A Pierce County jury spent a third full day deliberating the fate of Douglas S. Chanthabouly today but left the County-City Building without rendering a verdict.

Jurors are expected back in Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper's jury room Wednesday to continue their deliberations.

Chanthabouly is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 3, 2007, shooting death of Samnang Kok in a hallway at Tacoma's Foss High School.

Chanthabouly, who has paranoid schizophrenia, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The jury got the case Thursday afternoon.

A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted a Tacoma man on 10 counts of wire fraud, alleging that he lied to potential investors to secure more than $6 million.

John Min, 36, frittered away most of the money on bad investments and spent the rest on himself and his family, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle reported in a news release issued today.

In a separate action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Min with violating anti-fraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC complaint seeks "civil injunctions, the return of ill-gotten gains and financial penalties," according to an SEC news release.

Federal agents arrested Min on Monday evening.

Authorities contend Min operated two companies – DIME Capital LLC and DIME Financial Group LLC – between 2005 and 2008. The companies used fraudulent materials to sell investment opportunities to "churches, charitable givers and senior citizens," according to the U.S. Attorney's news release.

Min promised high rates of return – up to 800 percent – trading in currencies, the SEC reported.

He also lured some people by promising that their money would be invested by providing "microloans for the poor," authorities said.

"Min associated himself with a tight-knit religious and philanthropic community in the Pacific Northwest, creating a not-for-profit entity to attract charitable investors who believed that their investments would support certain Third World aid groups, such as a charity supporting Bolivian widows and orphans," the SEC reported.

The SEC further contends that Min lost $5 million trading in currencies and spent more than $1 million more to "finance a lavish lifestyle that included a $70,000 Mercedes, expensive vacations and private school tuition for his children."

Min concealed the fraud by sending phony account statements to investors, federal authorities contend.

"This case serves as an unfortunate reminder that investors need to be wary of possible fraud schemes even when the person offering the investment appears to be part of a humanitarian, religious or other community of trust," said Marc Fagel, director of the SEC's regional office in San Francisco.

The Bellingham Herald, citing the FBI, reported on its Web site today that Min was arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border as he attempted to re-enter the United States from Canada.

State liquor control agents cited McCabe's American Music Cafe this month after employees allegedly served alcohol to already intoxicated patrons.

As a result, the embattled downtown club's liquor license will be suspended for 30 days - from 4 p.m. May 14 to 4 p.m. June 13, the Washington State Liquor Control Board reported today. McCabe's can challenging the suspension.

“We are currently reviewing it and anticipate challenging the allegations,” said Mike McAleenan, the attorney for McCabe’s owners.

If the owners challenge the administrative violation, they’d be able to serve liquor until the challenge is resolved.

The violations occurred during a joint undercover operation carried out by the Washington State Liquor Control Board and the Tacoma Police Department on Saturday, March 21.

That day, a team of officers checked 10 Tacoma businesses to see whether they were selling alcohol to minors, to apparently intoxicated patrons and allowing disorderly conduct on the premises.

McCabe's, 2611 Pacific Ave., was one of the establishments targeted in the undercover operation and the only one found in violation.

The Liquor Control Board cited McCabe's on three counts of "allowing an apparently intoxicated person to possess/consume alcohol," the agency reported.

"The 30-day suspension is considered an aggravated penalty," the press release stated. "McCabe’s also received a written warning for disorderly conduct by an employee of the liquor licensed establishment."

McCabe's has been under the scrutiny of the Tacoma Police Department and liquor control board for some time. Last year, the board decided to pursue non-renewal of the nightclub's liquor license. The owners have requested a heard on the decision. The hearing is scheduled for June.

Tacoma police have said the club has seen gang activity and crime problems on nights that feature hip-hop and Top 40 music. The department requested an emergency suspension of the club's license after a shooting Oct. 25, 2007, in the parking lot at closing time. Three were wounded in what police investigators have described as gang-motivated gunfire.

The liquor board denied the emergency suspension but investigated the matter. More than a year later, the board decided to seek non-renewal of the club's license.

McCabe's has received two administrative violations in the past. The board issued the first on Oct. 25. 2007, for inappropriate conduct. The second, issued Nov. 30, 2007, was for selling or furnishing alcohol to an underage person.

These are the other nine establishment visited March 21 during the undercover operation. None had a violation:

Latitude 84, 8401 S. Hosmer St.
Station 56, 5602 S. Washington St.
54th Sports Bar, 5415 S. Tacoma Way
Dawson's Again, 5443 S. Tacoma Way
Friendly Duck, 5026 S. Tacoma Way
Harvester Restaurant, 29 Tacoma Ave. N.
Doyle's Public House, 208 St Helens
Red Bulls Bar & Grill, 1214 Puyallup Ave.
Valley Pub, 1206 Puyallup Ave.

Tacoma police are responding to a bank robbery in the Hilltop.

According to dispatchers, the Key Bank at 1120 S. 11th St. was robbed a few minutes ago. The bandit fled in an unknown direction.

This event is over. It turned out to be a hoaxed. Fife police have not called me back but here's what our news partners are reporting.

PREVIOUS POST:
Fife police and Tacoma firefighters are on the scene of a suspicious package found outside, near the Costco business center in Fife, the Tacoma Fire Department reported.

The package, which had a note, is being investigated by Fife police and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Port of Seattle bomb squad also is on the scene.

The package is on the grass on the edge of a parking lot. The business center is located at 3900 20th St. E. in Fife.

The Tacoma Fire Department's hazmat team was assembling in the area to be ready if needed, fire spokesman Tory Green said.

A robot from the Port of Seattle Police bomb squad rolls up 20th Ave E. in Fife toward what Fife police described as a "small suspicious package with a note". Haley / The News Tribune

A woman died overnight in Tacoma after shooting herself in the head while playing with a gun, Tacoma police reported.

The 28-year-old woman was intoxicated and playing with a gun inside a home in the 1700 block of East 67th Street about 11:30 p.m. Monday, Tacoma police spokesman Thomas Williams said.

Family members reported the woman held the gun to her head and fired. There was no bullet in the chamber at the time, Williams said.

The woman chambered a round, held the gun to her head a second time and fired the weapon, Williams said.

"The gun went off and a bullet struck the woman in the head," he said.

The woman died a few minutes after midnight. The shooting was believed to be accidental, Williams said.

A woman was killed and a man seriously injured during a shooting inside a four-plex on Tacoma's East Side early today.

Now, detectives are trying to figure out why the victims were attacked and who was responsible. No arrests have been made.

The four-plex has been taped off and investigators were canvassing the neighborhood to learn more. Homicide detectives were waiting for a search warrant before going back into the top-floor unit where the shooting took place, Tacoma police spokesman Thomas Williams reported.

The 23-year-old man, who was shot multiple times in the pelvis, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital and was being treated for his serious injuries, Williams reported.

The 29-year-old woman was shot in the arm, neck and chest. She too was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where she died in surgery, Williams reported. Her name has not yet been released.

The victims had been staying at the apartment unit in the 4400 block of East R Street for the past five to six days, Williams said.

The renters returned to the fourplex just after 4 a.m. and found the man and woman shot multiple times. The man told the people he'd been shot and the renters called 911 at 4:07 a.m., Williams said.

Officers arrived at the unit one minute later and found the victims in the living room area. Two children - described as a toddler and infant - were asleep in another room and not injured in the shooting, Williams said.

Arriving officers set up containment around the four-plex. The beige building with red trim is now blocked off by yellow police tape. The building sits at the corner of East R and East 46th streets.

Detectives were interviewing the renters and had the two children in police custody. The renters were the parents of the children.

Investigators have found no witnesses to the shooting. They didn't immediately know whether the victims were targeted and if so, why.

The relationships between the two victims and between the victims and renters were not immediately known. Detectives are hoping to talk to the injured man later today at the hospital but that will depend on his medical condition.

The four-plex is located in the redeveloped Salishan community. The neighborhood was quiet this morning with few people standing outside or milling about in the rainy weather. A handful of television trucks lined East R Street.

The woman's death is the third homicide of the year in Tacoma.

UPDATE: Michael Mirra, executive director of Tacoma Housing Authority, this is the first homicide at the new Salishan. The neighborhood has one of the lower crime rates in the city.

"We expected that Salishan would have its share of problems," Mirra said. "We've had less than our share."

The community is not gated but does employ a private security force. The police department also conducts criminal background checks on prospective residents, Mirra said.

Tacoma Police Officer Eric Barry carries one of two children to a squad car who was in the Tacoma, home (rear) when two visiting adults were shot early Tuesday morning, March 31, 2009. Peter Haley/The News Tribune

The Lakewood Police Department has received another infusion of grant money to help fight auto theft.

The department received $530,000 last year to form the Pierce County Auto Theft Task Force. The one-year grant came from the state Auto Theft Prevention Authority.

The task force is comprised of investigators from the Washington State Patrol; the Lakewood, Tacoma, Fife and Puyallup police departments; and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. It also partners with Pierce Transit, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Pierce County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.

The Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority recently awarded Lakewood PD $129,042 in additional grant money, according to City Manager Andrew Neiditz.

Here's a snippet from Neiditz's weekend bulletin:

The purpose is for the purchase of equipment and technology to aid in the fight against Auto Theft. The money will be used to purchase items, including two Automated License Plates Readers, Electronic Surveillance Technology (both audio and video), some high powered binoculars and night vision equipment. These funds will also be used to purchase other surveillance equipment in a dedicated surveillance van.

Police are looking for man who stole three cars, including an SUV with an 18-month-old infant inside.

Tacoma Police spokesman Thomas Williams said a man stole a mid-90s Ford Escort near the intersection of Pacific Avenue South and 52nd Street South this afternoon. At about 4:30 p.m., the suspect drove to an apartment complex near the intersection ofg South 92nd Street and South Hosmer Street.

It was there that the suspect found a black Ford Explorer with the keys inside. The driver had pulled into the apartment complex and had just gotten out of the car, which still had its keys in the ignition and her son inside. The woman heard the engine start, and turned around to see the car with her child speed away, Williams said.

"It's more than likely that he didn't know he had an extra passenger inside," Williams said.

The suspect apparently pulled over on Tacoma Avenue South near 76th Street and abandoned the Explorer. He then stole another Ford Escort, which also had its keys in the ignition. A neighbor went out to the Explorer, saw the child and called the police at about 5:30 p.m.

Police say the man is about 30, with a light complexion and is wearing a gray sweatshirt. His in a light blue Escort, license plate number 958-TNR.

The mother and her child have been reunited, and she drove her car away from the scene at about 6:15 p.m.

A Pierce County jury spent a second full day deliberating the fate of Douglas S. Chanthabouly today but left the County-City Building without rendering a verdict.

Jurors are expected back in Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper's jury room today to continue their deliberations.

Chanthabouly is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 3, 2007, shooting death of Samnang Kok in a hallway at Tacoma's Foss High School.

Chanthabouly, who has paranoid schizophrenia, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Ten people - including at least two children - were injured when flames erupted inside a Federal Way-area home this afternoon.

Paramedics transported the four most seriously injured patients to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, South King County Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Kendra Kay said. Of those four, an adult man had severe burns. Two of the patients are young boys and the other is an adult woman, Kay said.

Firefighters were called to the home at 305th Place South and 38th Avenue South near Dolloff Lake just before 12:45 p.m., Kay reported.

"It was a fully involved house fire when firefighter arrived," she said.

Heavy smoke was visible from the home, which had a daylight basement. Firefighters doused the flames but not before they did considerable damage.

Firefighters and paramedics treated 10 patients. In addition to the four taken to Harborview, one person was taken to another hospital for treatment of respiratory issues. The remaining five were treated at the scene and released.

No firefighters were injured.

Fire investigators are at the scene now, trying to figure out what started the blaze.

Kay said those inside the house were all related but the extent of the relationships wasn't immediately known.

Lacey police are searching for a man who robbed a bank branch this morning.

The man entered the Heritage Bank, 5800 Rainier Loop S.E., just after 10:30 a.m. He handed the teller a note demanding cash, police reported.

The robber took an undisclosed amount of money and fled southbound, police reported.

Witnesses described the bandit as Asian or Pacific Islander, mid- to late 20s and 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 8 with a slender build. He appeared as though he had a light beard (described as a "few days growth of a beard") and short, black hair. He wore blue jeans and a long sleeved, black, button-up shirt with a white shirt underneath.

The agency released surveillance photos of the suspect in hopes of identifying him.

Lacey police ask anyone with information to call the Police Department at 360-459-4333 or Olympia/Thurston County Crime Stoppers at 360-493-2222.

I didn't get a chance to post this on Friday ...

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old man with four crimes after a takeover-style heist at a video game store last week.

Scott Kunio Santos is charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of felony harassment. He was arraigned on the charges Thursday and remains in custody at Pierce County Jail.

Court documents provided the following account:

Two employees of Game Stop in the 5600 block of Lakewood Towne Center Boulevard told officers that a man came into the store right before closing March 24. The man walked over to the video game console, where one of the employees was working.

The man showed the employee the butt of a gun and advised him to follow orders. The robber ordered one of the employees to close the store and tie up the other worker with zip ties.

The bandit questioned one of the employees about the store's alarm system and then tied up that worker.

The robber loaded a shopping cart with several video game consoles. He took cash from the register and the employees' identification cards. The robber told the employees he took their IDs so that if they called 911, he could send his "homeboys" to their houses to have them killed.

The robber fled after about 30 minutes.

Officers responded to the scene and spotted a car leaving the store. The car was loaded with video game consoles.

Officers stopped the car and identified Santos as the driver. Officers found the Game Stop employees' ID cards and stolen merchandise. They also found the butt of a handgun under the driver's seat.

"The gun is apparently not an actual firearm," court documents state.

The victims identified Santos as the robber. Santos questioned the officers about how they got to the store so fast.

King County sheriff's detectives were investigating a shooting Sunday afternoon east of Kent that injured a 25-year-old Renton man.

The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. His injury was not considered life threatening, deputies reported.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Indigo Springs Apartments, 11101 SE 203rd St., about 2:30 p.m. Several people were present at the time of the shooting but details surrounding the incident remained murky this morning, deputies reported.

No arrests have been made.

It looked like a pipe bomb but it wasn't.

Tacoma police officers were called to the 800 block of South Steele Street late Sunday after someone found what appeared to be a pipe bomb in the grass near the alley, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The object was a large piece of pipe wrapped with electrical tape. There were caps on either end, Fulghum said.

The department's bomb squad responded and disrupted the object.

"It was not an explosive device," Fulghum said.

Two residents were displaced Sunday night after a fire burned their apartment in Kent.

Fire investigators were searching for a cause of the blaze in the 22400 block of Benson Road Southeast, the Kent Fire Department reported.

Firefighters were called to the first-floor apartment about 7 p.m. Sunday. One of the occupants had been asleep but got out without injury. The apartment's other resident wasn't home at the time, firefighters reported. A pet cat died of smoke inhalation.

