags contained 115 pounds of what was thought to be “BC Bud,” a type of potent marijuana grown in British Columbia.

The marijuana and all three suspects were transported to the Lynden Border Patrol Station for further investigation. From October of 2007 to June 2008, Blaine Sector Border Patrol agents have seized 2106 pounds of marijuana.

The driver suspected of hitting and killing a Purdy mother as she walked along the roadway Friday evening is expected to make his first court appearance this afternoon.

The man was booked into Pierce County Jail after a witness to the deadly hit-and-run crash followed the driver to Kitsap County and called 911.

He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, failure to remain at the scene of an injury accident and driving with a suspended license.

The woman killed was Rebecca Wilkie-Moore, 43, a mother of two.

In an e-mail to The News Tribune, a reader said Wilkie-Moore was a long-standing contractor for The News Tribune. She delivered papers in the Gig Harbor-area.

"At the time of her death, we all have been completely blind sided by this tragedy, and as fellow carriers miss her dearly, she was a fun person to be around," the reader said. "...Becky was a very good person and did nothing to deserve this."

It appears at least two men on a list of 50 wanted Pierce County offenders targeted in a gas card giveaway campaign have been arrested.

Alberto Molinari Jr. and Tyler McCoy were booked into Pierce County Jail on Friday, according to the online jail roster and in-custody arraignment list.

Their names are among 50 domestic violence violators, sex offenders, gangsters and other criminals who are being targeted in a campaign launched Friday by Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $250 gas card AND up to $1,000 for information leading to the capture of the 50 men and women.

Find the offenders here.

Molinari, 22, was wanted on suspicion of domestic violence-related charges. He was booked into the jail just after 10:30 a.m. Friday.

McCoy, 27, was on TPD's most wanted list because he's been charged with multiple counts of first-degree identity theft.

UPDATE: The Pierce County Sheriff's Department has learned another man on the list - George Trupp - died in an airplane crash, spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Investigators have learned two others are living out of state. They've notified law enforcement officers in those states.

And the tips continue to come in.

"We are getting a lot of calls and people are engaged in it," Troyer said.

A 38-year-old Pierce County woman was arrested Sunday, accused of trying to prevent investigators from talking to her two children, 7 and 10, after their father was charged with incest, molestation and rape.

The News Tribune is not naming either parent to protect the identities of the children.

The mother was charged with two counts of tampering with a witness, a felony, and one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor.

According to a prosecutor's affidavit filed Friday:

Investigators executing a search warrant July 1 found what they suspect is semen in the bedroom of an 18-year-old daughter who moved out (and reported being abused to police) and in the room a 7-year-old daughter still living at the home. No semen was found in the couple's bedroom.

On July 1, a Child Protect Services worked called the mother to arrange an interview with the children. The CPS worker was not called back and she called again on July 2. The mother told the CPS worker to call her attorney, Lauren Gotchy.

The CPS worker called Gotchy, who said to make an appointment with the mother. The next day, the CPS worker called the mother again and gave her until 11 a.m. the to call back. She also faxed a letter to Gotchy saying the children needed to be interviewed or they would be taken into protective custody.

Gotchy called the CPS worker back about 6 p.m. and said she'd set up an interview. The CPS worker also called the Pierce County Sheriff's Department to let them know she was unable to arrange to interview the children.

A Sheriff's detective reported that on July 8, he called Gotchy to stress that the children needed to be interviewed. Gotchy said she'd call the mother and then called the detective back.

The next day, on July 9, the detective left another message. Later that day Gotchy called the detective to say that he would not be able to interview the children because they were leaving for a trip to Virginia at 5 a.m. the next day. She told the detective if he wanted to talk to them he'd have to get a court order.

Prosecutor Mary Robnett wrote that she called Gotchy on July 9 and was told Gotchy didn't know where the children were and wouldn't say where they were going because it was privileged information.

Robnett wrote:

Gotchy asked if she could call me back and she did not call, however, Bradley Johnson called me and said he employs Gotchy, Gotchy does not represent the defendant, Gotchy does not represent the children and that neither he nor Gotchy have any knowledge that the children are going anywhere.

That evening, the detective contacted the children's aunt at SeaTac airport.

The aunt reported that the children were planning to leave for Virginia, but she said plans had changed. The aunt said there was supposed to be a big family meeting in the morning but she refused to elaborate. The aunt also refused to divulge where the children were that night.

The next day, July 10, an attorney Anthony Gasher called the detective to say he had been retained by the mother to represent the children.

Detective Merod told Grasher the children needed to be interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center at 9:30 on July 11th. Grasher told Merod the children would not agree to be tape recorded.

On July 11, 2008 the children did not arrive at the Child Advocacy Center. At about 10:30 am, this declarant telephoned Grasher who stated that he did not bring the children in because he had not gotten a return call from me. Grasher agreed to have the children at the Child Advocacy Center for an interview at 1pm on Monday July 14th.

Both parents were still in jail Sunday.

A 17-year-old was shot and killed at a fast food restaurant in Kent Saturday evening, police said in news release.

According to it, about 20 young men were arguing just after 7 p.m. in the entry to an Arby's, located at 317 East Smith Street, when one pulled out a gun and fired.

The 17-year-old, who was not identified, was struck in the head and died at the scene, the release said. Police and fire personnel weren't able to revive him.

The suspect, who is believed to be between 17 and 24, ran from the scene.

Kent Police asked anyone with information to contact them at 253-856-5800 or call Puget Sound Crime Stoppers at 800-CRIME-13.

The Tacoma Police Department has posted on its Web site the May monthly reports for the city's four sectors and several speciality units.

The reports can be found here.

The department investigated three homicides during May. Here's some highlights of other police activity from the reports.

Sector 1: Officers busted a marijuana grow operation in the 700 block of South Sheridan Avenue. They seized 12 plants, a shotgun, a handgun and a rifle from inside the house.

As a result of a drive-by shooting in the 2000 block of South J Street, community liaison officer Greg Hopkins worked with the landlord to evict the tenants. Officers had received complaints about a large amount of gang activity there.

Sector 2: The community liaison officers (CLOs) were working on a plan to deal with an on-going problem in the 1200 block of South Pine Street. The location had been generating "a majority of the calls in the 2 Sector for the past three months." The house was in foreclosure and the tenants should now be gone.

Officers were investigating a report that a man was feeding drugs to female students at Wilson High School and forcing them to sell his drugs and commit sex acts.

Sector 3: CLOs were working on a plan to address issues at Skip Vaughn Park in the 6400 block of Wapato Street. The park had become popular and attracted a criminal element. Officers were conducting special emphasis missions to reduce crime.

Sector 4: Officers found a meth lab in a trailer parked on a piece of property in the 1800 block of East 34th Street. One person was arrested.

=> Read more!

I've run across some news stories about the hallucinogenic plant salvia divinorum in the last couple days and thought I'd post something here.