Fire crews kept the blaze from spreading beyond the apartment. However, other units did sustain minor smoke damage.

Family members and apartment staff were helping the two displaced residents.

News Tribune reporter Ian Demsky and I have been working to create a map of all Pierce County's homicides. (Actually, he did most of the heavy lifting and I just provide the info.)

After several weeks of building and fine tuning, the map is ready for you to view. You can find the map here.

For right now, the map features all homicides in Pierce County from January 1, 2007 to March 25. The most recent homicide - the shooting death of a man outside Lakewood minimart Thursday night - has not yet been added to the list. It will be when the victim is identified and his name is released.

You can search the map by name, cause of death, investigating police agency, year or whether a case has been resolved. Ian has also added links to stories about each homicide.

The goal is to keep the map up-to-date as homicides occur in the county. In the future, we hope to add older cases to the list. We have some ideas about other features to add in the future.

Let us know what you think.

The Pierce County jury deliberating the Foss High School shooting case adjourned for the weekend this afternoon without rendering a verdict.

Jurors are scheduled to return to Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper's jury room Monday morning to resume their deliberations in the first-degree murder case against Douglas S. Chanthabouly.

Chanthabouly, 20, is accused of shooting fellow student Samnang Kok to death in a hallway of the Tacoma school on Jan. 3, 2007.

Chanthabouly's attorneys contended that during a two-week trial that their client, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was insane at the time of the shooting. They argued that he should be acquitted by reason of insanity and sent to the state psychiatric hospital near Lakewood instead of prison.

Prosecutors argued that Chanthabouly knew what he was doing when he shot Kok, 17, and should be convicted as charged.

Motorists using eastbound Highway 16 late Saturday night should prepare for another closure as state crews install three new streets lights along the highway.

A signed detour at Union Avenue will take traffic off eastbound State Route 16 between midnight Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. according to the state Department of Transportation.
The detour will direct traffic to 38th Street and then east to Interstate 5.

A single westbound lane on Highway 16 and the Union Avenue and Center Street on-ramps to eastbound Highway 16 will be closed during the eight-hour period.

The temporary street lights replace street lights that are being eliminated as a result of demolition and construction activities on the I-5/Highway 16 westbound Nalley Valley project.

A crane will be positioned in the eastbound lanes between Union Avenue and the viaduct, and maneuver the 110-feet-tall, wooden light poles into place.

For more information on the Nalley Valley project, check the project Web site at www.tacomatraffic.com/.

Tacoma police have released a surveillance photo of a man and his getaway car that are connected to an armed robbery at a South Tacoma coffee stand earlier this week.

Pierce County investigators suspect the same man is responsible for holding up nine drive-thru espresso stands in unincorporated Pierce County since Jan. 8, Tacoma police detective Gretchen Aguirre said. The man's description and how he goes about the robberies is the same in all 10 armed robberies.

The suspected robber was captured on security cameras at the Fox Hollow Coffee stand right before it was robbed Monday.

The man wore a red scarf over his face and wielded a black handgun when he robbed stand at 4024 S. 56th St. just after 8 a.m., Tacoma police reported. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Witnesses described the robber as white, in his 30s and 6 feet tall with a medium build. Besides the red scarf, the man wore a black-and-red hat and black jacket, police said.

Police believe he's driving a silver 2000 or 2001 Chrysler 300.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the robber's capture and charges filed in the robberies. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. You can also submit a confidential tip to Tacoma Police Department here.

A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty today to one count of homicide by abuse with aggravating factors in the 2008 death of 3-year-old Kekoa Ravenell.

Prosecutors intend to recommend a sentence of 50 years in prison when Noah Thomas is sentenced May 1. His defense attorney is expected to ask for a sentence within the standard range: 21 to 29 years.

The boy died of massive head trauma coupled with abdominal injuries while in Thomas' care May 28, according to court documents. Thomas, who was dating the boy's mother at the time, was baby-sitting Kekoa and his little sister.

According to charging documents, Thomas grew angry with the toddler when he disobeyed him a number of times that morning. At one point, Thomas picked the boy up and threw him on a bed where he hit "the iron rail and bounced on the floor," the records state.

Thomas also said he hit the boy and shook him by the neck while trying to wake him up after he lost consciousness, according to the documents.

Thomas entered a special plea where he maintained his innocence but acknowledged he probably would be convicted at trial.

He also stipulated to the fact that there were is sufficient evidence to find two aggravating factors: That Kekoa was a "particularly vulnerable" victim and that Thomas abused a "position of trust" to commit the crime.

Those aggravating factors give Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson authority to sentence Thomas above the standard range.

A state social worker was fired shortly after the boy's death, and officials with Child Protective Services later admitted the agency didn't do enough to protect Kekoa.

We're well into the lunch hour and there is no verdict yet in the murder trial of Douglas Chanthabouly.

The young man is accused of gunning down classmate Samnang Kok on Jan. 3, 2007, in a hallway at Foss High School.

The jury started deliberating the case Thursday afternoon.

We'll let you know as soon as the jury announces a verdict.

A three-car, injury crash was blocking part of the northbound lanes of State Route 7 in Spanaway.

The crash at at 140th Street South, state DOT officials reported at 12:34 p.m.

State Patrol troopers were on the scene. Drivers should expect delays.

UPDATE: This crash has been cleared and all lanes are open.

Apparently, there was some curiosity about police activity Thursday night near the area of South 15th and Junnett streets.

According to Tacoma police, officers from the Department of Corrections were conducting a check at a residence in the 2900 block of South 15th Street and requested the help of TPD.

DOC officers arrested three people on outstanding warrants.

TPD was investigating reports of a possible meth lab inside the home.

The American Red Cross helped two families whose homes were damaged by fire Thursday in east Pierce County.

The first fire occurred in the early morning hours in the 29000 block of Meridian Avenue East in Graham, the organization's Mount Rainier Chapter reported. The family of three had to flee from the burning home.

Red Cross volunteers arrived and provide emergency assistance to the family.

That afternoon, a home burned in the 10500 block of 404th Street in Eatonville. Two volunteers responded and helped four adults displaced by the devastating fire, the local chapter reported.

"In less than three weeks, your American Red Cross Mount Rainier Chapter responded to 10 local residential fires and provided disaster relief assistance to 47 people (29 adults and 18 children) who lost their homes," the chapter reported. "Approximately half of the families (6 of 12) assisted by Red Cross volunteers were Graham and Eatonville residents."

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man killed Thursday in Lakewood as Tyrone Tinsley of Lakwood.
Tinsley’s date of birth wasn’t immediately known but he was thought to be in his mid-30s, according to the Medical Examiner.
His death was ruled a homicide.
Tinsley was shot in the head and chest about 8 p.m. in the 5200 block of Solberg Drive. He was taken to Tacoma General but died of his injuries, Lakewood police reported.
Lakewood police are Lakewood police are searching for two suspects in the case. The victim had been in a mini-market moments before the shooting, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said.
Tinsley is the first homicide of 2009 in the City of Lakewood.

The name of the man shot and killed in Lakewood last night has not yet been released this morning.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not positively identified the man and thus cannot notify his family or release his name.

Lakewood police report no new information on the homicide investigation this morning.

The man, described as in his 30s, was shot in the head and chest about 8 p.m. in the 5200 block of Solberg Drive. He was taken to Tacoma General but died of his injuries, Lakewood police reported.

Detectives were called out to the shooting scene to investigate. Patrol officers talked to people in the area at the time to see if any witnessed what happened, police reported.

This is the first homicide of 2009 in the City of Lakewood.

UPDATE: Lakewood police are searching for two suspects in this case.

The victim had been in a mini market moments before the shooting, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman reported.

The department's major crimes unit was investigating.

Tacoma police and paramedics responded to a serious-injury crash on Interstate 705 just before 12:30 a.m. today.

The crash occurred just south of Stadium Way, Tacoma police reported.

A southbound car entered the northbound lanes of I-705 and collided head-on with a northbound vehicle.

All the occupants of both cars were transported to local hospitals for treatment of serious injuries.

The causing driver, a 38-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault. He too was being treated at a hospital for his injuries, police spokeswoman Gretchen Aguirre said.

The police department's fatality investigation team responded to the scene.

"It appears alcohol may have been a factor," Aguirre said.

A shooting left a man dead in the street about 8 p.m. Thursday in the 5200 block of Solberg Drive, off Bridgeport Way.

The man, in his thirties, was shot once in the head and once in the chest, said Lakewood police spokeswoman Lt. Heidi Hoffman.

Hoffman said there were no suspects and no known motive. Detectives were at the scene, where police tape surrounded a pile of clothes that medics cut off the victim.

The area of Lakewood is east of Interstate 5 just blocks from the main gate of McChord Air Force Base.

Alaska Airlines has canceled all flights to Anchorage today because of ash clouds moving toward Anchorage after today's eruption of Mount Redoubt.

Flights should resume tomorrow morning.

"We recognize these cancellations will significantly impact our customers intending to travel to or from Alaska," said Ben Minicucci, Alaska Air's chief operating officer, in a news release. "These decisions are guided by our commitment to safety, and we are making every effort to re-accommodate customers whose travel plans have been disrupted."

Passengers who have tickets for a flight scheduled for today or Friday can rebook before next Thursday without penalty or apply for a full refund.

Federal Way Police Chief Brian Wilson had never been the cause of a crash in his 28 years as an officer.

But then he got a Blackberry.

On March 18. Federal Way Police Chief Brian Wilson was stopped at a red light in an unmarked police car. While waiting, he scrolled through newspaper headlines and e-mail on his Blackberry.

Thinking the traffic began to move, he took his foot off the brake, and crashed into the car in front of him.

"I've had the Blackberry for three months, so now I know what I need to change," Wilson said.

After an internal review, City Manager Neal Beets found the collision to have been preventable and verbally reprimanded Wilson.
Now Wilson is using his mistake as an example to all drivers. Be careful.

"It shows how important it is to keep concentration while driving," he said. "Accidents can happen, even to me as the chief of police."

Emergency vehicles are exempt from state laws that prohibits reading messages while behind the wheel. But that's no excuse, Wilson said.

"Was this an essential communication for me to be on at the time? No," Wilson said.

Federal Way officers are reprimanded or receive counseling for collisions resulting in less than $700 in damage.

The crash happened at about noon at the intersection of south 324th Street and Pacific Highway South.

Wilson's crash didn't damage either vehicle, and there were no injuries. After the crash, Wilson flipped on his lights, pulled over and talked with the driver, who was very understanding, he said. He radioed for help, and another officer came by and filed the report.

"The important thing is to drive safely, and this was certainly a lesson driven home for me," he said.

Puyallup police were searching for two men who robbed a resident at gunpoint early today.

No arrests have been reported.

The 21-year-old victim was in the parking lot of the River Trail Apartment complex, 1615 E. Main, Puyallup police Lt. Dave McDonald said. He was approached by two individuals, one of whom pulled a gun on the victim just after 12:45 a.m.

The suspects demanded the victim's coat and wallet. They removed the cash from the wallet and handled back the other items to the victim, McDonald reported.

The suspects fled. The victim was not injured.

Both robbers were men in their mid 20s. One was described as white, 6 feet 4 and 180 pounds. The other was black, 6 feet 2 and 190 pounds.

Puyallup police officers and a police dog searched the area but did not find the suspects.

The investigation was continuing.

Pierce County prosecutors and Douglas Chanthabouly's lead attorney made their closing arguments today in Chanthabouly's first-degree murder trial.

The jury got the case at lunchtime.

Chanthabouly, 20, is charged with killing fellow student Samnang Kok, 17, in a hallway of Tacoma's Foss High School on Jan. 3, 2007.

Deputy prosecutor Fred Wist argued during his closing argument that Chanthabouly (seen here) intentionally sought out and killed Kok.

"This is not a case of a Columbine. This was not a Virginia Tech. This was not someone up in a bell tower shooting random people," Wist said in referring to other U.S. school shootings. "This case is nothing but an execution."

Wist and colleague Ed Murphy contend Chanthabouly planned to kill Kok and knew what he was doing was wrong despite his paranoid schizophrenia.

Public defender John McNeish urged the jury to find Chanthabouly not guilty by reason of insanity. McNeish and colleague John Chin do not dispute that Chanthabouly shot Kok but said he was delusional at the time and shouldn't be held criminally accountable.

Mental-health experts who examined Chanthabouly after the shooting testified during the two-week trial that he was under a delusion that Kok was a gang member out to hurt him and his brother.

One of them, psychiatrist Paul Leung of Oregon, testified that Chanthabouly was so paranoid that he couldn't tell right from wrong when he pulled out a 9 mm pistol and shot Kok in the face at close range.

"There was no logical reason for this to have happened," McNeish argued to the jury, pointing out that investigators uncovered no motive for Chanthabouly to shoot Kok. "The only reason this happened was because Douglas was sick, he was delusional, he was hallucinating."

If convicted as charged, Chanthabouly faces more than 30 years in prison. If acquitted by reason of insanity, he would be committed to the state psychiatric hospital near Lakewood, possible for the rest of his life.

Stayed tuned to thenewstribune.com for word of the verdict.

About 60 union carpenters took to the sidewalks of Tacoma today to protest two companies they said are paying less than standard union wage and benefits.

For about three hours this morning, members of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters marched outside the Point Ruston development off Ruston Way where a subcontractor Rain City Contractors Inc. of Lakewood worked last year.

They then moved to the equipment yard for Berg Equipment and Scaffolding at 19th and East D. Street on the tideflats. They waved signs, rang bells and banged on drums for about an hour.

Council spokesman Jimmy Hahn said the protest was an effort to make a point about companies they say are eroding wages for all workers by paying below union scale. The Council represents union carpenters in five states including Washington.

He said the protests were not aimed at trying to get a union contract with the company.

The protesters then dispersed to downtown Tacoma to hand out leaflets detailing their concerns about Rain City and their worker health and safety record at the Point Ruston development.

The state Department of Labor and Industries fined Rain City $35,000 for “willfully” violating safety laws by failing to properly train workers or inform them about arsenic and lead hazards at the Point Ruston site.
Hahn said the three workers who complained about the training were fired and a complaint was filed with the National Labor Relations Board. He said there has been a $40,000 settlement in that case, too.

Officials for Rain City or Berg couldn’t be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Industries said Rain City has appealed the state citation.

Loren Cohen, manager of legal affairs for Port Ruston, a mizzed use development project on the site of the old Asarco smelter, said it was unfortunate the project was being washed by the carpenters' protests.
Cohen said his company has a harmony agreement in place with 15 unions except the carpenters. He said the carpenters have removed themselves from the mainstream and “reverted back to strong arm tactics of days gone by.”
He said Rain City Contractors Inc. no longer works at the project. Diamond Concrete, which is also owned by the owner of Rain City. has a contract with the laborer’s union and working at the project, Cohen said.

UPDATE 2: Here's the skinny on the police pursuit from Lakewood police.

A Lakewood patrol officer who was working radar clocked a man going 65 mph in a 35 mph in the 8000 block of Washington Boulevard. The officer attempted to stop the car and the driver speed off, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said.

The fleeing driver got onto northbound Interstate 5, then got off at the South 56th Street exit in Tacoma.

Officers pursued the car as it drove along I-5, then on side streets in Tacoma, Hoffman said. During the pursuit, dispatchers advised the fleeing car might have been involved in a recent strong-arm robbery. A man put a bag over a woman's head and stole her oxygen tank, mask and other items.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies and Tacoma police officers assisted in the pursuit, Hoffman said. Deputies deployed stop sticks, which the fleeing vehicle ran over.

The 52-year-old man drove down a dead-end near South 34th and Alaska streets, then tried to run away.

Two Lakewood police officers chased the man and tackled him. He resisted and there was a struggle until the officers got the man into custody. The two officers sustained minor injuries - one had a cut above an eye, the other a cut on an elbow, Hoffman said.

During the pursuit, officers spotted the driver throwing items from the car. Officers spent time searching the area for the items but found nothing.

In the mix, four tires on two Lakewood patrol cars were flattened after the officers ran over the stop sticks. One patrol car hit a cement wall and one had a broken windshield, Hoffman said.

The driver was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of resisting arrest and felony eluding.

Previous post:

I am working to gather details about a police pursuit last night that got the attention of several residents in South Tacoma. (I've heard from seven of you already today.)

What I can initially report is that this is a Lakewood police incident. It started at 10:18 p.m. with a traffic stop and ended at 11:19 p.m. In the 61 minutes in between, it sounds like there was a pursuit with several agencies and many police cars. A police dog was called out and some cars were banged up.

UPDATE: Officers were initially trying to stop the suspect car for reckless driving. The driver took off and a pursuit ensued, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said. A couple of cars were damaged and officers suffered minor injuries, Hoffman said. The suspect was taken into custody.

Lakewood police did book a man into Pierce County Jail at 11:59 p.m. on suspicion of felony elude and resisting arrest. It might be related.

I have a call into the Lakewood Police Department to get the details.

In the mean time, here's what some of you have reported this morning.

listening to the scanner tonight around 10:30pm listen to a chase that went all around tacoma it seamed,, i think it ended up around 34th and asotin,, was the guy ever caught

Wednesday, 25th March, approx. 10:30PM

I live at South 38th & M Street.

Many, many police vehicles have been racing around my neighborhood for about the last 20-30 minutes.

Wondering what the major police activity was Wednesday 3/25 about 10:30pm, at least 6 or 7 police cars and possibly a helicopter in the area of 48th and Yakima to Portland Avenue area. Puyallup, Lakewood, and Tacoma police.

Hadn’t see at the TNT site yet, but any indications what the story is on the TPD high-speed chase last night? Was around 10:25 (lasted quite a while), seemed like it started maybe Hilltop/downtown area, then continued south on Yakima/Thompson with at least 12 TPD cars involved. Passed right in front of my house…

last night around 10:00 - 12:00 we heard a significant number of sirens and fast traveling vehicles in our neighborhood around 48th and Pacific. I couldn't tell if it was coming from 48th or Pacific. It wouldn't have usually piqued my interest but it went on for over 1/2 an hour and it seemed like they drove by several times...

I live in the area of S. C st and S. 30th st, basically I-5 and pacific ave, last night there seemed to be a man hunt happening on the hillside between I-5 and S. 30th st, a K-9 was here too. Police cars were sitting at intersections of side roads,

We had a line of TPD and Sheriffs come flying down South Thompson past 43rd towards 48th?? Then saw a few TPD cars fly back past the house again going the opposite direction. I assume they were chasing someone but never saw anything in the news about it.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 50-year-old Gig Harbor man with assault after he allegedly used a slingshot to fire ball bearings at the Tacoma Narrows bridge tollbooths earlier this month.

James Christopher Artley was arraigned on one count of second-degree assault and two counts of second-degree malicious mischief Wednesday. He was not in custody Thursday morning.

He told investigators that he had "'wristrocketed' the toll booths because he was unhappy with the recent toll infractions," court documents state.

Artley was charged with hitting two tollbooths and causing more than $550 damage. Court documents provide the following information.

The first incident was March 12 just before 7:45 a.m. A woman working in the booth heard a loud noise "as if something had hit the glass of her booth."

"The high impact glass window cracked and glass shards covered (the woman) and the interior of her booth," court documents state.

She had to close the booth for the day. The woman told investigators she likely would have been hit by the object if the glass had not stopped it.

The second incident was March 14. A different toll booth had a broken window. The damage was very similar to the March 12 incident.

On March 17, an employee found a 3/8-inch metal ball bearing on the roadway near one of the tollbooths that had been damaged.

Washington State Patrol troopers reviewed the video surveillance footage of the tollbooths.

"The surveillance showed that one truck was present at both tollbooths when the damage occurred," court documents state.

Investigators traced the truck to Artley and found his "Good to Go" pass had recently expired and he'd been issued several toll infractions.

When contacted, Artley allowed detectives to search his truck. He directed them to the wrist rocket sling shot and a pill bottle that contained 52 ball bearings measuring 3/8-inch across.

The flags at all state government buildings will be lowered today in honor of a Wentachee soldier who died in Germany earlier this month.

U.S. Army Pfc. Court D. Haugen, 23, died March 11 after he was hit by a train. He was on his way back to Fort Lewis after serving 15 months in Iraq, Gov. Chris Gregoire's office reported.

The governor has ordered that flags at all state agency facilities be lowered to half-staff until the close of business today or first thing Friday morning.

A Tacoma man died Tuesday while working on new quarters at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton.

Ryan Parker, 25, was working on bachelor enlisted quarters at the base when he suffered a "medical problem not related to the job," Navy spokeswoman Leslie Yuenger told the Kitsap Sun. Parker was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy will be completed this afternoon, but details won't be available until Thursday, the Sun reported. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating.

Parker was an employee of Cascade Steel Erection Co. of Issaquah, a subcontractor of Absher Construction Co. of Puyallup, according to the Sun.

Federal agents have made interesting finds in recent weeks at Sea-Tac Airport and the Port of Tacoma.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 3,327 ecstasy pills on Feb. 27 at the airport's international mail facility. The pills have an estimated street value of more than $66,000, the agency reported in a press release.

Investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are looking into the smuggling attempt.

Then, on March 2, customs agents detected and seized a large ocean shipment of drug-related paraphernalia coming into the Port of Tacoma from China. The shipment had more than 23,000 glass water pipes (aka bongs). The bongs were headed for a store in Mountlake Terrace.

"The shipping documents described the goods as glass vases," the press release stated. "After careful inspection by CBP officers, it was discovered that the product's true nature was disguised by strategically located country-of-origin decals on each piece. Upon removal of the decals the purpose of the product became readily evident"

The Consumer Product Safety Commission tested the bongs and found "a dangerously high level of lead concentration" present in each, the press release stated.

Tacoma-based Customs and Border Protection officers also halted a shipment of toy marbles (pictured here) that were head for Puyallup. They seized 150 cartons of marbles on March 9. An investigator with the Consumer Product Safety Commission sent samples from the marbles off for further testing.

"The lab determined that the marbles presented a choking hazard, and also did not meet the required labeling standards," the press release stated.

(Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

A man jumped from the new Tacoma Narrows bridge about 11 a.m. this morning and died, a Washington State Patrol spokesman said.

It is the first suicide jumper from the new eastbound span, according to trooper Brandi Kessler.

Tacoma police and Tacoma Vigilance water rescue boats are on the scene, she said, in an effort to recover the body.

"He did sink," Kessler said. "We are told it’s very rare they do recover bodies when they sink."

A witness told police the man walked up to the railing and jumped over without hesitating, she said. He jumped mid-span which is about 240 feet above the water and near the emergency telephone on the bridge, she added.

The far right lane is currently blocked by police vehicles. Kessler said the lane restrictions wasn’t impeding traffic flow on the bridge.

Police are looking for vehicles parked nearby the bridge.

Kessler said they have no idea what prompted the man to jump.

UPDATE: The police activity has dispersed and all lanes of Highway 16 are open to traffic, DOT reported at 12:20 p.m.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department will honor its own this afternoon during its annual awards ceremony.

The department will hand out its awards for employees of the year. More than 50 staff members, returning military soldiers and citizens will be honored.

The event begins at 1 p.m. at Pacific Lutheran University's Knutzen Hall.

Recently-elected Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy will deliver the keynote address. A special award will be given to Lyle Quasim, who was former Executive John Ladenburg's chief of staff.

UPDATE: Here's a list of the award winners.

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Deputy Phil Bernal

Corrections Officer of the Year
C/O Don Carn
C/Sergeant Patti Jackson

Employee of the Year
CSO Sandi Estep

Reserve Deputy of the Year
R/Deputy Jamison Oishi

Volunteer of the Year
Volunteer Ed Hrivnak
Volunteer Terry Farning

Cadet of the Year
Cadet Lt Michael Cooke

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney of the Year
DPA Grant Blinn

LESA Dispatcher of the Year
Durand Dace

A multiple-vehicle crash was blocking the left lane of northbound Interstate 5 just south of the Nisqually River Bridge this morning.

State Patrol troopers and fire trucks were on the scene, the state Department of Transportation reported at 7:50 a.m.

Drivers should expect delays.

UPDATE: Northbound drivers are now backed up two miles.

Tow trucks are headed to the scene, DOT reported at 8:25 a.m.

UPDATE at 9:08 a.m.: The crash has been cleared and traffic can now use the left lane again.

Drivers, however, are backed up for four miles. It will take some time, obviously, for that back up to evaporate.

Tacoma police officers arrested a woman suspected of robbing a gas station convenience store in the South End early today.

Police report the woman went into the Union 76 gas station at 8235 S. Hosmer St. just before 1:20 a.m.

She pointed a weapon at a store employee and stole cigarettes, Tums and an undisclosed amount of cash, police reported. The woman fled in a car.

Witnesses provided Tacoma police with the car's license plate number. Law enforcement officers found the vehicle just after 2 a.m. near South 96th and Steele streets.

The woman was taken into custody and booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of robbery, police reported.

Nearly 700 law enforcement officers gathered Tuesday at the River of Life Church in Kent to celebrate the lives of two of their own, a mother and a daughter, who were murdered earlier this month.

They remembered Barbara Jo Hawkins Nettlebeck, 52, of Orting, a King County corrections officer, and her daughter Bretta Joan Hawkins, 33, of Milton, a police service specialist with the Renton Police Department, as two of the kindest, most gentle people who lived for their jobs, their family and the many animals they surrounded themselves with.

They were more than mother and daughter, according to a statement from their family read at the memorial service. “They were best friends.”

They were found March 13 at Nettlebeck’s Orting farm. Her estranged husband Charles Walter Nettlebeck, 52, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder in death of his wife and stepdaughter. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Pierce County Superior Court March 16.

According to court papers, he told police that he had struck both of them in the head with an ax. Hawkins was still alive when police arrived and died the next day at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Both women were born in Tacoma. Bretta Hawkins graduated from Lincoln High School and worked the past seven years as a specialist with the Renton police.

Her mother worked for the past nine years as a corrections officer primarily at King County’s Regional Justice Center jail in Kent. Before that she worked as a specialist with the Des Moines Police Department.

Kathy Van Olst, director of King County corrections, said Barbara Jo’s kindness and caring attitude had an affect on both her colleagues and the inmates. She read a statement signed by 16 inmates who testified to Barbara Jo’s affect on their lives.

She said their deaths can serve to remind us of the awfulness and suddenness of domestic violence and the need to face its existence in our communities.

“It’s not fair. It’s not right,” Kent police Chaplain Pat Ellis said of their deaths, noting that her friends and family are left asking what do they do now.

He suggested people approach life as they did, with a smile and a laugh, and pick up where they left off making other people happy with their kindness.

Burglars ransacked a Puyallup home Saturday, then loaded some goods into a vehicle and stole the vehicle out of the home's garage.

Puyallup police report the burglary occurred sometime between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday at a home in the 2300 block of 43rd Street Southeast.

The suspect (or suspects) kicked in the back door to the garage, then made their way into the home, police reported. No one was inside at the time.

"The house was ransacked and numerous items were stolen," the department reported in a crime alert. "It appears that the stolen property was loaded into the victim's vehicle that was in the garage, and then the vehicle was also stolen."

Officers have no suspects. Detectives are continuing to investigate.

The department offered the following crime prevention tips:

For security at your home, consider the installation of a burglar alarm. Talk to your neighbors about keeping an eye on each others' homes. Let your neighbors know when you will be gone for extended periods. Always call the police when you observe suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Trim shrubs around your house to lower than three feet high and trim tree branches so they hang no lower than 6 feet above the ground. This will maximize visibility of your home from the street.

A mother and daughter killed in an ax attack at an Orting-area home will be honored today by members of two King County criminal justice agencies.

Officials from King County's Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention and the Renton Police Department will gather at 11 a.m. at River of Life Fellowship, 10615 S.E. 216th St., in Kent today to remember Barbara Hawkins, 52, and her daughter, Bretta Hawkins, 33.

Barbara's estranged husband, Charles Nettlebeck, was charged last week in the slayings of Barbara and Bretta.

Barbara was a corrections officer with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. Bretta had been a police specialist for Renton Police for the past seven years.

Instead of flowers, the family has asked donations be sent to Pierce County Humane Society, King County Animal Care and Control and Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

"At this time the departments would like to express their appreciation to everyone in the law enforcement community and beyond that has offered their condolences and support during this difficult time," a press release states.

The News Tribune will be covering the memorial service. Check back later today for details of the ceremony.

The state Attorney General's Office sent out the below press release today regarding a bogus door-to-door sales business.

SEATTLE – The Washington Attorney General’s Office today issued a warning about a company selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door in Washington and several other states. Fresh Start Opportunities claims that money from the subscriptions will be used to help young people get a "fresh start on life," but the company isn't a registered charity.

The company lists a downtown Seattle address on its Web site at www.freshstartopportunities.com but the address is simply a mailbox and the company's owner is believed to reside in another state.

Solicitors represent that the purchase of subscriptions will help young people get off the street and back on their feet so they can earn money to go to school. The Web site describes Fresh Start Opportunities as a "job business training company designed to teach young adults about self discipline, personal growth, self esteem and setting goals for the future."

Consumers have paid between $50 and $295 for subscriptions which, according to the company's site, may take up to 120 days to arrive. Calls to the company's phone number and letters sent to its Seattle address are ignored.

The company has ignored inquiries from the Secretary of State's Office concerning its failure to register as a charity. It also hasn't responded to the many complaints received by the Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau.