The common herb, which is part of the mint family, is illegal in several states but (as far as I've been able to tell), is legal in Washington.

According to sagewisdom.org, a site devoted to the drug:

Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Delaware, Maine, North Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia, and Florida are the only states in the USA that currently have state-wide laws prohibiting possession of Salvia divinorum.

It's becoming increasingly popular with teens and seems to be relatively easy to obtain. A quick search on YouTube will show you what I mean.

Here's a video that shows one teen falling down and gasping like a fish after smoking it.

A contingent of local law enforcement officers will be patrolling the streets of Fircrest and University Place tonight.

They'll be looking for drunken drivers as part of its monthly emphasis. They'll also be citing drivers for speeding, weaving, driving aggressively and other traffic violations.

The patrols start at 8 p.m.

Extra police dispatchers will be working as part of the emphasis. Citizens are asked to call 911 to report problem drivers.

Karen Kim of the Red Cross called to report that her agency is providing services to a person whose duplex unit burned today in the 9700 block of South Croft Street just south of the Tacoma city limits near Pacific Avenue.

We'll try to get more details.

The FBI is seeking information about a man charged in federal court with transporting a 16-year-old Tacoma girl across state lines for prostitution.

Federal agents believe Marquis Jaurod Moon may have coerced more girls in the Tacoma area to work as prostitutes, according to a news release issued by the FBI this afternoon.

They are asking anyone with information about Moon's activities since October to call their Seattle office, 206-622-0460.

Tacoma police arrested Moon, 27, on June 4 after they stopped a car in which he was a passenger. Local authorities later turned him over to the FBI.

Agents contend in court documents that Moon took the girl from Tacoma to Portland in late September and made her work as a prostitute. He also used the Internet to advertise her services, the news release states.

Tacoma police officers wrote at least 17 tickets to people setting off fireworks in the city and confiscated more than 500 pounds of explosives during a nine-day enforcement emphasis.

Those are the preliminary figures released today by the police department. The exact number of tickets written for violating the city's fireworks ordinance won't be known until the department receives information from Tacoma Municipal Court, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Some officers wrote citations while on regular patrol, while others might not have logged all their tickets written during July 3-6. Police commanders believe between 25 and 30 tickets were written.

Under city ordinance, all fireworks are banned.

The department has been criticized in the past for not enforcing the ban aggressively enough.

This year, the department put together enforcement teams that hit the streets between June 28 and July 6, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. each day.

In addition to the tickets, officers seized more than 500 pounds of fireworks, Fulghum said. They were all quickly destroyed. That's double 250 pounds confiscated last year.

During the enforcement period, 835 fireworks-complaints were called into 911. Officers working as part of the fireworks emphasis or on regular patrol were dispatched to about more than half of the calls. Because of staffing issues and other calls, officers were not dis

The number of 911 calls was significantly lower than the 918 calls logged last year, Fulghum said.

"There were less calls for service, which is going in the right direction," he said.

The department is already looking at plans and adjustments for next year's fireworks enforcement.

"We've already started looking at next year's enforcement to make it even better," Fulghum said.

Two pedestrians have been injured after being struck by a car at South 72nd Street and Pacific Avenue.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum described the injuries to one of the pedestrians as "very serious."

The crash occurred at 1:55 p.m. The car was stopped and the driver contacted, Fulghum said.

Patrol officers were blocking off the intersection so traffic officers could investigate what happened. They are also blocking off streets around the crash scene.

"This will be a traffic mess for some time to come," Fulghum said. He advised drivers to stay away from the area.

As officers responded to that crash, another collision was reported just after 2 p.m. at South 64th Street and Pacific Avenue. Two cars were involved in that collision, with one car rolling over and trapping an occupant.

Minor injuries were reported in the second crash.

The two accidents are not related, Fulghum said.

UPDATE 1: Officers are asking for forensics at the scene of the South 72nd Street crash.

They've also ordered several barricades.

UPDATE 2: Our news partners, KIRO TV, has posted a slideshow of images from the scene on their web site.

You can find their story and photos here.

UPDATE 3: News Tribune photographer Joe Barrentine went to the scene of both crashes and filed these shots.

The first is of a Tacoma police detective looking at the cracked windshield of the car that struck the two pedestrians at South 72nd Street and Pacific Avenue.

The second is of the overturned car at South 64th and Pacific.

UPDATE 4: Here's the latest details on what happened.

Two women were injured - one seriously - when they were struck by a car as they tried to cross Pacific Avenue on Friday afternoon in the South End.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum described the injuries to one of the pedestrians as “very serious.” She struck the car’s windshield hard, cracking and indenting the glass.

The conditions of the women, described as in the mid-20s, were unknown. Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The crash occurred at 1:55 p.m. The women had gotten off a bus and were crossing Pacific Avenue in a crosswalk, Fulghum said.

A woman driving the car was headed south on Pacific when she struck the pedestrians, Fulghum said.

Witnesses gave conflicting stories on whether the driver or the pedestrian had the right of way. After a preliminary investigation, officers suspect the driver had the right of way, Fulghum said.

I just had a "Holy crap!" moment while reading this press release from U.S. Border Patrol.

BLAINE, WASH – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Pacific Highway Port of Entry arrested a 31-year-old Surrey, British Columbia, man for attempting to smuggle into the United States over one million dollars concealed in the cab of his commercial truck.

Navraj Bal was taken into custody on July 10 by CBP officers when a x-ray of his tractor/trailer combination revealed an anomaly in both sleeping bunks located in the berth of his cab. A narcotics detector canine named “Rover” was employed to search and alerted to the bunk area. Officers then conducted a thorough search of the bunks and determined that both contained modified compartments.

Using pry bars and other tools, officers retrieved a total of 22 vacuum sealed plastic bags from the two bunks which contained a total of $1,130,080 dollars. Bal was immediately taken into custody and turned over to agents of U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE).

Bal was also a voluntary participant in the Free And Secure Trade (FAST) program, which is a US/Canada trusted traveler effort to provide expedited entry of approved commercial truck drivers crossing the northern border. A violation of this program subjects the participant to prosecution under the fullest extent of the law.

Federal law requires the reporting of all negotiable monetary instruments in excess of $10,000 when imported into or exported from the United States. Smuggling large sums of currency can result in an arrest and heavy fines. “Experience tells us that this is the criminal element attempting to circumvent the law of honest work and wages,” said Assistant Port Director Lynn Gardner. “While our focus is on terrorism prevention, interruption of the financial proceeds of crime is just as important to our law enforcement mission.”

This is the largest currency seizure ever in the Blaine area port system surpasses the previous records of $450,000 in July 2001 and a $373,000 at the Sumas Port of Entry in December 2007.

U.S. District Judge Franklin Burgess today sentenced a 59-year-old Spanaway man to five years in federal prison for growing pot, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle.

David Martin Berger previously pleaded guilty in federal court in Tacoma to one count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.