A 19-year-old man working for Fresh Start Opportunities was arrested in October after he allegedly broke into an Edmonds home, attacked the owner and stole her purse. The man was also a suspect in burglaries in Sammamish and Tumwater. Incidents of theft by Fresh Start Opportunities employees have also been reported in California.

Always check out a charity with the Secretary of State prior to making a donation. Ask solicitors for the need of the charity that they are representing, as well as the name of their employer. Request paperwork. Then search www.secstate.wa.gov/charities or call the office’s charities program at 1-800-332-4483. You can whether a charity is registered and how much of each dollar raised is used to help.

Police officers were scouring South Tacoma this morning for a man who robbed a drive-thru coffee stand at gunpoint.

No arrest has been reported. Officers have been following up on leads.

The man wore a red scarf over his face and wielded a black handgun when he robbed the Fox Hollow Coffee stand at 4024 S. 56th St. just after 8 a.m. today, Tacoma police detective Gretchen Aguirre said.

He left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Witnesses described the robber as white, in his 30s and 6 feet tall with a medium build. Besides the red scarf, the man wore a black-and-red hat and black jacket, Aguirre said.

Detectives were looking into whether the robber is connected to a string of unsolved armed robberies at espresso stands in unincorporated Pierce County. Those incidents were in January and February.

A woman who has several rental homes in Pierce County is warning potential renters of scam artists operating on Craigslist.

She would know - a scam artist posted an ad for one of her rentals, created an e-mail account using her name and is trying to get money from unknowing people to rent the house.

Gayle Folden came across the bogus Craigslist ad and decided to check out who was trying to rent her property using her name.

Here's the reply she got:

Hello Dear,
I am happy with your reply and interest in my house. I am the owner of the house you are making enquiry of. Actually I resided in the house with my family, My Wife and my 12yrs daughter before and currently we had packed due to my transfer from my church branch and now situated in Lagos,West Africa. Currently my house is still available for rent at $1200.00 including the Utilities like Water; washer etc.I will accept deposit of $1000 + 1 month rent, total of $2200,which is also your rent for 2months. NOTE: The $1000 deposit is highly refundable.

Bedrooms: 4bdrm

Bathrooms: 2.5 baths

1 Garrage
Parking Type: Attached Garage - 3 Car
home address: Graham, WA - 98th Avenue Court East
I want to let you know that money is not the issue but what we are after is absolute care for the house. Someone that will always keep our house clean. A good Tenant that have the fear of God.

I am with the keys and the papers to the house.Pls I want you to note that, I am a kind and honest Man and also I spent a lot on my property that I want to give to you for rent.

So I will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and want you to treat it as yours, I hope this is clear to you is not all about the money, but I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I will be glad to see it neat when I come back from West Africa. You can stay in the house for as longs as 4 years. I also want you to let me have trust in you as I always stand on my word. I await your mail so that i can send you a Rental Application Form. Email me back or call our home cell phone number on +2340857534656
Thanks and may God bless you.

Folden

"I have had 3 different young military wives send me $1200 deposits from out of state for me to hold homes for them over the last few months," the real Gayle Folden wrote. "They have small children and want to have a place ready when they get here. I think they would really send this guy money like he is asking for."

Gayle has reported the bogus ad to the FCC.

One woman saw the ad and started investigating it. She quickly found something fishy.

After, 9 pages of weird emails and a phone call to this man yesterday obviously that is not the truth. I decided to go to the home and speak to the neighbors...little to say the least I received conflicting information about the owners, which the gentleman in Africa was claiming to be. Long story made short, I did not send this man any money western union as he said I should do ASAP. Yesterday when I spoke to this gentleman he was extremely shady, was very nervous, and surprised that I was able to contact him via the phone, then kept telling me, lets only communicate via email...I then knew this was a scam.

Safe Streets community mobilizer Darren Pen reports that a group of volunteers painted over 300 yards of graffiti this weekend.

The group concentrated along the railroad tracks and Highway 7/South 38th Street interchange.

"If you drive through today or tomorrow all over 300 yards of graffiti is gone for now," Pen wrote in an e-mail.

(Photos provided by Darren Pen)

A collision is blocking northbound Interstate 5 onramp from 54th Avenue near Fife,

The state Department of Transportation said the crash happened at about 6:05 p.m. Drivers need to take "alternate routes." No detour has been provided.

Two of Lakewood's gang officers struggled a bit - but were ultimately successful - in trying to arrest a suspected gang member Wednesday afternoon.

Someone called 911 just before 1:45 p.m. Wednesday and reported there was a car full of suspected gang members at an apartment complex in the 15300 block of Washington Avenue Southwest, court documents state.

The officers arrived and spotted the car. They parked behind the car and watched the front seat passenger, who appeared as though he was going to flee.

The officers ordered the man to close the door and he complied.

The officers walked up to the car and found four men inside. They "sported clothing and accessories consistent with gang activity," court documents state. The officers immediately smelled marijuana coming from the car.

The driver was detained. The front seat passenger turned up the music and "spoke using gang vernacular."

As the officers prepared to get the front seat passenger out of the car, he moved across the front seat and out the driver's side door. The officers stopped him.

The passenger reached his hand into his pants pocket and was immediately taken to the ground, court documents state.

He fought with officers and "furiously reached into his pants pocket," court documents state.

The man threatened officers during the struggle. He was eventually subdued.

From the man's pants pockets, officers found "a small-framed, loaded, 9mm handgun," court documents state. Officers discovered the gun had been reported stolen to TPD.

Tacoma police were investigating a crash that blocked traffic at South 12 and Oakes streets Friday night.

According to witnesses and police, a black Honda was traveling eastbound on 12th when a blue Ford Crown Victoria clipped it from behind. The Crown Vic went out of control and hit a power pole.

Two people got out of the Ford and climbed into a third car that left the scene, police said. Both were bleeding from the head.

Officers tracked down the third car with the help of a citizen who witnessed the crash, said detective Bradley Graham. They talked to a person who was in the car but don't believe he or she was driving the Crown Vic, Graham said.

The investigation was continuing late Friday.

A woman who lives near the crash scene told Lights & Sirens the sequence of events unfolded like something from a movie.

"It was nuts," she said.

Washington State Patrol troopers had to use a Taser to get a suspected drunken driver into custody after he tried to flee from officers.

Pierce County prosecutors charged the 46-year-old man Thursday with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and driving while under the influence.

Court documents provide the following account of the incident.

A Washington State Patrol trooper was on patrol just before midnight Tuesday when he spotted a car speeding along State Route 7. The trooper's mounted radar unit indicated the car was going 78 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The trooper activated his emergency lights and got behind the speeding car. The car pulled into a parking lot and crashed into a telephone pole, coming to a stop.

"The defendant was talking on a cell phone and looked back at the trooper," court documents state.

The trooper positioned his patrol car but noticed the Nissan's reverse lights come on. The driver started to back up, forcing the trooper to move his vehicle to avoid being hit.

The driver went around the parking lot, circled a coffee stand twice and drove back onto State Route 7. The trooper had activated his siren by then.

The car's driver speed up to 45 mph and turned onto 121st Street. He ran the stop sign at 121st and A streets and turned left. The car sped back up to 75 mph and ran another stop sign.

"Several Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Patrol vehicles positioned themselves in the westbound lanes of 112th St. E. and deployed spike strips," court documents state. "The defendant ran over the spike strips and continued eastbound."

The driver suddenly threw his hands up in the air, showing the trooper his hands and stopped.

"Another Trooper arrived on scene and with the assistance of numerous Sheriff’s Deputies and the deployment of a Taser, the defendant was taken into custody," court documents state.

Troopers noticed an "obvious odor of intoxicants coming from the defendant’s breath," court documents state.

"The defendant said he was in trouble and that it was his sister's car and that he had to call her," court documents state.

The driver blew a .109 and .104 the machine that tests for blood alcohol content.

The fifth and final man convicted in a takeover-style bank robbery at a South Tacoma branch nearly three years ago has been sentenced to federal prison time.

A federal judge sentenced Nathan R. Dunmall, a 20-year-old British Columbia resident, Friday to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for his role in the Aug. 7, 2006, heist at the Bank of America branch on South Tacoma Way, the U.S. District Attorney's Office reported. Dunmall had been convicted of armed bank robbery and brandishing a machine gun during and in relation to a crime of violence.

He is one of five men convicted in the hold-up. Three of the defendants were members of the elite Army Ranger unit based at Fort Lewis. Dunmall and another defendant were recruited to participate and traveled to Tacoma from Canada for the robbery, the office reported.

The robbery's alleged mastermind, Army Ranger Luke E. Sommer, provided the participants - Canadian nationals Dunmall and Tigra J.A. Robertson and fellow rangers Chad Palmer and Alex M. Blum - with the guns the day before the heist. The guns included loaded, fully automatic AK-47 machine guns.

The robbers wore soft body armor in case they got into a shoot out with responding officers. (They didn't.)

The robbers entered the bank at 5:15 p.m. Aug. 7, 2006, and ordered the tellers to turn over their cash and open the bank's vault. They wore black masks and military fatigues, prosecutors reported.

Dunmall stood at an entrance, armed with a machine gun.

The robbers got more than $50,000 during the 90 seconds they were inside the bank. A bystander got the license plate number of the getaway car. Investigators traced it to Fort Lewis, where evidence of the bank robbery was found in the rangers' barracks, the office reported.

Sommer was sentenced in December to 24 years in prison. Palmer received an 11-year sentence, Robertson a 12.5-year term and Blum, who served as the getaway driver, got 16 months in prison.

One lane of State Route 18 is back open this morning as crews work to clear a collision at the Tiger Mountain summit.

The left lane of eastbound 18 was opened shortly after 9 a.m. The right lane remains blocked, according to DOT.

The incident began about 8:45 a.m.

UPDATE: The right lane is now open. The crash has been cleared and all lanes are open for traffic.

A 21-year-old Fort Lewis soldier killed earlier this week when he tried to cross Interstate 5 has been identified.

Army officials identified him as Sgt. Sean F. Epperly, a California native who served as an infantry soldier with the 4th battalion, 23rd infantry regiment of the fifth Strker Brigade combat team, 2nd infantry division.

Epperly was trying to cross I-5 near the Fort Lewis main gate just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol reported. He was struck by a passing car. Epperly died at the scene.

The soldier reported for basic training in June 2006. He has been stationed at Fort Lewis since January 2007. His Stryker brigade is preparing to deploy to the Middle East.

Federal Way police lobbed several cans of tear gas into a home overnight, bringing an end to a five-hour standoff and neighborhood evacuation.

Three men surrendered without further incident and were taken taken into custody, Federal Way police reported.

The incident began just before 7:20 p.m. Thursday when a 48-year-old man reported he'd been assaulted with a cattle prod inside a home near the 30700 block of 12th Place Southwest.

The victim was transported to a local hospital with an eye injury, Federal Way police reported. His injuries were considered not life threatening.

Officers learned the suspect had active warrants for his arrest. Officers tried to contact the suspect at the home by telephone. A man answered, said the suspect wasn't there and hung up.

Officers tried to dialed the home several more times but the calls went unanswered, police reported. Officers, however, could tell there were at least two men inside. Both men matched the description given by the victim, the police department reported.

Officers tried repeatedly to contact the men inside. They made announcements over the public address system and knocked on the doors. Those inside ignored the police, the department reported.

A regional SWAT team was called in and officers evacuated nearby homes. A Federal Way police negotiator continued to try to make contact with the home's occupants but also had no luck.

After investigators obtained a search warrant for the home, members of the SWAT team used explosive devices to open the locked door.

"After opening the door, several canisters of O.C./Pepper Spray Gas were launched into the home," the department reported.

Minutes later, three men came outside and were arrested.

The 45-year-old suspect was among those taken into custody. The other two were arrested on suspicion of obstruction.

All three men were later booked into King County Jail.

Central Pierce firefighters and Pierce County sheriff's deputies evacuated homes and had power disconnected after an occupant doused a mobile home in gasoline late Thursday.

Deputies were called to the home in the 10600 block of A Street South just before midnight. They'd received reports that an occupant had doused the mobile home with gas, turned the oven on high, left the oven door open and placed the gas can in front of the oven door, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue reported.

Deputies called firefighters to help. There was a heavy smell of gasoline coming from the home.

Firefighters evacuated the immediate area and got prepared in case the home caught fire.

Crews had Tacoma City Light disconnect the power. Afterward, firefighters checked around the home for any other source of ignition.

"Once the area was deemed safe for firefighters to enter the mobile home, the home was aired out," the fire department reported. "Neighbors that had been evacuated and temporarily housed in a Pierce County Transit bus, brought in at the request of firefighters, were allowed to return to their homes."

No injuries were reported. Deputies were investigating.

Local clergy will hold a Moment of Blessing ceremony Friday for a woman killed earlier this month in a Hilltop home.

The brief spiritual ceremony for Satina Simpson begins at 11 a.m. at the corner of South Eighth and I streets.

Here's the press release from Associated Ministries.

Associated Ministries will be holding a special Moment of Blessing on Friday, March 20th at 11:00 AM at the corner of South 8th and I Streets. This was the site of the involuntary homicide of Satina Simpson. This was not a murder. We are coming together to both bless this space where she died and to offer our prayers for her family as they are putting their lives together following this horrible tragedy. We also want to encourage neighbors to join us in this Moment of Blessing and prayer for the family.

Tacoma police originally arrested Simpson's 16-year-old daughter in connection with her death. Prosecutors decided not to file charges earlier this week, saying the daughter acted in self defense. She was trying to protect her younger brother after Simpson made threats to kill him.

Pierce County law enforcement officers arrested 25 suspected drunken drivers during a pre-St. Patrick's Day emphasis patrol Saturday.

The officers stopped 463 motorists during the emphasis in the City of Puyallup and surrounding area. In addition to the 25 suspected drunken drivers, officers arrested six drivers on drug-related violations.

Some highlights of the night, as reported by the Tacoma-Pierce County DUI Task Force:

* One impaired driver was found passed out in the drive through of a fast food restaurant.

* Officers stopped another driver after he tried to drive the wrong way into a major intersection.

* An 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being a minor in possession of alcohol after the teen had been drinking at a friend's home.

* One person was driven to Enumclaw because he was wanted there on a $20,000 warrant for previous DUIs.

* Officers arrested one driver who's blood alcohol limit was more than twice the legal limit of .08. The driver also had an unrestrained child in the car.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board participated in the emphasis by sending two officers out to conduct compliance checks at six bars and taverns. Two - Main Garden Restaurant and Wayne's Inn Bar and Grill in Puyallup - received warnings for inappropriately serving alcohol to intoxicated people, the task force reported.

A Pierce County jury found John Joseph Ironnecklace not guilty of first-degree burglary last week.

Ironnecklace was charged in connection with a May 18, 2008, incident where another man was shot to death.

Prosecutors contended that Ironnecklace accompanied S'ue Taulaupapa into a house on South 55th Street with the intent of confronting someone there.

Taulaupapa was shot to death when he broke down a bathroom door. The shooter, Thomas Kelderhouse, later was convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm but was not prosecuted for Taulaupapa's death. Kelderhouse is serving a 57-month prison sentence.

Ironnecklace maintained he was just a bystander and stayed outside the house.

Graham firefighters doused flames in two-story home this morning.

No one was home at the time the fire started inside. Bystanders reported seeing flames coming from the home in the 7500 block of 195th Street Court, Graham Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Gary Franz said.

Firefighters were dispatched to the blaze just after 9:30 a.m. The first-arriving engine found flames shooting out several windows of the first floor. The engine called for a second alarm, Franz said.

Firefighters also evacuated the homes on either side of the burning house.

Crews got the main part of the blaze under control in 30 minutes. They were working to put out the rest of the blaze, Franz said. Investigators from the Pierce County Fire Marshal's Office were on the scene but couldn't start searching for a cause yet the building was still too hot, Franz said.

The homeowners were not inside at the time but have since arrived at the scene.

No civilians or firefighters were injured. A neighboring home sustained minor blistering from the heat, Franz said.

Franz said this morning's fire was very similar to one Saturday morning that damaged five homes in a Frederickson subdivision.

The home involved in today's fire also have vinyl siding and is spaced 10 feet apart from its neighbors on either side.

"It looks just like it," Franz said.

Franz said Graham firefighters used the exact same tactics today as they did Saturday. The weekend fire was more devastating because five homes were on fire when crews arrived.

Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against four men suspected of shooting another man outside McCabe's American Music Cafe last month.

Randall Marquise Embry, 28; Steven Lance Lovelace, 21; Bryant Deshean Morgan, 25; and Andre Terrell Parker, 27, were charged Wednesday with first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. Embry, Lovelace and Morgan were arraigned on the charges Wednesday. Parker is in federal custody on gun-related charges, court documents state.

The 26-year-old victim remains unconscious at a local hospital "and his likelihood of survival remains in doubt," court documents state. The charges against the four men could be altered if the victim's condition changes.

Court documents provide the following account of the shooting and the investigation.

The victim was shot several times in the parking lot of McCabe's American Music Cafe, 2611 Pacific Ave., just before 2 a.m. Feb. 24.

Officers were called to the scene and found him on the ground, seriously injured. They also located several shell casings.

A witness told officers she left the bar with the victim and they headed across the street.

"The witness reported that they were approached by a male," court documents state. "As the male neared he withdrew a handgun and fired without speaking."

The shooter walked to a nearby car, which then fled the scene. The witness got the fleeing car's license plate number and provided it to police.

Officers traced the license plate number to a rental car that Parker had rented several days before the shooting.

"Parker would later claim that the car had been stolen from a different location just prior to the time of the shooting," court documents state. "Several days later, the rental car was located in south King County."

Tacoma police detectives put Parker, Lovelace, Embry and Morgan at McCabe's at the time of the shooting through video surveillance, interviews and clothing.

"Just prior to the shooting, all four move off camera to the area where the shooting occurred," court documents state. "Investigation revealed that there was a preexisting conflict between Parker and (the victim)."

The police investigation also revealed the victim and four suspects are confirmed gang members from different sets.

The suspects denied being involved in the shooting. Three of them, however, said they were pictured in the video surveillance and "that their movements place them near the shooting location," court documents state.

All four have prior felony convictions.

A Tacoma Police forensics officer takes photographs at the scene of a shooting on Martin Luther King Jr. Way on Wednesday night. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune.

Two people were wounded in the second shooting this week within a couple blocks in the Hilltop neighborhood in Tacoma.

About 15 shots were fired at about 9:15 p.m. in the intersection of 21st Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Tacoma, wounding two men. One was shot in the shoulder, the other in the leg. Both victims are in their early 20s.

Tacoma Police Det. Brad Graham said they were taken to a local hospital and the injuries are not life threatening.

Police have blocked of the intersection, with plastic markers strewn across the street where shell casings were found. A forensic officer took photographs of the scene as witnesses chatted on a porch inside the cordoned-off corner.

The shooting was just a few blocks from where gunshots seriously injured a 38-year-old man Monday night.

In that incident, the man and two others were walking down the street in the 2400 block of South L Street shortly before 9 p.m. A black, four-door car pulled up alongside the three, said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum.

Those inside the car yelled out some gang comments, Fulghum said, then one of them opened fire.

Fulghum described that victim’s injuries as “survivable” but fairly serious.

— Brian Everstine, The News Tribune

Crews blocked off the intersection of 19th Street and Tacoma Avenue after a police cruiser crashed into a car while responding to a shooting. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

A Tacoma Police responding to a shooting Wednesday night crashed into a car on the corner of South 19th Street and Tacoma Avenue.

Tacoma Police Det. Brad Graham said the officer smashed into the white Chrysler PT Cruiser, which was stopped at the intersection. The three passengers of the car were taken to a Tacoma hospital, and the officer was not injured.

The intersection was closed on Wednesday night as they worked to removed the two damaged vehicles.

— Brian Everstine, The News Tribune

If anyone is planning to make the grueling drive over Snoqualmie Pass tonight, you might be delayed.

The state Department of Transportation said it will close to pass at about 11 p.m., and because avalanche work times vary, it doesn't know when the pass will be open. The work could be over in just 20 minutes, or more than 2 hours, the DOT said.

Westbound traffic will be stopped at 10:45 p.m. near Easton, and eastbound traffic will be stopped at 11 p.m. near Hyak.

If you are wondering, the pass is bare and dry with no restrictions.

Tacoma police are searching for a man who screamed at a teller while robbing a Hilltop bank this morning.

According to police, the man entered Key Bank, 1120 S. 11th St., at 10:45 a.m. He approached a teller and shouted his demands at her. The bandit took an undisclosed amount of cash and walked out of the bank.

Witnesses reported he walked down the alley, got into a black SUV and drove away, police reported.

The bandit is described as black or Pacific Islander, in his 20s and 6 feet 1 with a heavy build. He had dark brown hair, a mustache and goatee. During the robbery, he wore a white shirt, dark hooded jacket, baggy blue jeans and white shoes.

Tacoma police released surveillance images of the robber this afternoon in hopes of identifying him.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the bank robber's arrest and charges filed against him. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Call Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Tacoma police arrested a husband and wife Monday on suspicion of trying to steal DVDs from the Tacoma Target store.

Prosecutors have charged the man and woman with first-degree robbery and organized retail store theft on Tuesday.

Court documents provide the following account:

Loss prevention agents at Target told Tacoma police they spotted the husband inside the store selecting DVDs. He put them in his cart and later met up with his wife.

Agents reported the husband put the DVDs into his wife's purse.

"The purse would later be determined to be lined with foil in an effort to defeat security sensors," court documents state.

The woman wandered through the store, then left without paying for the DVDs.

A loss prevention agent tried to stop the woman. The agent reported the woman punched the agent in the face, causing injuries to the ear and face.

Officers found nearly $400 worth of store merchandise in the woman's purse.

The woman told Tacoma police she fought with the agent because she didn't know the person was a loss prevention agent.

Local clergy will gather this morning to remember a 61-year-old man killed in his University Place apartment earlier this month.

The Moment of Blessing ceremony for Darryl Bracey begins at 11 a.m. today at the Sunset Ridge Apartments, 5918 Hanna Pierce Road W., Apt. A. The site will be marked with bamboo poles laced with red and purple ribbons bearing the names of Pierce County's homicide victims.

Bracey was found dead March 10. Prosecutors have charged two women and a man in connection with his death. The motive for the slaying was robbery, according to court documents.

Associated Ministries conducts the brief spiritual ceremonies at all places where homicides occur in Pierce County. The event is intended to cleanse the spot where the crime took place and to provide comfort to the victim's family, friends and community.

Kent firefighters doused flames inside a home on the city's East Hill this morning.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the early morning fire remained under investigation, Kent fire officials reported.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 24900 block of 104th Avenue Southeast about 5:50 a.m. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the single-story house.

No one was inside the home when the fire broke out.

Firefighters had to close down one southbound lane of 104th Avenue Southeast for two hours, the fire department reported. Kent police officers helped with traffic control.

Crews returned to Commencement Bay this morning to continue to deal with a hydraulic fluid spill discovered yesterday afternoon.

The U.S. Coast Guard, state Department of Ecology and Washington Maritime Cooperative responded to the scene Tuesday.

Investigators believe the Hyundai Republic lost up to 158 gallons of hydraulic oil in the Blair Waterway on Tuesday afternoon.

A residual sheen was spotted in Seattle. Crews flew over the scene to determine the extent of the damage.

"They spotted patches in the Blair Waterway," the U.S. Coast Guard reported. "A spill response vessel assessed the spill and recovered any oil that it could."

The cause of the spill was under investigation.

Here's a link to the report that underlies my story on a near-escape from McNeil Island prison in December.

The 13-page document shows how offender Donald Dravis made it onto the outbound ferry by telling a corrections officer he was a worker who had left his ID in his truck.

An outside review team found that escape protocols weren't followed and raised questions about a use-of-force incident that happened once they had Dravis back in custody -- In the words of the report: "Upon being escorted into the gate house, Offender Dravis was placed against staff mailboxes while escorting officers awaited instructions from the Lieutenant and Shift Sergeant. Offender Dravis tensed and shifted his weight at which time he was escorted to the ground."

No decision about staff discipline have been made.

Faint rainbow sheen can be seen at the site of an oil spill at the Port of Tacoma. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

Crews are containing oil that spilled in Commencement Bay Tuesday afternoon as most of the pollution has dissipated.

Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Ron Owens said the Hyundai Republic ship was leaving port at about 3:30 this afternoon when it accidentally released hydraulic oil into the water. About 150 gallons were released before ship crews closed an open valve.

Small amounts of oil were also seen near Vashon Island where the ship had earlier passed, Owens said.

Crews from the Coast Guard, the Department of Ecology and the Washington state Maritime Cooperative are on scene to determine the extent of the pollution. Rainbow sheen could be seen on the shore of the waterway next to the old Emerald Queen Casino.

Crews were setting up containment booms to control the spill over night and will return to the scene in the morning to see what else needs to be done.

A collision is blocking the Interstate 705 onramp to northbound Interstate 5.

The state Department of Transportation says backups on 705 extend to highway 509. Traffic has been congested since about 3:10 p.m.

A Sumner man must spend 24 months on probation, perform community service and participate in a program that helps criminal defendants recognize right from wrong after being convicted of falsely claiming he’d earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star while serving in the military.

Steve A. Bennest, 57, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Bennest previously pleaded guilty to making false claims of military medals and decorations.

Federal prosecutors contended Bennest falsely stated on an application for veterans benefits that he had earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, among the highest decorations awarded to members of the military.

While Bennest served in the Army between 1969 and 1972, he earned neither medal, prosecutors said.

Federal Judge Brian Tsuchida told Bennest his conduct was “shameful and hurtful to other soldiers” during the sentencing hearing, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

Bennest is a former City of Pacific reserve police officer.

Central Pierce firefighters doused a blaze at an abandoned mobile home park this afternoon.

Crews were called to the old Country Aire Manor mobile home park off Meridian Avenue about 2 p.m. They found one of the vacant homes fully involved in flames, said Matt Holm, spokesman for Central Pierce Fire & Rescue. The home was located in the 9800 block of 171st Street East.

No injuries have been reported.

The Pierce County Fire Marshal's Office was headed to the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze, Holm said.

The mobile home park is mostly vacant, Holm said. A few abandoned homes remain.

We've written several stories about what's happened to Country Air Manor. Here's the most recent.

Puyallup residents interested becoming crime watchers are invited to an informational meeting Wednesday night at City Hall.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Puyallup City Council's chambers. A community mobilizer from Safe Streets and officers in the Puyallup Police Department's problem-oriented policing unit will provide information and offer training during the 90-minute session.

Participants will learn how to:

* Start a block watch.

* Develop a phone tree.

* Make 911 calls.

* Effectively identify and report criminal activity.

They'll also learn what to expect from the police.

Coffee and snacks will be served.

Tacoma police have released more information about a shooting last night that seriously injured one man.

The man and two others were walking down the street in the 2400 block of South L Street shortly before 9 p.m. A black, four-door car pulled up alongside the three, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The occupants of the car yelled out some gang comments, Fulghum said. One of the occupants then opened fire.

The car took off.

One of the three on the sidewalk was struck. The 38-year-old man was reportedly taken to Tacoma General Hospital for treatment. Fulghum described the victim's injuries as "survivable" but pretty serious.

The other two men were not injured. One provided a brief statement to officers. The other one didn't talk to police, Fulghum said.

Officers blocked off stretches of L Street and Martin Luther King Way as forensic officers combed the streets with flash lights. Anyone with information is urged to call the Tacoma police.

Tacoma Police are looking for suspects or witnesses to a shooting in the Hilltop neighborhood Monday evening.

Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said there was an argument in front of a house on the 2300 block of south L Street. At least four shots were fired, and a group fled the scene.

The victim was able to walk to a house and was later taken to Tacoma General Hospital. The male victim was in his late 20s.

Police blocked off stretches of L Street and Martin Luther King Way as forensic officers combed the streets with flash lights. Anyone with information is urged to call the Tacoma police.

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: The victim was reportedly in critical condition, according to the Tacoma police codeaphone.

No arrests have been reported.

Two Tacoma firefighters had to run from a burning house after they got trapped last week.

Pierce County prosecutors have now charged Maasiasi Aupaau with first-degree arson in connection with that fire.

Court documents provide the following information:

Aupaau called Tacoma police Wednesday to say he'd set on fire his house in the 2300 block of 65th Avenue Northeast.

Firefighters found flames and heavy smoke coming from the front of the house.

"While battling this fire two firefighters became trapped in the house when their hoseline burned through," court documents state. "One firefighter ran through the flames to exit and the other had to make an emergency self extrication through a window."

Two people were living in the basement. A woman told officers she'd recently broken up with Aupaau.

Her brother lived in the downstairs basement and heard Aupaau and his sister fighting.

"They then heard loud thumping coming from the upstairs area," court documents state.

A fire investigator ruled the blaze an arson. Aupaau was arrested.

Ice and snow have forced the state Department of Transportation to block both directions of highway 18 at the Tiger Mountain Summit.

All vehicles have been cleared, and the DOT is sending sanding trucks to the area. The road is blocked at Interstate 90 at the east and Issaquah-Hobart Road to the west.

Snoqualmie Pass, however, is still open with traction tires advised.

The two right lanes of westbound highway 516 near Kent are blocked after a multi-vehicle collision.

The collision, which occurred at about 5:00 p.m., blocked the lanes of 516 (the South Kent-Des Moines Road) just east of West Meeker Street. The state Department of Transportation has not released an estimate of when the road will be clear.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: All lanes are now clear.