In fall 2006, sheriff's deputies raided three indoor growing operations run by Berger in Pierce and Thurston counties, according to court records.

They found more than 400 marijuana plants growing at the three locations, the records state.

Local authorities turned the case over to federal prosecutors because two previous stints in state prison for drug convictions "appeared to have little deterrent effect" on Berger, according to the news release.

Said Burgess to Berger before the sentence was announced: "It’s time to face the music and get this behind you.”

The federal Internet Crime Complaint Center has complied a list of tips for avoiding charity scams.

These are the scam artists that try to capitalize on incidents such as natural disasters by saying they are raising money for the cause.

In reality, they are raising money for themselves.

Among the center's tips:

* Do not respond to unsolicited (SPAM) e-mail.

* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting via e-mail for donations.

* Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.

Find more tips here.

I've got a story in today's paper about a new campaign from the Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers.

The organization is offering $250 gas cards AND up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrests of 50 wanted criminals.

Read the story here.

Check out the 50 offenders on Crime Stopper's Web site.

UPDATE: Ed Troyer, the PIO for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and executive director of Crime Stoppers, says the tips are already coming in on the 50 offenders.

There's some radio traffic of another brush fire at Point Defiance park near Salmon Beach.

Doesn't sound too big right now.

Here's the press release from the Border Patrol:

Lynden, Wash. – Lynden Border Patrol agent and service K-9 respond to call for assistance from the Lynden Police Department.

Last night a Border Patrol Agent K-9 handler en route to work responded to a call from the Lynden Police Department requesting assistance in locating a subject who fled the scene of a domestic violence incident in Lynden. Upon arriving at the scene, the Border Patrol and service K-9 began searching the subject’s last known location. After a short search of the area, the service K-9 alerted to the potential presence of a hidden human or contraband. A male suspect was located and taken into Lynden police custody without incident.

Border Patrol canine units are an invaluable tool used to gain and maintain operational control of our nation’s border. Border Patrol agents and their service K-9 partners undergo a complex and continuous training regimen to maintain their skills in searching for the presence of illegal contraband and humans.

(Revised and updated)

A young man accused in a drunken driving crash that killed his passenger has been sentenced in the 2007 accident.

Michael Lee Holly, now 19, pleaded guilty June 5 to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in the Feb. 20 crash that killed Jennie Mattlab, 19, and injured five others. (Holly was one of those injured. Another person was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center but, as it turned out, suffered only minor injuries. The remaining three suffered more serous injuries.)

In making his guilty plea, Holly wrote:

"On February 20th, 2007 in the state of Washington, in the county of Pierce, I drove my motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and drugs (marijuana) and I caused the injuries to Jennie Mattlab, Franklin Tauanu, John Krause and Nikko Serrano. Jennie Mattlab later died of these injuries."

He was sentenced Wednesday to reportedly 50 months in prison for vehicular homicide and 14 months on the vehicular assault.

Prosecutors had alleged that Holly was drunk and on drugs when he ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of South 48th and South M streets.

He had told investigators he drank one and a half beers and smoked a bowl of marijuana at 8 p.m. the night before the crash.

John Bananola

Brian Eggleston

In a unanimous decision, the state Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of Brian Eggleston, who was convicted of killing a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy during a police raid in 1995.

Eggleston has been tried three times and twice been convicted in the case. His first conviction was overturned because of several trial errors.

He was convicted of second-degree murder in the Oct. 15, 1995, death of John Bananola. Prosecutors had argued Eggleston knowingly killed a police officer during the retrial and a Pierce County Superior Court judge imposed an exceptional sentence.

Eggleston appealed the conviction, arguing, in part, that double jeopardy precluded his second conviction.

The state Supreme Court justices found the “double jeopardy clause did not prevent Eggleston's retrial on the ‘law enforcement’ aggravating factor,” Justice Barbara Madsen wrote in the majority opinion.

"Hopefully this will put an end to it," Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. "It's been a tough period for everybody in our department."

There was a majority opinion and two concurrences filed today.

Find the opinions in the latest Eggleston ruling here.

Here's a timeline of the well-known Eggleston case. (It was compiled in 2005 by former News Tribune courts reporter Karen Hucks.)

Oct. 16, 1995: Pierce County sheriff's deputies raided Brian Eggleston's house at 902 E. 52nd St. shortly before 8 a.m. A shootout left deputy John Bananola dead and Eggleston wounded. Prosecutors charged Eggleston with aggravated first-degree murder and sought to have him executed.

1997: At Eggleston's first trial, jurors convicted him of four drug charges and first-degree assault, but hung, 10-2 in favor of conviction, on the murder charge. He was sentenced to nearly 20 years on the drug and assault charges.

1998: At a second trial, prosecutors again sought the death penalty for aggravated murder. Jurors convicted Eggleston of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. A judge sentenced him to 29 years in prison.

The state Court of Appeals in Tacoma overturned the assault and murder convictions, saying Eggleston hadn't gotten a fair trial either time. Errors included unfair jury instructions, illegally seized evidence and misconduct by a juror who told others about Eggleston's earlier assault and drug convictions.

2002: At his third trial, prosecutors sought the highest charges they could bring given his earlier convictions: second-degree murder and first-degree assault. Jurors convicted him on both counts and the judge sentenced him to 48 1/2 years in prison.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department reports that its hiring campaign that involves ads on the Pierce Transit buses and outdoor billboards appears to be working.

The outdoor ads seeking applicants for corrections officer positions started appearing last fall.

In the first quarter of 2008, the department received 636 applications. That's up 65 percent from 397 applications received during the last quarter of 2007, the county reports.

The number of those applicants taking the required tests also have increased - going from 147 to 297 - when comparing the two time periods.

The campaign is scheduled to continue through December and likely will start up again next year.

Nine corrections officers are scheduled to start this month. There are another 10 vacancies.

Pierce County prosecutors filed a second-degree child assault charge Wednesday against a 23-year-old man suspected of burning and beating a toddler who was left at a Tacoma hospital over the weekend.

A plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of Todd Martin Booth at his arraignment in Superior Court. Judge Rosanne Buckner ordered Booth jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail at the recommendation of prosecutors, who said Booth's criminal history and failure to appear at other court dates in unrelated cases required a high bail amount.

Three women have sought protection orders against Booth since 2004, and he has criminal convictions for theft, attempted possession of stolen property, third-degree assault and carrying a concealed weapon, according to court records.

The public defender who represented Booth at his arraignment did not oppose the bail amount. The attorney reserved that argument for a future defense lawyer who will permanently represent him.

Sheriff's deputies began investigating the case after the 18-month-old boy was dropped off at a hospital Sunday by a woman who had been caring for the child at the request of his mother. The toddler had burns on his feet, bruising and other signs of abuse, authorities said.

Investigators released Booth's name and photograph to the news media Tuesday after interviewing the child's mother, who is thought to be a prostitute who works for Booth.
He surrendered to authorities Tuesday evening.

The man suspected of abusing and torturing a toddler, who was later abandoned and taken to a Tacoma hospital last weekend, is scheduled to make his first court appearance today.

The 23-year-old man turned himself into authorities late Tuesday, hours after Pierce County sheriff's detectives released his picture in connection with the abuse case.

The suspect was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault of a child. The News Tribune is not naming until he's been charged in the case.

A woman dropped the toddler off at a Tacoma hospital on Sunday. The 18-month-old boy had significant injuries that were indicative of abuse and torture. He had burns on his feet, bruises and other injuries.

The woman, however, said she didn't know who the boy was or who he mother was.

Investigators found the mother, believed to be a prostitute working for the suspect, late Monday and questioned her Tuesday. They identified the man as the suspect in the child's abuse later in the afternoon.

The boy was treated at the hospital and released to a foster home. He's in protective custody.

Pierce County jail records show the suspect sought in connection with the abused toddler dropped off at a hospital Sunday was arrested about 8:30 p.m.

He was booked on suspicion of second-degree assault of a child. His bail was listed at $10,000. The News Tribune is not naming him because he has not been charged by prosecutors.

Update: The man came to the jail with his father and turned himself in, Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Reader Marc Johnson sent us this information and photo from a house fire in Graham today.

I was driving home and I saw this large response to a structure fire in the 22700 block of Meridian Ave in Graham. They had both northbound lanes blocked of meridian. Five engines, two battalion chiefs, a tender(tanker truck) and a medic unit responded from Graham Fire. Central Pierce responded mutual aid with an engine. I have attached the photo I took. They had to pipe in the water to the house/structure. I am not sure on the damage.

I finally got around to checking on it this evening because I've been working on the toddler abuse story all afternoon.

A firefighter answered and said he was going to get his lieutenant for me to talk to, but then I was put into voicemail, so I don't have anything more right now.

Thieves have again targeted Department of Transportation property to steal valuable wire.

Someone pulled the wire that provides the lighting for the Washington State Patrol scale house on State Route 7 near Spanaway on July 1, transportation officials reported.

The State Patrol maintains the site but the land is owned and operated by DOT.

Officials report this incident is the 95th reported wire theft in the Olympic Region since December 2006. That region covers Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Grays Harbor, Clallam, Jefferson and Mason counties.

Transportation crews half spent $500,000 to repair and replace stole wire.

Officials encourage anyone who spots suspicious activity to call 911. Anyone with information on wire theft is asked to call the State Patrol's tip line at 1-866-976-WIRE.

Jeremy Edward Bates, 27, who was convicted last year of attempted stalking against the Roy Police, pleaded guilty late last month to felony harassment against the State Patrol. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison.

Click the video to listen to recordings of his irate calls:

Pierce County sheriff’s deputies have identified an abused toddler abandoned at a stranger’s house earlier this week and have interviewed his mother.

Now, they are searching for a 23-year-old man suspected of assaulting and burning the boy. Investigators were working on getting a warrant for the man’s arrest.

The boy was taken to a local hospital Sunday morning after he was dropped off at a woman’s home in Midland. The boy had significant injuries that indicated he’d been abused and tortured, deputies reported.

Investigators located and interviewed the boy’s mother today. She was brought to a police station by her family.

The 22-month-old boy was treated and released from a local hospital. He was placed into foster care as detectives and a social worker investigated where to safely and appropriately place him.

No arrests have been made in the case.

Pierce County prosecutors on Tuesday filed a first-degree murder charge against a Tacoma man thought to be behind the wheel of a car involved in a deadly drive-by shooting.

A plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of Jesus James Cota Ancheta at his arraignment in Superior Court.

Judge James Orlando ordered the 19-year-old man jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.

Deputy prosecutor Ed Murphy contends in charging documents that Cota Ancheta was driving a car May 10 from which another young man fired a rifle shot that struck and killed Tracy Steele.

The alleged shooter, 22-year-old Michael Mee, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Steele's death last week.

Another teenager, 16-year-old Hokeshina Lee Tolbert, also has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the case. Prosecutors contend Tolbert supplied the gun used to kill Steele.

Steele, 32, was leaving a barbecue at an apartment in the 800 block of South 41st Street when someone from a passing car fired two shots. One shot hit Steele in the torso, killing him.

Tacoma police are searching for a man suspected in a series of home burglaries in Northeast Tacoma.

The burglar (pictured here) is suspected of breaking into at least seven homes - six of which were occupied at the time - between June 23 and July 3.

Investigators say he entered the homes by crawling through unlocked windows. Once inside, he stole cash, electronics and credit cards, police said.

Each incident occurred about 3 a.m., while the residents were asleep.

Investigators suspect the same person is responsible for the seven burglaries because the burglar's methods are the same in each, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The burglar is described as a white man in his late teens or early 20s. He has a medium build, police said.

During one of the burglaries, he wore a light blue baseball hat, light blue hooded sweatshirt and light blue basketball-style shorts. He was carrying a backpack.

The burglar was caught on the security cameras at one of the victimized houses, Fulghum said. The owner turned the video over to Tacoma police as part of their investigation.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and charges filed in the case. Callers remain anonymous.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer reports detectives were on their way to talk with a woman suspected of being the mother of an abandoned, abused toddler.

The woman was taken to a police station by her family, Troyer said.

Read the latest information here.

UPDATE: Troyer will be talking to the media at 3:30 p.m. to provide an update in the case.

He will have information about a suspect in the case at the time.

Tacoma police have arrested a third man in connection with the May 10 shooting death of Tracy Steele.

The man was arrested Monday and booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and a probation hold.

He is scheduled to make his first court appearance this afternoon.

Steele was fatally shot as a barbecue party ended in the 800 block of South 41st Street.

The shots were fired from a passing car.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged two males in the case – Michael Mee and 16-year-old Hokeshina Lee Tolbert – with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Both were arraigned last week and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Gig Harbor resident John Pleau sent in these photos of a fire at Point Defiance last night.

Here's what he had to say:

We were heading out of Gig Harbor this (Monday) evening in our boat and noticed a fire on the west side of Pt. Defiance Park. We took off to view the fire and waited for the Tacoma Police and Fire boats to arrive. You can see Fort Nisqually as well in one of these pictures.

Here are his excellent photos.

Tacoma firefighters are at Point Defiance park fighting a brush fire north of Salmon Beach, according to emergency radio traffic.

They just asked police to close traffic to the Fort Nisqually area of the park.

Check back for continuing updates. (Photo sent in by reader Albert Eggers.)

Update: Fire boat Defiance is getting ready to spray water on the fire. Meanwhile, firefighters have been coming down the hill to try to attack it from the land.

Update 2: The fire boat is have trouble getting it's water pumps primed. Crews are preparing to attack the fire from the hill above if the boat can't get the water flowing.