Nettlebeck

The King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention sent out this news release.

The King County corrections community is mourning the loss of a dedicated colleague, Barbara Nettlebeck. Officer Barbara Nettlebeck, age 52, a Corrections Officer with the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention was found dead at her residence in Pierce County on Friday, March 13, 2009. Her daughter, Bretta Hawkins, age 33, was found unconscious at the scene and later died of her injuries at Harborview Medical Center. Bretta Hawkins was a specialist for the Renton Police Department. Pierce County Sheriff's deputies have arrested Officer Nettlebeck's estranged husband in connection with the deaths.

"Barbara's death is a difficult loss for us," said the Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Kathy Van Olst. "Barbara was with the Department for nine years. She was an excellent officer who was known for always treating those around her with the utmost respect and patience. Barbara was well-liked and respected by all of her colleagues. Words cannot adequately describe the sadness felt in our Department as a result of this tragedy."

Plans for a memorial service are being coordinated with the family and the Renton Police Department. This information will be made available when the details have been finalized.

Pierce County prosecutors will not be charging a 16-year-old girl today in last week's death of her mother.

The girl had been in Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. Officials suspect the girl acted in self defense.

Tacoma police officers found the mother's body late Thursday in a home in the 800 block of South I Street.

Investigators have been searching for the girl's father to talk to him about the incident and the woman's death. He's still not been located.

The investigation was continuing, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has yet to release the mother's name or her cause of death.

We'll update this post when we have more information about why prosecutors are not charging the girl today.

Two Tacoma schools were in brief lock downs this morning as Tacoma police searched for burglary suspects.

The lock downs at Manitou Elementary and Gray Middle schools were precautionary, a school district spokeswoman said. The lock downs are over with.

At least one person has been arrested, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The burglary occurred in the 5700 block of South Cheyenne Street.

In the past several days, we've had to delete several comments from posts on this blog that were out of line for one reason or another.

Just a reminder that we will take down your comment if it attacks another commenter, contains obscenities or is racist. We do monitor the comments that are posted.

We like to hear from you but please be civil in your comments and to one another.

Two would-be burglars were captured on a surveillance camera trying to break into a coffee stand recently.

The owner of Caveman Coffee has posted the footage on YouTube and is asking anyone with information about the attempted break-in to call Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

The Caveman Coffee stand is located at 176th Street East and 66th Avenue East.

The burglars tried and tried but were not successful in getting into the stand.

It will be a busy afternoon in Pierce County Superior Court.

Among those being arraigned will be two people arrested on suspicion of killing family members. The teenage girl and 52-year-old man are scheduled to make their first court appearances today.

The 16-year-old girl was booked Friday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of her mother. The mother was found dead late Thursday inside a Tacoma home in the 800 block of South I Street.

A 52-year-old man also is expected to make his first appearance. He's been arrested in connection with the slayings of his estranged wife and stepdaughter at a house south of Orting late Friday.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not released the names of any of the homicide victims. This morning, an investigator said the names might be released later today.

Peninsula Light Co. customers are without power Sunday afternoon as heavy winds blew through the region.

Reader Lori Hodges sent us this tip:

power has been out since approximately 1:45pm today. no other information available from peninsula light co. no end in sight. In my neighborhood that means no water either.

An automated message at Peninsula Light says crews are working fast to bring power back but there is no estimated time that the lights will turn back on. A message left on the general line has not been returned.

Tacoma Public Utilities has not reported any outages.

This post will be updated when more information is available.

UPDATE: Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Rebekah Anderson said a falling tree took out a power pole leaving customers in the Auburn area without power.

"Crews are working to fix damage and restore power in the Auburn area," Anderson said.

UPDATE 2: 7:55 p.m. Anderson said crew should have work done within a few hours and that all customers should have power back this evening.

Power first went out at about 2:30 p.m. with about 3,000 customers affected.

Pierce County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 52-year-old man today on suspicions that he killed his wife and 33-year-old stepdaughter with an axe in the couple's home south of Orting.

The man called 911 about 10:20 p.m. Friday night to say he had assaulted his wife, sheriffs' spokesman Ed Troyer said today.

When deputies arrived at the home on the 27200 block of 168th Avenue Court East, they found the man's wife dead and his stepdaughter gravely injured.

"It appears he took an axe to both of them," Troyer said.

Authorities are not releasing the names of the victim until the Pierce County Medical Examiner has confirmed that the next of kin has been notified.

The man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder.

Troyer said the attacks were domestic violence-related, but deputies haven't determined what would have caused the man to attack his wife and stepdaughter.

"What his motivation was and why this happened we’re still investigating," Troyer said.

Image courtesy of Corey L. Webb

Fire fighters are still searching for the cause of a fire that destroyed two homes and damaged three others in the Fredrickson area this morning.

Crews with Graham Fire and Rescue responded to a single-structure fire on the 20500 block of 85th Avenue Ct. East at about 6:30 a.m. this morning. When they arrived, they found the fire had spread to a neighboring house.

Continued inspection found that two other homes nearby were smoking.
All four houses were occupied, but the residents were evacuated and no one was injured, said Graham Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Gary Franz.

A total of about 35 fire personnel worked to get the main fires under control within about 45 minutes, Franz said.

Crews were still working at 9:30 a.m. to extinguish some interior fires.
Investigators with the Pierce County Fire Marshal’s office are on the scene to determine how the fire began.

The first house that caught fire is destroyed, as is the second, where the fire burned through the attic and caused it to crash into the floors below, Franz said.

The other two houses have mostly exterior damaged and can probably be saved, he said.

Franz said the home’s proximity to one another and their vinyl siding contributed to the fire’s spread. Wind was also a factor.

Each of the two-story homes is only about ten feet apart in the neighborhood built roughly three years ago.

Franz said his fire district has been fighting against building new homes close together because of fears that fires could spread easily.

A distance of 10 feet between buildings has been considered the minimum acceptable distance from a fire safety standpoint, Franz said.

“I shudder to think what would have happened if the homes were built below that minimum,” Franz said.

Tacoma and Lakewood police were out at South 54th and M streets this afternoon.

According to scanner chatter, Lakewood police were in pursuit of a car containing a man wanted on a warrant.

Another car hit a Lakewood patrol car, injuring an officer. The officer was taken to the hospital to be evaluated but injuries were believed to be minor, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Tacoma police are investigating the crash involving the Lakewood patrol car.

Tacoma police are looking for help identifying a man suspected of doing a "smash and grab" theft earlier this week at the Tacoma Target store.

Surveillance video shows the man entering the store, South 23rd Street and Union Avenue, just after 9 a.m. Monday.

He walked down an aisle of the electronics department, smashed a glass display case and grabbed several iPods. He left the store without paying, police reported.

Police describe the thief as a white or light-skinned black man, 35 to 45 years old, 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds. He had a slender build and dark hair. He wore eyeglasses, black leather jacket, blue jeans, black boots and a black stocking cap.

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

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

This just released by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff:

FROM: Bryan Chushcoff, Presiding Judge of Pierce County Superior Court, and Michael Hecht, Superior Court Judge

RE: Status of Judge Michael A. Hecht

Judge Michael Hecht was elected by Pierce County voters in 2008 to a term as a Superior Court judge. Judge Hecht was recently charged with a criminal offense and today he was arraigned by a neutral judge. The judge has made a finding of probable cause and set the matter for trial. Judge Hecht recognizes that his position as a Superior Court judge is one that requires the highest degree of trust and responsibility to preside over court business and to make important decisions in our community. He also recognizes that until the criminal charges against him have been resolved, the confidence of the public in Superior Court may be impaired. To assure continued high public esteem of Pierce County Superior Court, Judge Hecht has agreed with the court to take leave of his duties as a Superior Court judge until such time as these matters may be resolved. He will remain responsible to complete matters that he has already heard. He will receive the pay and benefits of his office while on leave.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht pleaded not guilty today to two criminal charges brought against him by the state Attorney General’s Office.

After his arraignment, Hecht was released on his own recognizance after entering his pleas in Superior Court to one felony count of harassment and one misdemeanor count of patronizing a prostitute.

Visiting Judge James D. Cayce of King County presided over the arraignment at the request of local authorities, who wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. He granted Hecht's request to be released on his own recognizance after assistant attorney general John Hillman did not object.

Hillman charged Hecht two weeks ago with threatening to kill a 24-year-old man on Aug. 30 in downtown Tacoma and buying sex from a 20-year-old man on numerous occasions between summer 2008 and January of this year.

Hecht, 58, has maintained through his attorney that he’s done nothing wrong and has vowed to fight the charges until the end.

Hecht, whose annual salary is about $148,000, remains on the bench while the criminal case against him plays out.

Also Friday, Superior Court presiding judge Bryan Chushcoff announced Hecht will take a leave of absence while the criminal case plays out.

(Submitted by News Tribune staff writer Adam Lynn)

I've gotten two e-mails in the past 12 hours about dive team activity along the Puyallup River. Maybe you've seen it too.

One reader wrote:

Pierce County Sheriff Dive Team is searching the Puyallup River at the Clarks Creek Bridge between Tacoma and Puyallup. Several divers and boats in the water and rope strung across the river.

Another wrote:

Hi Stacey, Was wondering if you could get the scoop on the massive police presence in the water and on the banks of the river between Levee Rd and River Rd at about 2:20 this afternoon. [Thursday] There was a tarp down on the banks, and officers scattered in the water and around the levee.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman reports several agencies are conducting training exercises along the river. The training took place Thursday and again today.

King County Superior Court Judge James D. Cayce will make a special appearance in Tacoma today to preside over the arraignment of Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht, court records indicate.

Hecht (shown here) is to appear in court this afternoon to answer two charges brought against him by the state Attorney General's Office: Felony harassment and a misdemeanor count of patronizing a prostitute.

Assistant state attorney general John Hillman contends in charging papers that Hecht recently bought sex from one young man and threatened to kill another man who says he sold sex to Hecht several years ago.

Hecht, who through his attorney has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to plead not guilty.

Cayce has been asked to preside over the arraignment instead of a Pierce County judge to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Hecht remains on the job while the criminal case against him plays out. He has a number of civil cases on his docket this morning.

A woman was found dead in a Hilltop home late Thursday and Tacoma police have arrested her teenager daughter in connection with the homicide.

The department received a call from a woman in Seattle shortly before 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The woman reported her 16-year-old granddaughter told her she'd got into a fight with her mother Sunday at a home in Tacoma, stabbed her and left.

The teen told her grandmother that her mother was still alive when she left the home, Fulghum said.

The next day, the teen's father called and told her that her mother had passed away.

"But nobody did anything about it," Fulghum said. "That's it."

On Thursday night, the teen went to her grandmother's house and told her about the fight on Sunday. The Seattle woman called police and asked officers to check on the mother, Fulghum said.

Officers forced their way into the home in the 800 block of South I Street and found the woman dead inside, Fulghum said.

Seattle police went to the grandmother's house and arrested the 16-year-old daughter. The girl was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder shortly before 7:30 a.m. today. Even though she's still a juvenile, she was booked into the adult jail because of the seriousness of the crime she's accused of committing, Fulghum said.

Tacoma police officers and detectives spent the overnight hours at the crime scene. They've cordoned off a block of South I Street for their investigation.

Investigators will be looking into the events of the past week and who knew what about the woman's death, Fulghum said. They'll also be looking at why the police were not called earlier.

Detectives would like to talk to the father, who owns the Hilltop home where the homicide took place. The victim and teenage suspect visited the home occasionally but did not live there, Fulghum said. Other family members live in King County.

The man has not yet been located.

Neighbor Paul Gonzales said other neighbors saw a man go into the house Monday and come out with packed items. He left and hasn't been seen since, Gonzales said.

"He left in a hurry," Gonzales said.

Neighbors had seen the man before but didn't know the dead woman lived there, Gonzales said.

"We never saw her," he said this morning. "We're a pretty close-knit neighborhood."

Tacoma Police are looking for a man who abducted a girl while she was walking home from Stafford Elementary School.

Police say a man abducted the girl between about 12:15 and 2:10 Thursday afternoon and dragged her into a vacant wooded area near the 1700 block of South 92nd Street in Tacoma. She fought him off and fled home.

The suspect is described as a skinny white man in his 30s who was wearing a black ski mask, a black jacket, black pants and gloves.

Anyone with information should call 911.

How about one more.

A collision is blocking the right lane of Interstate 5 southbound south of the highway 518 interchange near Southcenter.

So anyone looking to drive back to the South Sound this afternoon can expect a delay for about another hour during the rush hour commute, the state Department of Transportation said.

The State Fire Marshal is reporting that so far this year there has been a 157 percent increase in fire fatalities compared to the same time last year.

In the first 71 days of this year, 18 people have been killed by fires.

"Fires spread quickly, and it is critical for every household to take paper steps to prevent them," State Fire Marshal Michael Matlick said in a news release.

The news release offered a few safety tips:

Develop a fire escape for your home and have your whole family practice it.

Ensure your smoke alarms are properly installed, have working batteries, and are tested monthly.

Do not smoke in bed, and extinguish all smoking material in non-combustible, sturdy containers.

Avoid becoming distracted when cooking. Keep all items that can burn or melt, away from the stovetop.

Maintain all electrical equipment in your home in good working order. Stop using any damaged electrical appliances until repaired by a qualified repair technician or electrician.

Another collision is blocking part of Interstate 5, this time in Lakewood.

A multi-vehicle collision is blocking the three left lanes of I-5 northbound near Bridgeport Way.

Traffic is backed up to Thorne Lane.

UPDATE 5:20 p.m.: All lanes are open.

Three lanes of southbound Interstate 5 near Fife are blocked this afternoon because of a crash.

The crash occurred just after 3 p.m. near the Port of Tacoma Road, the state Department of Transportation reported.

Drivers were getting around the scene using the left lane.

Cars were backed up three miles to the Pierce-King county line.

Drivers should expect delays.

UPDATE as of 3:30 p.m.: All lanes are now reopened.

This comes from our sister paper, The Olympian:

The Washington State Patrol is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the theft of police gear from a patrol vehicle, according to an announcement today.

Stolen items include an automatic rifle and night vision goggles.

The theft occurred on the Capitol Campus near the Governor’s Mansion between 2:30 p.m. and midnight Friday.

The equipment, which included SWAT items, was properly secured in the vehicle’s trunk, according to patrol spokeswoman Brandy Kessler. The trunk was not damaged in the theft, she said.

Video surveillance and fingerprint evidence is being analyzed, Kessler said.

The rifle is a Colt M4 5.56 caliber. Also stolen were a .40 caliber H&K handgun, flash-bang grenades, and a ballistic vest with “Police” and “SWAT” on it.

Kessler said that officers who are not part of SWAT teams do not carry those weapons and equipment in their patrol car trunks.

The suspect faces felony charges for theft of state equipment, Kessler said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Julie Gundermann at 360-586-1999 or 253-536-6210.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies were investigating a drive by shooting Wednesday night in Spanaway that injured a young man.

The shooting occurred about 10:45 p.m. in the 5700 block of 209th Street East, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

An 18-year-old man was sitting in a parked vehicle. Another vehicle drove by and a passenger fired off several rounds from a high-powered handgun, Troyer said.

The man was struck but refused to be taken to a hospital. One of the bullets hit a nearby house.

Sheriff's investigators believe the victim was targeted, Troyer said.

Witnesses reported the gunman was wearing a ski mask. The suspect vehicle was described as a dark green, four-door, early 1990s Buick with chrome spoke wheels.

"We're lucky no one is dead," Troyer said. "There were lots of shots with a high-powered handgun."

Emergency responders are headed to a crash - or several - along southbound Interstate 5 near the 72nd Street exit.

It appears the left lane is blocked, according to the state DOT cameras.

We'll provide more information when it becomes available.

UPDATE: It appears that more than one lane is blocked.

UPDATE 2: The three left lanes are blocked, the state DOT reported at 11:45 a.m.

Drivers should expect delays. So far, the northbound commute doesn't look too impacted.

UPDATE 3: One of the blocked lanes is now open to traffic. The two right lanes are open.

Southbound drivers are backed up two miles. The activity is causing a visual distraction to the northbound drivers, DOT reported at 12:08 p.m.

Tow trucks are on scene.

UPDATE 4: All lanes are now open to all traffic.

Nonetheless, drivers were backed up three miles.

A jury has been empaneled in the murder trial of Douglas Chanthabouly, who's accused of gunning down a fellow student in the hallway of Foss High School on Jan. 3, 2007.

Opening arguments in the case will occur this morning and the first witness will be called after lunch.

Chanthabouly, 20, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Samnang Kok, 17. (pictured here) His attorneys plan to present an insanity defense.

Last week, a Pierce County judge ruled Chanthabouly was competent to stand trial in the case.

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

Return to Lights & Sirens later today for coverage of the opening arguments. Adam is in the court room now, covering the statements.

UPDATE: Opening arguments have concluded. The argument is not over who killed Kok - that fact is not dispute. Prosecutors and defense attorneys also agree that Chanthabouly knew what he was doing.

They disagree over whether Chanthabouly knew right from wrong at the time of the deadly shooting.

The first witness is scheduled to take the stand at 1:30 p.m.

A barge took on water and started flipping between Fox and McNeil Islands at about 4 p.m. this afternoon, and crews are now waiting to see if it continues to sink.

Bob Shrewsbury, the president of Western Towboat in Seattle, said his company's boat was towing a barge full of gravel when it apparently took on water. The barge was "getting up in years," he said.

Tug operators are now pulling the barge out of the traffic lanes and waiting to see if it will sink.

Petty Officer Shawn Eggert of the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle said the boat isn't a navigational hazard and there is no pollution, so the Coast Guard is not sending a boat out.

No injuries were reported.

The barge is owned by Salmon Bay Sand and Gravel, Shrewsbury said.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 38-year-old man after leading Lakewood officers on a high speed chase along a stretch of Interstate 5 early Monday.

Torrance Nolan Johnson was charged Tuesday with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Court documents give this account of what happened.

A Lakewood police officer spotted a brown Nissan Stanza speeding just before 2:30 a.m. Monday. The officer caught up to the car and estimated it was going 65 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The officer got behind the car at the intersection of South Tacoma Way and Perkins Lane Southwest.

"The vehicle (a brown 1982 Nissan Stanza) was partially in the intersection and between the southbound
lane and the left turn lane," court documents state.

The car go onto Highway 512, then swerved quickly onto the southbound Interstate 5 on-ramp.

The Lakewood officer activated his emergency lights and sirens and tried to stop the car. The car cut off a semi-truck as it got onto the freeway.

The car sped up to 90 mph and weaved back and forth across the southbound lanes.

"At one point the fleeing vehicle went to the inside shoulder and nearly lost control and almost struck the jersey barrier," court documents state. "As the pursuit passed the Gravelly Lake Drive exit the fleeing vehicle slowed to 80 mph. It then slowed to 60 mph as it blocked in by another semi
truck."

The car had to keep slowing down. The officer conducted a maneuver with his patrol car, halting the fleeing Nissan. The car spun out and stopped just north of the Thorne Lane exit.

Because the driver refused to get out of the car, officers had to break out the windows.

"Despite repeated loud verbal commands, the defendant appeared to be lethargic and possibly under the influence of some sort of intoxicating liquor and/or drugs," court documents state. "Officers went hands on with the defendant as he refused to exit his vehicle and actually positioned his right leg against the steering wheel to prevent being removed from the vehicle. After a brief struggle the defendant was removed from the vehicle and detained."

Officers noted Johnson "reeked of alcohol." He yelled racial slurs and insults at the officers.

Officers learned Johnson's license was suspended and that he had recently been charged with drunken driving in Lakewood Municipal Court.

"The defendant was completely uncooperative and combative with officers," court documents state. "He was taken straight to jail where after urinating on himself he failed the booking process and was placed in holding cell."

Crews have blocked off both directions of Highway 16 at Orchard Street to douse a power pole that is on fire.

The pole is on the eastbound side of the road, the state Department of Transportation reported at 1:54 p.m.

Troopers, firefighters and transportation crews are at the scene.

UPDATE: Westbound traffic is backed up to Interstate 5. Eastbound drivers are backed up to Pearl street, DOT reported at 2:15 p.m.

Tacoma Power crews are now on scene.

Troopers are diverting the westbound traffic off Highway 16 at Union Avenue. The eastbound cars are being directed to local streets to get around the scene.

UPDATE 2: Three lines go into power pole. The electricity has been cut to those lines.

UPDATE 2: Reporter Jason Hagey has this update:

Westbound traffic was being re-opened at about 2:45 p.m., and eastbound traffic was being opened to one lane, said Chris Gleason, Tacoma Public Utilities spokeswoman.

Officials suspect an insulator leaked oil onto the pole, causing it to catch fire, Gleason said.

Tacoma Power brought out a crane to stabilize the pole, which was burned through at the top, she said.

Tacoma police investigators need the public's help to identify a man suspected in several thefts and trespassing incidents in the downtown area.

The man was spotted trespassing in the Rainier Pacific Bank building at South 15th Street and Pacific Avenue on Feb. 20. Detectives suspect that while inside, the man stole a laptop computer from a desk in an office on the fifth floor, police reported.

The same man is suspected in a handful of other similar trespass and theft incidents in the area.

"Investigators believe this suspect may have also stolen business cards from Raymond James Investments," Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers reports. "When confronted for trespassing, the suspect has tried to pass himself off as an employee of Raymond James, has also asked for people who are not known to the offices or has claimed that he has been hired to perform maintenance on the office area."

Crime Stoppers released a surveillance image of the suspect today. He's described as black, about 30 years old and 6 feet tall with a medium build. He has black hair and a thin mustache.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and charges filed in the case. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Anonymous tips also can be submitted directly to the Tacoma Police Department here.

One person was treated for smoke inhalation after an over-heated over sparked a fire inside a Des Moines apartment this morning.

The oven was being used to heat the apartment in the 21900 block of 30th Avenue South, South King Fire & Rescue reported.

A pet alerted the family to the fire just before 6 a.m. today. All three occupants got out and one was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, the fire agency reported.

Firefighters doused the blaze in nine minutes.

The fire caused an estimated $80,000 in damage to the unit and another apartment in the four-plex.

The Red Cross responded to the scene to care for the displaced family.

Firefighters said both units had smoke detectors but neither worked because the batteries had been removed.

"It can be a matter of life or death to have working smoke detectors and now is the time to test alarms and replace the batteries," a press release states. "Never use the oven for heating – they are not designed for heating homes, only cooking."

Local clergy will gather Friday to perform a brief spiritual ceremony at the spot where a young Tacoma taxi driver was killed over the weekend.

The Moment of Blessing for Mohamud Ahmed, 22, is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Friday in the 3600 block of South Lawrence Street. The site will be marked with bamboo poles laced with red and purple ribbons bearing the names of those who have died by homicidal violence in Pierce County.

A Tacoma police officer found Ahmed, a taxi driver for King Cab Co., lying on the ground outside his taxi just before 5:30 a.m. Sunday. The car's engine was on.

Tacoma police detectives believe Ahmed was killed during a robbery. No arrests have been reported.

The Associated Ministries hosts Moment of Blessing ceremonies at the scenes of all homicides in Pierce County. The ceremonies are intended to the places where the crimes occur and to provide comfort to the victim's family, friends and the community.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the 61-year-old found dead in his University Place apartment Tuesday morning.

The office identified the homicide victim as Darryl Bracey, 61. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning.

University Place deputies and Pierce County sheriff's detectives have said they believe Bracey was shot to death in his apartment in the Sunset Ridge Apartments. The unit is located in the 5900 block of Hanna Pierce Road West.

No arrests have been reported and a motive for the killing was not immediately known.

This is the first homicide of the year in University Place. The city had one homicide last year.

UPDATE: Pierce County sheriff’s investigators have detained three people in connection with a deadly shooting Tuesday at a University Place apartment.

The suspected 22-year-old shooter, a woman and a third person were arrested this afternoon at a house just off Rainier Avenue South in the Renton area, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said. More interviews were being conducted.

The suspects will be interviewed and later booked into Pierce County Jail.

Darryl Bracey, 61, was found dead in his apartment at the Sunset Ridge Apartments on Tuesday morning.

Detectives responded to the scene and launched an investigation. Overnight, investigators developed information about who might have killed Bracey, Troyer said.

An operation was put together and carried out by the homicide detectives and special operations deputies, Troyer said. The team descended upon the house off Rainier Avenue and arrested three people.

“We believe we do have the shooter in custody,” Troyer said.

Investigators continued to look into a motive for the slaying.

"This arrest is an example of what good, basic, smart police work can accomplish," Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said. "Larger jurisdictions throughout the nation are seeing an increase in violence involving young adults. We intend to work these cases hard to send a clear message: violence will not go unpunished."

A 19-year-old man caught speeding on Highway 512 early Monday tried to get away from a Washington State Patrol trooper by changing directions and running red lights but, ultimately, was unsuccessful.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Kevin Michael Gilbert on Tuesday with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.

Court documents give the following account.

Just after 1 a.m. Monday, a trooper was parked in the median of Highway 512 near Vickery Avenue and doing speed enforcement.

He clocked an eastbound pickup truck going 73 mph in the 60 mph zone and pulled behind the blue truck.

The truck got off at Canyon Road and turned left. The trooper activated his emergency lights.

The truck turned at 104th Street, then into the parking lot of the Summit Trading Post and quickly sped out of the parking lot and back onto Canyon Road. The trooper activated his emergency siren.

The pickup truck ran a red light at the intersection of Canyon Road and the westbound on and off ramps of Highway 512.

"The pickup continued southbound on the overpass, then ran the red light at the southern end of the overpass and turned left entering the onramp to eastbound SR 512 and rapidly accelerated to 70-80 mph," court documents state. "The fleeing pickup exited SR 512 at Pioneer, went over the highway and re-entered SR 512 heading westbound. Additional police agencies were now assisting in the pursuit and setting up spike strips on SR 512."

At some point, the truck got three flat tires. But it kept going west on 512. The truck crossed South Tacoma Way and entered a Lakewood neighborhood.

The pursuit stopped in the 10400 block of Early Avenue Southwest when the truck stopped.

Gilbert got out, put his hands in the air and lay face down on the ground. His passenger also got out and put her hands up.

Officers arrested Gilbert without further incident.

"When asked why he fled the defendant said he just wanted to get (the passenger) home and that he had a bench warrant," court documents state.

Inside the truck, officers found a a small metal box that contained several new and used syringes, a silver spoon with burnt residue and a baggie containing brown residue.

"The residue field tested positive as Heroin," court documents state.

Gilbert is on active state Department of Corrections supervision and had a warrant for his arrest.

A Pierce County man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly robbing a Lacey bank and then trying to buy a new car at an Olympia dealership.

Dagan Walters, 30, allegedly waked into a Washington Mutual branch at 8225 Martin Way East on Monday, said he had a gun and demanded cash. He left in a older station wagon.

Lacey Police say Walters applied for insurance to buy a car at Rainier Dodge in Olympia. Police found out that the suspect was at the dealership Tuesday afternoon, and found a car Walters had reportedly stolen in the parking lot. Lacey and Olympia police officers arrested the man at the dealership.

He was booked into the Thurston County jail on charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and a warrant from the Department of Corrections for escape.

Here's a quick update on the investigation into the kayaking accident out on American Lake.

We had a story in Saturday's paper that said Lakewood police had identified the boater believed to have hit and seriously injured David-Kenny "D.K." Ross.

Investigators plan to meet with Pierce County prosecutors later this week to discuss the case.

It will be up to the prosecutors to decide what charges - if any - will be filed.

A rollover crash is blocking the left lane of northbound Interstate 5 near Fife, the state Department of Transportation reported this afternoon.

The crash is between mileposts 137 and 138.

The incident began at 2:40 p.m.

It's causing a visual distraction for drivers in both directions. The southbound back up extend into King County. The northbound back up is to the Port of Tacoma.

Drivers should expect delays.

Lakewood police are searching for a man suspected of robbing a bank on Bridgeport Way West this morning.

The man walked into Sound Credit Union, 7717 Bridgeport Way W., just before 11:15 a.m. and handed a teller a note, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said. He implied he had a weapon but didn't show one.

The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash and his robbery note, Hoffman said. A police dog searched the area but did not find the robber.

Witnesses described the robber as white and in his mid-20s. He wore a baseball hat featured a red bill and a logo on a white background. He had on blue jeans and a black short-sleeved, button up shirt over a dark-colored T-shirt, Hoffman said.

A 19-year-old Fort Lewis soldier will face a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Leah King, who died on post last month, the Army announced today.

Pvt. Timothy E. Bennitt, an Indiana native, also has been charged with wrongful distribution and use of controlled substances and conspiracy to wrongfully use controlled substances.

The case will be presented for a hearing similar to that of a civilian grand jury. Bennitt could face court-martial as a result of the hearing. He could face 82 years in prison.

Leah King, a Lakes High School sophomore, was found dead at a post barracks early Feb. 15. Investigators determined the teen (pictured here) died of a toxic combination of Alprazolam, an anti-depressant marketed as Xanax, and Oxymorphone, a pain killer marketed as Opana. Some of the drugs were inhaled.

"These prescription drugs are meant to be taken only in an amount prescribed by a licensed physician," a press release states. "These drugs were manufactured to be taken in pill form, and in the case of oxymorphone, this pill form would have allowed the medication to maintain a time-release protection. However, according to investigators, there are indications at least some of these drugs were crushed and inhaled in powder form, denying any time-release protection that a pill form might provide."