Update 3: Sounds like the fire boat is having a hard time hitting the fire. The stream is falling about 50 feet short and the boat can't come any closer because of rocks, according to radio traffic.

Update 4: Now it sounds like the fire boat was able to hit some of it. They're talking about at least part of it being out. The big trick has been keeping the crews on the ground clear of getting hit by the spray from the boat. Before the boat sprays each time, they have to make sure all the firefighters are in a safe zone.

Update 5: Firefighters are asking the boat to shoot a stream of water straight in, rather than lobbing it up in an arc. Hopefully that will hit the spot where the fire was last smoldering. Sounds like it's mostly if not completely out.

Update 6: Ack! I was making another tweak and lost the original Update 6.

Just as fire boat Defiance was going to be put back in service, there was a call of another fire in the park. Firefighters have just found it. It was back up the road from where they were, but they had to go around because of the hose across the street. It's inland and on a hill, but small, according to radio traffic.

Also, I was hoping to have photos to post, but our photo editor told me that fire officials would not let our photographer get close enough.

Update 7 (final update): The other fire is tiny, about three feet square and mostly out, we hear. So that's it for this incident.

Update 8: The fire command has been terminated for both fires. Fire officials were asking on the radio about connecting with Tacoma Police investigators. At least one of the fires is apparently suspected of being set by human hands.

Police think a Fort Lewis soldier decided it would be easier to shoot his two dogs than find a new home for them.

But he insists he’s innocent and called the situation “a big misunderstanding.”

Spc. Travis Carl McDermitt of the 5th Stryker Brigade was arrested on a Skagit County warrant as he tried to enter the post last Thursday, officials said.

He faces two counts of first-degree animal cruelty with a weapons enhancement and one count of discharging a firearm, according to jail records.

In an interview Monday, McDermitt, 26, said he stopped briefly in Anacortes while moving from Fort Riley, Kan., to Fort Lewis. During his stay there, his two boxers, Sadie and Duke, got loose. He looked for them for hours, he said, but eventually had to leave them behind.

“I couldn’t wait around and hunt for them,” he said. “I don’t know if someone just grabbed them or what.”

On March 29, the dogs were found at Heart Lake park. Both had been shot. One was dead; the other had been shot in the back but survived, said Anacortes police spokesman John Small.

=> Read more!

The South Sound survived the Fourth of July without much damage and (relatively) few injuries.

Here's some of the statistics from the holiday weekend:

* An expectant mother was left homeless after stray fireworks sparked a blaze at her Parkland home Saturday.

* Nine children were taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Care Center with fireworks-related injuries. All were minor, hospital spokesman Todd Kelley said.

* No adults were taken to Tacoma General Hospital for fireworks-related injuries, Kelley said.

* Tacoma police arrested 10 people during Friday's Freedom Fair along Ruston Way, department spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The most serious offense was second-degree assault.

* Officers escorted another 10 people to leave the Freedom Fair under a new city ordinance.

* No arrests were made during the Tall Ships festival. Two people were trespassed from the event, Fulghum said.

"It was an exceptionally good crowd," he said.

* LESA dispatchers received 3,000 911 calls on July 4. Of those, 2,300 were dispatched. (On an average Friday or Saturday, LESA receives 1,500 calls.)

Tacoma police officials are complying statistics from their fireworks enforcement, which ended Sunday. The numbers should be released later this week.

Here's the press release by the Valley Regional Fire Authority:

The Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to 28 total 9-1-1 calls on July 4, 2008. Four of the calls were fireworks related: one brush fire, one trash receptacle fire, one smoke investigation and one explosion (no damage or injuries). This number is down from eight fireworks related responses on July 4, 2007.

The VRFA Fire Marshal’s Office staff also worked on July 4, carefully transporting, safely storing and creating an inventory of the illegal fireworks confiscated by police in the cities of Auburn and Pacific. Approximately 33,000 individual firework items were collected by police from the City of Auburn. Approximately 5,000 firework items came from the City of Pacific. The Port of Seattle Bomb Squad will be transporting and safely disposing of these fireworks.

“Overall, this Fourth of July was calmer than 2008, mostly due to the fact that we had more rain and higher humidity, effectively lowering the fire danger,” said VRFA Fire Chief Stan Laatsch.

Semaj Booker is in trouble again.

He was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of breaking into a neighbor's house. He also lied to the officers about who he was.

Adam will be at Semaj's arraignment at 1:30 p.m. at Remann Hall.

Semaj appeared before a judge last month after he ran away from home and made it up to Sea-Tac Airport. That was a violation of his probation.

During that hearing, Pierce County Superior Court Judge John McCarthy extended his probation for another year.

Here is Adam's story from that hearing.

UPDATE: Semaj will be held in juvenile detention until July 17, when there will be a competency hearing.

He was charged with three crimes - residential burglary, making false or misleading statements and third-degree malicious mischief.

Two young men were charged last week for their alleged roles in a street race through Tacoma's East Side two years ago that left one of their passengers injured.

Jamie Chhun, 21, and Sinat Seng, 20, pleaded not guilty to one count each of vehicular assault.

Pierce County prosecutors alleged in charging documents that the two raced their Honda Civics at high-speed down East Roosevelt back on Aug. 3, 2006.

Chhun apparently lost control as he tried to pass Seng in the 3700 block and wrecked, the charging documents state. A passenger in his car suffered fractures to his scapula, ribs and pelvis as well as bruised lungs, the documents state.

Witnesses said Chhun and Seng were driving at speeds of up to 80 mph on Roosevelt, where the posted limit is 25 mph.

Stacey and I wrote an epic about street racing late last year. You can view it here.

We also had an extended blog post on the subject which you can see by clicking here.

A tall plume of black smoke was marring an otherwise gorgeous morning today over the Port of Tacoma.

The smoke and accompanying bright orange flames were coming from the 3000 block of Marshall Avenue, the Tacoma Fire Department reported.

A piece of cargo-handling equipment struck a power pole and caused a widespread blackout about 6:50 a.m., said Tara Mattina, a spokeswoman for the Port of Tacoma.

The outage interrupted production equipment at U.S. Oil & Refinery Co., sending a spew of partially refined crude oil out one of the company’s vent stacks.

The surge of fire and black smoke above the stack attracted widespread notice in the Tideflats area, but according to U.S. Oil spokeswoman Marcia Nielson, only a small amount of oil actually escaped and no serious damage was done.

“Power outages are never good for a refinery,” Nielson said. “It interrupted our process, but all the vents and flares and everything did everything they were supposed to do.”

The power outage interrupted the flow of cooling water that normally goes up the stack along with the flare, Nielson said.

“We got two hits from the power outage, and the second one caused on the of the relief valves to spray out product, “she said.

Falling oil coated vehicles parked in the area. As a precaution, a Tacoma Fire Department hazardous materials team sprayed foam in the area to suppress vapors, according to Tacoma Fire’s Lt. David Elmer.

No injuries have been reported.

Power was out for about an hour for about 7,300 Tacoma Power customers in the Fife and Milton areas. A Fife police dispatcher noted the electricity was back on.

The electricity was restored in about an hour, Tacoma Power spokeswoman Chris Gleason said.

(Reporter Rob Carson contributed to this report.)

UPDATE: News Tribune photographer Joe Barrentine checked out the activity and filed this photo.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of a horrific and tragic event in Tacoma's history - the Trang Dai massacre.

Just after 1:30 a.m. July 5, 1998, three masked gunmen burst into the Trang Dai Cafe, 3819 S. Yakima Ave., and opened fire, spraying bullets throughout the karaoke bar. They killed four men and wounded five others.

Two other gunmen kept watch out back and killed a waitress as she tried to leave.

The five killed were: Nhan Ai Nguyen, 26; Duy Le, 25; his brother, 27-year-old Hai Le; Tuong Hung Do, 33; and waitress Tuyen Vo, 21. Five were injured and eventually healed.

Prosecutors claimed the suspects were targeting a patron, who was injured, because of a personal beef.

The crime remains Tacoma's worst mass slaying.

But Trang Dai is also well known for all the developments that happened after the initial shooting spree.

Thirteen days later, Tacoma police officers conducted the largest police operation in the city's history, searching nine homes after
detectives identified eight suspects in the case. Four were arrested during the operation. A fifth was arrested the next day.

The suspected ringleader, 22-year-old Ri Le, killed his younger half-brother, 17-year-old Khanh Trinh, (a gunman stationed at the back of the cafe) then himself in a homicide-suicide pact as police officers were closing in. The eighth suspect, 18-year-old Samath Mom, committed suicide in jail hours after his arrest.

The other five - Jimmie Chea, Marvin Leo, Veasna Sok, Sarun Truck Ngeth and John Phet - were convicted and sentenced.

In addition:

* A key witness was killed in 2000 a plot hatched in the jail. Two men were convicted in Kay Kosal Sin's death.

* A ninth suspect was arrested years after the massacre and convicted for his role in the case.

For two Tacoma police detectives, the case stands apart from the other homicides they've investigated.

For John Ringer, "just the sheer wanton disregard for life" stands out about the case.

"It really defines the top of what we see," detective Dan Davis said. "We haven't seen anything of that magnitude (since). Hopefully, it will remain one for the ages."

=> Read more!

All fireworks are banned in the City of Tacoma.

That doesn't stop a lot of people from spending a lot of money and setting them off in many, many neighborhoods.

Tacoma police have teams of officers out on fireworks patrols. They will be writing $257 fines if they catch people in the act. They'll also be confiscating fireworks.

The patrols go through July 6.

To report fireworks violations in the city, call (253) 798-4722. If the fireworks pose an imminent danger to people or property, call 911.

"The police will respond to fireworks related calls as units become available," the city reported.

As part of TPD's enforcement plan, "The LESA Communications Center will keep a record of addresses at which multiple fireworks complaints are made each day from June 28 through July 6. These lists will be distributed to the sectors the next morning..."

I've been told that we will get stats on what the police department does during its emphasis patrols within a week or so.

Here's our story about the fireworks laws around the South Sound.

A caller to our tips line asked why we didn't have anything in today's paper about a police officer killing someone yesterday in Lakewood... (!!!)

This was news to me, so I called Lt. Steve Mauer, who told me what the real story was: a police officer was responding to call about someone with a knife. Going over some railroad tracks that were wet, his car spun and he hit a concrete barrier.

The officer was not injured, though the car was banged up pretty good, Mauer said.

Whew.

In case you missed it, former Pierce County sheriff candidate Robert "The Traveller" Hill exposed himself at a Tacoma City Council meeting, reporter Jason Hagey reported on the Political Buzz blog.

Hill recently pleaded guilty to forging a judge's signature on a court order, thus ending his campaign. Police and prosecutors have said that Hill, whose bizarre behavior also include bringing fake guns and holsters to public meetings (as well as trying to buy a real gun), presents a real threat to public safety.

After another recent story by reporter Kris Sherman mentioning Hill advocating masturbation at public meetings, he apparently called the paper to demand a clarification -- he only advocates female masturbation.

City officials are trying to ban him from meetings.

The Washington State Patrol will have extra troopers on the roads over the holiday weekend to look for speeders, drunken drivers and aggressive drivers.

In Pierce and Thurston counties, extra troopers will be on the highways today through Saturday.

The emphasis patrols are statewide.

"Troopers will focus their efforts on violations know to cause most fatalities such as impaired drivers, speeding, and aggressive driving," the agency wrote in a press release.

Chief John Batiste and State Patrol commanders will also be out on patrol.

"Anyone who witnesses an impaired or dangerous driver is strongly encouraged to call 9-1-1 and report the incident immediately," the State Patrol reminded.

Two men wanted on Pierce County warrants were among those busted during a regional sweep orchestrated last week by the U.S. Marshals Service.

More than 130 people were arrested in the week-long operation titled, "Operation FALCON," the Marshals Service reported in a news release. FALCON stands for "federal and local cops organized nationally."

The arrestees included Richard Lee Campbell, a Level 3 sex offender who was wanted for allegedly failing to register his address with sheriff's deputies. Campbell, who has convictions for child molestation and child rape, was picked up in Poulsbo, according to the release.

Jeffrey Rose also was arrested on a 1994 Pierce County warrant charging him with child rape, the release states. Authorities tracked Rose down in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Click here for more information on Operation FALCON 2008.

A 16-year-old boy was arraigned on murder charges this afternoon in connection with a May homicide in Tacoma.

Pleas of not guilty were entered on behalf of Hokeshina Lee Tolbert during the brief hearing.

The teen was ordered held in lieu of $750,000 bail.

Tolbert and Michael Mee have each been charged with first-degree murder in the May 10 shooting death of Tracy Steele. Both also have been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.

Steele, 32, was leaving a barbecue at an apartment in the 800 block of South 41st Street when someone from a passing car fired two shots. One shot struck Steele in the torso, killing him.

Mee and Tolbert were charged Wednesday. Mee pleaded not guilty and was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail.

This is a bit out of our coverage area but when you victimize an 86-year-old woman, we're going to alert all of our readers about you...

The King County Sheriff's Office is looking for witnesses this morning to a purse snatching early Tuesday in SeaTac.

The snatcher pushed an 86-year-old woman to the ground. She suffered bruises and cuts to her knees, forearm and forehead, deputies reported.

The incident took place about 2 a.m. at South 152nd Street and International Boulevard.

The woman had just gotten off a bus when she was confronted. The suspect demanded her purse. She clutched it tightly and refused to hand it over, deputies reported.

"That’s when the assailant pushed her to the ground and ripped it from her grasp," a press release from Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart states.

The victim also lost her driver's license and a checkbook.

Deputies recovered the purse several hours later a few blocks south of the incident, Urquhart reported.

The victim, who was on her way to visiting her 92-year-old sister, believes the suspect might have been on the bus with her.

The suspect has been described as a light-skinned African American or Hispanic man who is about 20 years old, 6 feet tall and weighs about 150 pounds.

According to Urquhart, the woman has been a victim before.

Last year, she and her sister were cheated out of more than $20,000 in a roofing scam. A man has been charged in the incident and is awaiting trial.

Anyone with information about the purse snatching is asked to call the King County Sheriff's Office at (206) 296-3311 or 911.

A Bonney Lake developer will spend six months on home detention and fork over $268,000 to the federal government after he pleaded guilty to illegal money transactions.

Scott Haymond, 43, was sentenced Wednesday to the home detention, three years of probation and a $5,000 fine. (Plus, he has to forfeit $268,000.)

Here's an explanation from the U.S. Attorney's Office about the case:

According to the plea agreement, in September 2005, HAYMOND made 28 different deposits into six different banks or branches of the same bank in amounts between $9,000 and $9,900.

Those deposits totaled $268,800 – the amount HAYMOND is now forfeiting to the government. In November of 2006, HAYMOND again made a series of structured deposits: nineteen deposits between $9,000 and $9,900 at thirteen different banks or bank branches. Those deposits totaled $185,000.

In all, government investigators estimated that HAYMOND structured the deposits on some $604,000 in cash. Federal law requires banks to file Currency Transaction Reports on cash deposits of more than $10,000. HAYMOND admits in his plea agreement dated April 2, 2008, that he structured the deposits so there would be no currency transaction reports.

Investigators for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were unable to determine the source of much of the cash. HAYMOND’s attorney claimed HAYMOND was keeping the cash in a shoe box at home for a rainy day. Judge Martinez dismissed that explanation.

“I do believe you are a very sophisticated businessman,” the judge said. “I don’t buy that you are going to keep the extensive amount of cash in a shoe box.”

Judge Martinez went on to note a “theme of concealment, of not telling the whole truth,” in HAYMOND’s dealings with the court.

And the judge warned HAYMOND that if he violated any of the terms of his probation he would be back in court “looking at a lot more” than the six month prison sentence prosecutors were asking for.

Anyone else get woken up this morning (or your kids? or your pets?) by the thunder and lightning?

It's been an active weather morning in east Pierce County. It was particularly bad in the 4-5 a.m. hour.

A television weatherman just reported the thundershowers are moving north.

The forecast for today calls for partly sunny skies and some showers.

UPDATE: I just wrote up this story for our homepage.

Roughly 2,500 lightning strikes touched down over Western Washington overnight, providing a light and thunder show for residents.

“We don’t see that around here,” said Mike McFarland, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. “It’s pretty good for here.”

The number of lightning strikes is the most recorded since August 1999.

The lightning has started to taper off, with only 50 lightning strikes recorded in the 7 a.m. hour.

The busiest hour was between 11 p.m. and midnight when about 400 strikes were noted, McFarland said.

“Every time a cell would form, it would put down 50 to 100 strikes,” he said.

The thunder and lightning storms were created by pockets of unstable air.

UPDATE 2: Craig Sailor, master photographer and arts and entertainment editor at The News Tribune just sent me a couple of awesome photos of the lightning.

Sailor said he shot these "late last night on Mason Street, looking across the bay to Northeast Tacoma."

Here they are.

Tacoma police were investigating an assault Sunday night at Optimist Playground that seriously injured a 43-year-old man.

Three suspects have been identified and interviewed about the incident. A detective talked to the victim about what happened Wednesday, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

"Now, it's a matter of collecting all the stories," he said.

Detectives will then forward their case to the prosecutor for a charging decision.

According to a police report, the victim was walking his dog about 8:50 p.m. at the park, located at Harmon Street and North 13 Street.

The man confronted two young men and a woman who were doing burnouts in the gravel. A heated argument broke out, Fulghum said.

The victim was assaulted and fell down on the curb. Paramedics were called to help him. Because of his injuries, he was not initially able to provide any details about what happened, Fulghum said.

Witnesses heard the argument and recognized the suspects.

Officers located the suspects - a 20-year-old man, woman in her late 20s and a 18-year-old man. They told officers the victim was threatening them.

The 20-year-old man told police he punched the victim in the face one time, Fulghum said.

The investigation was continuing.

A "What was that?" question from a reader:

Friends of mine live in the Winwood Park Apartments on the corner of South 74th and South Madison Streets in Tacoma. Last night around 11pm there were a lot of police officers, including several K-9 units, all over that area for more than an hour. They watched as the officers searched around the complex and surrounding neighborhood, but weren't told to stay inside or anything. We all watched the news this morning, but didn't see anything mentioned. They're just wondering what was going on that would have needed such a large police presence?

Lights & Sirens asked Tacoma police about the activity. PIO Mark Fulghum reported:

Lakewood had a traffic stop and the driver fled on foot. Lakewood and Tacoma set up containment and the dogs did a search. Negative results.

Tacoma police have arrested a second suspect in the May shooting death of a man outside an apartment.

The man was booked into Pierce County Jail early today on suspicion of first-degree murder and an outstanding warrant.

He's the second person to be arrested in the May 10 shooting death of 32-year-old Tracy Steele.

Prosecutors charged 22-year-old Michael Mee with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm today in connection with Steele's death.

Pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf. Mee was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Steele was leaving a party in the 800 block of South 41st Street when he was fatally shot in a driveby shooting.

Ed Hrivnak, a firefighter with Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, took some pictures of a helicopter rescue of an injured climber on Mount Rainier this morning.

He got some great shots. Here's a few.

A traffic stop in downtown Tacoma led to a police chase along southbound Interstate 5 this morning.

One man has been arrested near the Fort Lewis main gate, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. There have been no reports of injuries.

A citizen flagged down a Tacoma police officer about 8:15 a.m. to report that a man in a truck was acting "strangely," Fulghum said.

The officer pulled behind the man, who was at the intersection of South 9th and A streets near the on-ramp to Interstate 705. He repeatedly didn't move when the light turned green.

"(The citizen) was concerned," Fulghum said.

The officer attempted to contact the man, who appeared fidgety and failed to comply with the officer's commands. The officer drew his gun and took cover behind his patrol car door, Fulghum said.

Two Washington State Patrol troopers on their way to court saw the officer with his gun drawn and stopped to assist, Fulghum said.

Other officers were called to the scene.

"The guy sat in truck refusing to follow commands," Fulghum said. "We tried talking. We had him surrounded."

The man started to roll forward in his truck, then all of a sudden, took off.

"He puts the pedal to the metal and takes off down the freeway on-ramp," Fulghum said. "It was just all of a sudden, from stop to as fast as he could go."

Officers pursued the truck on Interstate 705 to southbound Interstate 5. Troopers joined in the chase. The man threw items out of his truck as he drove, Fulghum said.

At one point, the three left lanes of southbound I-5 were closed because of the pursuit, the state Department of Transportation reported.

Officers deployed spike strips in an attempt to stop the fleeing man. A trooper used a PIT maneuever to get the man stopped at the main gate area of Fort Lewis just before 9 a.m., Fulghum said.

The 48-year-old man was taken into custody without further incident and then booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of felony eluding and two outstanding warrants. He was not injured.

The main gate and lanes of I-5 were reopened to traffic by 9:15 a.m.

The Tacoma Police Department's traffic investigation team was called to the scene of a early morning, serious injury crash on the East Side.

The crash occurred about 2:45 a.m. in the 1200 block of East 72nd Street, the department reported.

According to reports, two cars were racing each other down East 72nd Street, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The cars bumped or hit each other. That sent one of the vehicles crashing into two other, occupied vehicles on the roadway.

The racing vehicle not involved in the crash took off, Fulghum said.

The driver of the racing vehicle involved in the crash was ejected from his car.

Occupants of the three cars involved were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment. All were expected to survive, Fulghum said.

The driver who caused the crash could likely face criminal charges, he said.

This is an interesting tale from the Department of Corrections' latest newsletter. Apparently, a community corrections officer was able to keep a rapist behind bars despite a string of bad luck.

The community corrections officer in Section 4 was preparing for his first hearing before the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB), trying to convince them that offender Gary Trudell should get sanction time for raping a physically disabled woman. Thurston County prosecutors wanted to charge Trudell with rape but felt they did not have enough evidence to charge him.

Cochran knew it would be a tough hearing. What he didn’t know was that it would be made tougher by a string of bad luck.

A board smashed through the car window of the attorney from the Attorney General’s Office who was coming to the hearing at Washington Corrections Center. He would be a few hours late. And the rape victim, the linchpin to Cochran’s case, was outside the prison but unable to enter because no one had requested a security clearance.

“I was already nervous because it was my first hearing,” Cochran said. “And now all this happens? Wow.”

Superintendent Doug Waddington helped by getting the victim, who was in a wheelchair, through security. And the hearing began more than two hours late.

Cochran had no physical evidence to work with, and the victim remembered little from that night. But Cochran persuaded the ISRB to find Trudell guilty of rape and sentenced him to five years confinement.

“If Dan hadn’t done such a good job, the offender would have just been right back on the street like nothing had happened,” Field Administrator Armando Mendoza said. “It was all up to Dan, and he did a great job.”

The ISRB thought so, too. The Board sent Cochran a letter commending him for a job well done.

“It felt good, especially given all that had happened,” he said. “I was more relieved than anything.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound want residents to be wary of a scam involving people claiming to be raising money for the organization.

"Shoppers should be aware that the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound does not promote sales amongst their youth," the agency wrote in a press release. "In fact, Boys & Girls Club members are NOT allowed to sell items door to door or out in the public because of safety precautions."

There have been two recent incidents of people claiming to be raising money for the Boys & Girls Club.

The first was a man going through Tacoma General Hospital offering to wash windows for a small fee, which would be donated to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The second was a boy selling candy in Parkland for the East Side Boys & Girls Club.

The organization reports that all groups representing Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound are accompanied by staff, who are wearing Boys & Girls Club apparel and have a photo ID badge.

From a reader and North End resident:

Saturday night June 28th at about the time the Taste of Tacoma closed there was a disturbance starting in the park with a subsequent arrest of at least one very loud male at the intersection of Vassault and Visscher? There was about 10 police cars present. What happened please.

Here's the explanation provided by Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum:

Per witnesses a male was wandering around the food court area trying to start a fight - flashing gang signs, using gang terminology and foul, offensive language. He left the area prior to the gang unit arriving but was located a short time later.

When contacted, he was very uncooperative and continued to challenge folks (including the officers) around him. He was placed under arrest and had to be physically restrained. He continued with the foul, offensive language while being escorted from the area and kicked Sgt. Morris while they were walking him to a patrol car for transport to the jail. At the jail he failed the booking process and had to be placed in a holding cell until he calmed down enough to safely complete the booking process.

From the catch-up file ...

The Washington State Patrol's aircraft helped recover a stolen motorcycle last week, the agency reported.

The motorcycle was equipped with a LoJack system, a hidden device that - when activated - sends out locater signals. The motorcycle was reported stolen Wednesday from the owner's workplace, the State Patrol reported.

Thirty-three minutes after the motorcycle was reported as stolen, the State Patrol's aircraft picked up its signal and pinpointed it's location to a garage in the 30200 block of Military Road in Federal Way, trooper reported.

Three people were arrested and other suspected stolen items recovered.

"If you steal things from people, we're coming after you," said Lt. Tristan Atkins, commander of WSP's Aviation Division, in a press release. "This technology is pretty amazing."

"In essence, you can ride but you can't hide," he added.

Tacoma police have arrested a man suspected in the May shooting death of a 32-year-old man.

The suspect was being held in Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Tracy Steele. He had been in jail for more than a week on previous charges.

The murder allegation was added Monday morning, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Steele (pictured here) was fatally shot in the early morning hours of May 10. He had been at a party at an apartment in the 800 block of South 41st Street. The party was breaking up when shots were fired by a passing car.

Steele died of his injuries.

Details of how the suspect was linked to the homicide were not yet available.

UPDATE: A couple people have e-mailed The News Tribune today about a large number of police cars in the area of South 47th and Pacific Avenue early this morning (around 5:30 a.m.).

The contingent of officers were serving search warrants in connection with this homicide investigation.

U.S. Patty Murray (D-Washington) will be in Tacoma today to talk with law enforcement and community leaders about the gang and methamphetamine problems plaguing the region.

She will meet with a panel of officials at Tacoma Police Department headquarters this morning. Among those scheduled to attend are Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell, Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor, Tacoma Schools Superintendent Art Jarvis, deputy Pierce County prosecutor Greg Greer, state Rep. Chris Hurst, Tacoma City Councilwoman Connie Ladenburg and others.

Last month, Murray earmarked $500,000 for Pierce County’s anti-gang efforts and $1 million for the state’s anti-methamphetamine efforts in a spending bill moving its way through the U.S. Senate.

Gangs and meth are problems Tacoma and Pierce County residents have been dealing with for years. The battle against meth has evolved from highly explosive homemade drug labs to imported crystal meth that is distributed around the region. Law enforcement officials believe the highly addictive drug is behind some property crime and metal thefts as addicts look for ways to get cash so they can get their fix.

Last year, Tacoma received near $430,000 from the federal government to work on anti-meth and anti-gang efforts among the Latino gang population.

I'll be at the meeting and will report back on the review later today.

UPDATE: Here's the story I've got posted on the homepage. I'll have a more complete version in Wednesday's paper.