Another 16-year-old girl found unresponsive at the same time was released from a hospital after treatment. Both girls were acquainted with a soldier living in the barracks.

Army investigators suspect Bennitt, who reported to Fort Lewis in December 2007, was dealing
Alprazolam (Xanax), Oxymorphone (Opana), oxycodone (Percocet) and marijuana to other soldiers.

Bennitt is a heavy construction equipment operator in the 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, at Fort Lewis. He has not been deployed to war.

Fort Lewis officials also announced today a new process for gate entry to the base. Minors must sign in at visitor's center. There will be tougher screening, officials said.

A 61-year-old man was found dead in his University Place apartment this morning and law enforcement officials are treating it as a homicide.

An employee at the Sunset Ridge Apartments found the man in his apartment in the 5900 block of Hanna Pierce Road West and called 911 about 9:30 a.m., Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

The man is the only one who lives in the apartment. Investigators believe he was shot to death.

No arrests have been made.

Troyer said the investigation is just beginning. Homicide detectives and forensic specialists have cordoned off the scene and were investigating.

A motive for the killing was not immediately clear.

"It's just too early to tell," Troyer said.

An attempted robbery led to a scuffle and an altercation with an off-duty Tacoma police detective Saturday morning near Wright Park.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Lamont E. Jones, 20, on Monday with first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree assault and resisting arrest in connection with the incident. More charges could be filed after investigators review video surveillance of the incident.

Court documents provide the following account:

Jones allegedly went to the Wright Park Shell gas station on Division Avenue, approached the counter and asked for $1.50 in gas. He only handed the clerk $1.25.

Prosecutors believe it was a ruse.

As the clerk was counting the money, Jones lunged across the counter and grabbed money from the cash register. The clerk tried to stop him and the two fought.

The clerk was hit in the head a few times and sustained injuries to her arms.

Another employee at the store saw Jones dive across the counter and intervened. The two employees struggled with Jones.

Meanwhile, an off-duty Tacoma police detective came into the business. He identified himself as a police officer and told one of the employees to call 911.

The detective tried to help hold down Jones. Jones bit one of the employees. Jones was resisting arrest.

"During this process several of the defendant's outer clothes came off," court documents state. "When officers of the Tacoma Police Department arrived the defendant was wearing only shorts and sox (sic). The arriving officers saw the defendant's clothes as well as the money the defendant took from the victim business on the ground."

Jones was evaluated by medical personnel and eventually booked into jail. He's being held in lieu of $60,000 bail.

(Photo courtesy of TNT reader Chris who was at the gas station during the incident)

A multiple-vehicle crash is blocking the left lane of the westbound Highway 16 off-ramp to Union Avenue this morning, the state Department of Transportation reports.

The incident began about 8:15 a.m. State Patrol troopers and transportation crews were on the scene or on their way.

UPDATE: The collision has been cleared and the off-ramp is back open to all traffic.

Recent weather has caused at least one area school district to start late.

The Eatonville School District said classes will start two hours late on Tuesday with no morning preschool.

In Orting, buses are on an emergency snow route for the Butte Development.

Capital High School in Olympia is closed because of snow on the roof.

Hat found at the scene. Tacoma Police photo.

Tacoma Police say the cab driver found dead early Sunday was slashed with "some sort of edged weapon."

A Tacoma officer fame across a King Cab Co. taxi sitting in the street in the 3600 block of South Lawrence Street. The driver was dead, lying next to the driver's side of the vehicle.

Cab dispatch records show the driver picking someone up at about 2 a.m. at the corner of 6th Avenue and Pine Street. The cab's GPS records show they drove to the location and stopped shortly after 3 a.m.

Police say robbery is the apparent motive and the suspect or suspects fled the area on foot. A black The Keg restaurant stocking cap was found in the area.

Police are asking anyone who saw the cab in the area of 6th and Pine to call either the Tacoma police at (253) 798-4722 or Crime Stoppers at (253) 591-5959.

The investigation continues today into the suspicious death of a cab driver early Sunday on a Tacoma street.

No arrest has been reported. Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and charges filed in the case. Tipsters may remain anonymous. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Shortly before 5:30 a.m. Sunday, a Tacoma police officer found the driver lying on the ground next to his King Cab Co. cab in the middle of 3600 block of South Lawrence Street, a commercial stretch between South Tacoma Way and South 38th Street.

Investigators suspect the driver died of homicidal violence but haven't been more specific. They also believe he'd been there for a while before he was discovered by the officer. Investigators have found no witnesses to what happened.

The driver's name and his cause of death haven't been released by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. The autopsy was being done today and was not completed as of 12:45 p.m.

KING 5 talked to the driver's relatives Sunday and identified him as Mohamud Ahmed, 23. He was a refugee from Somali and worked as a cab driver to earn money. His father brought the family to Western Washington through a U.S. refugee program to escape the violence in their native country.

King Cab declined to speak with The News Tribune Sunday and today.

A crash was blocking the left lane of eastbound Highway 512 this morning, the state Department of Transportation reported.

The crash is at Pacific Avenue. The incident began about 8:10 a.m.

Troopers and transportation crews were on the scene.

UPDATE: All lanes are now open.

However, drivers are backed up two miles to Steele Street. Eastbound drivers should expect delays.

There are some school closures this morning because of last night's snow.

However, there are no public school district in Pierce County reporting delays as of 6 a.m.

UPDATE: The state DOT is reporting slick driving conditions on Highway 512.

The snow has been falling this morning in parts of Pierce County, adding to the blanket from last night.

UPDATE 2: Big, fat snow flakes are falling in Tacoma. The snow is covering the roads.

This weekend, area firefighters will race up Seattle's tallest building to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The 18th annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb is Sunday at the Columbia Center. The 1,500 registered participants will include 137 Tacoma-area firefighters. The firefighters come from throughout the country, Canada, New Zealand and Germany.

The local firefighters are from:

Browns Point (10), Central Pierce Fire & Rescue (23), City of Buckley Fire Department (18), Dash Point (2), East Pierce Fire & Rescue (7), Edgewood Fire (12), For Lewis Fire Dept. (4), Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One (17), Graham Fire and Rescue (10), Lakewood Fire District #2 (1), Lakewood Fire District #5 (4), McChord Fire Department (5), Milton Fire Dept. (3), Orting Valley Fire and Rescue (2), Pierce County Fire District #13 (2), South Pierce Fire & Rescue #17 (5), Sumner High School (1), Tacoma Fire (3) and University Place Fire (8).

The firefighters climb the high-raise dressed in full bunker gear and breathing apparatus. They carry that 50 pounds up 1,311 stairs - or 69 stories.

Over the past 17 years, the climb has raised more than $2.1 million.

UPDATE: The father of a teenager hit by a boat on American Lake last weekend said today the driver of the vessel "didn't leave the scene" of the collision as originally reported.

"Apparently, the guy got scared and lied about it," David Hermansen told The News Tribune.

Hermansen declined to say if the fisherman credited with finding his son in the water Sunday and taking the boy, David-Kenny Ross, to shore was the person who hit him as he kayaked across the lake.

He did say he was praying for the man. "He's suffering, too," Hermansen said. "It was an accident."

Hermansen's comments came hours after the Lakewood Police Department issued a news release saying its officers had identified the driver of the boat.

Lt. Heidi Hoffman said officers talked to the man several times over the past several days.

"This is someone we were aware of from the first day," said Hoffman, who characterized the collision as "a tragic accident."

She declined to divulge the details of the conversations detectives had with the man and did not release the driver's name.

INITIAL POST:

Lakewood police reported today that they've interviewed the boater suspected of colliding with teenage kayaker David Kenny "D.K." Ross on American Lake on Sunday, leaving the boy badly injured.

Lt. Heidi Hoffman declined to release details of investigators' conversations with the man and also declined to reveal his name. He's not been arrested, Hoffman said.

Detectives plan to turn over their case files to Pierce County prosecutors for a possible charging decision next week, but Hoffman said the collision "appears to be a tragic accident."

"At this time, there is nothing to indicate that the other boater intended to injure Ross or acted in a negligent or reckless manner," Hoffman wrote in a news release.

The boy (seen here) was hurt Sunday afternoon when his kayak was hit by a powerboat, which left him facedown in the water. He was rescued by a passing fisherman and taken to Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, then transferred to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.

Hoffman said today that the man interviewed by investigators was "someone we were aware of from the first day."

The boy remains in critical condition at Mary Bridge, hospital spokesman Todd Kelley said.

A crash was blocking the left two lanes of southbound Interstate 5 at 272nd Street near Midway this morning, the state Department of Transportation reported.

Transportation crews and troopers were on the scene of the 5:35 a.m. incident.

There's talk of icy roads so be careful this morning.

UPDATE: All lanes were reopened about 6:10 a.m.

News Tribune wire editor Jonathan Nesvig called in with a dispatch from his drive home.

A 16-year-old boy was reportedly driving while texting, hit a parked car, and rolled on North Junett Street near North 27th Street in Tacoma.

The driver's white Volvo S70 sat upside down in the street while the driver was being treated in a Tacoma Fire ambulance. Neighbors said he was wearing a seat belt and didn't appear to be seriously injured.

Nesvig took the photo.

Avalanche control work has closed Snoqualmie pass, the second time the pass has closed today.

Traffic is stoppped at milepost 56 near Gold Creek and westbound is stopped at milepost 61 near Price Creek.

Crews can't say what time the work will be finished, just when enough snow comes down. The work began at about 8:55 p.m.

UPDATE 9:20 p.m.: That was fast. All lanes of I-90 are now open at the pass.

For those of you who can't get enough Washington Supreme Court coverage, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has started a new blog about the state's high court.

Here's an excerpt from the news release announcing the blog:

OLYMPIA— Evergreen Freedom Foundation attorneys have debuted the Supreme Court of Washington Blog. The new blog will update readers on the latest news about cases moving through the court.

The state Supreme Court was recently named one of the most influential state courts in the country, second only to California. The Supreme Court of Washington Blog will serve as a comprehensive source of information about cases before the court, and will provide analysis of court decisions.

“The blog will be a resource for citizens, journalists, and legal practitioners,” said EFF General Counsel Michael Reitz. “There is a growing recognition of the importance of state courts, and we hope to contribute to the dialogue about our court’s decisions.”

As an example of the up-to-date information the blog will feature, EFF attorneys will be live blogging about a case before the state Supreme Court on March 10. The issue is whether the governor is obligated to fund pay increases negotiated with state employees. The case is SEIU Healthcare 775NW v. Gov. Christine Gregoire, No. 82551-3.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation is a nonpartisan public policy organization in Olympia dedicated to advancing individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited, accountable government. Staff attorneys Michael Reitz, Jonathan Bechtle, and Trent England will maintain the blog, with occasional contributions from other attorneys around the state.

A man charged with threatening to kill a Tacoma Municipal Court judge pleaded not guilty today.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge John McCarthy ordered Darrell Ray Talbott (seen here) jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Talbott, 61, and Ronald Ewing, 51, are charged with intimidating a judge and felony harassment. Ewing pleaded not guilty last week. He, too, is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

A third man told police last month that Talbott and Ewing had talked about getting a rifle and shooting Judge Elizabeth Verhey. The men allegedly were upset with the judge for a sentence she imposed on Talbott, John Paul Raymond Jr. told investigators.

Talbott, who told his side of the story to The News Tribune on Wednesday before surrendering to sheriff’s deputies, denied conspiring to shoot Verhey.

“Me and Ron did not do that,” Talbott told the newspaper.

The two men are set to appear in court again next month for pre-trial hearings.

A family of eight was displaced after a fire damaged their home in Covington on Thursday.

An improperly installed wood stove caught fire above a ceiling at about noon and smoke filled the home, located in the 253000 block of 157 Place Southeast. Kent firefighters were able quickly able to control the fire.

Three adults and two children were home at the time of the fire and were able to escape. No injuries were reported. The Red Cross is assisting the family. Firefighters estimate that the home sustained about $30,000 worth of damage.

Both directions of Highway 18 near the Tiger Mountain Summit are blocked this morning because of multiple spinouts.

Crews have also shut down the westbound lanes of Highway 18 at Interstate 90 because of the winter weather, the state Department of Transportation reported at 11:25 a.m. The eastbound lanes are closed at Issaquah Hobart Road Southeast.

DOT crews are sanding the roads to improve traction on the snow-covered lanes.

UPDATE at 1:15 p.m.: The westbound lanes are now reopened.

The eastbound lanes remain blocked by multiple spin outs.

Both directions of Interstate 90 are closed over Snoqualmie Pass because of the severe winter weather driving conditions.

UPDATE at 1:57 p.m.: The eastbound lanes of Highway 18 are reportedly now open.

Pierce County prosecutors on Wednesday charged a 19-year-old man with one count of first-degree animal cruelty for allegedly using a bow and arrow to kill a goat last summer.

Timothy Douglas Brown has been summoned to court March 18 for arraignment.

A man found the dead goat tied to a tree in the Graham area on Aug. 22, according to charging documents. An animal-welfare group investigated and recovered five arrows at the scene, the documents state.

County deputies talked to a witness who told them Brown and a boy said they'd shot 50 arrows at the goat after unsuccessfully trying to sell it, according to court records.

An examination of the animal's carcass found that it bled to death after being hit by at least four arrows, the documents state.

The case remains under investigation and other people could be charged, prosecutors said.

Jill sent in this e-mail:

Just wondering what was up with the police activity last night between 84th & Hosmer and 96th & Steele. The heaviest concentration of officers was around the Woodmark and Cherry Creek Apartments. An officer was stationed at the gate code keypad at Cherry Creek, buzzing cars in instead of letting them swipe their keycards. He was telling folks to head straight home.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer reports the following:

Deputies were called to the Woodmark Apartments in the 2400 block of 96th Street South just after 10 p.m. Tuesday. The incident was initially reported as shots fired and a fight in the parking lot.

When deputies arrived, most people had fled. Lakewood police found the victim nearby in his car, holding his bleeding head and complaining of rib pain, Troyer said.

Deputies learned that a 33-year-old woman assaulted a 53-year-old man after he allegedly didn't have a cigarette to give her, Troyer said.

The woman allegedly hit the man with nunchaku sticks and broke a car window.

Deputies have identified the suspect and are searching for her.

"We know who she is," Troyer said.

Not only was Corey Scott Fleck, 25, arrested while "intoxicated in the women's restroom" of the Tacoma Dome, he was charged yesterday with trying to intimidate the police officer tasked with taking him back to headquarters.

According to charging documents: Fleck told police he was an Army ranger when he was being arrested and Tacoma officers took to the station to turn him over to the military.

Fleck reportedly told an officer identified as J. Bowen that "he was going to slit the officer's throat" and that the officer wouldn't look him in the eye because Fleck was too much of a "bad ass." Also "Bowen did not want to see death coming at him."

It turns out Fleck wasn't a ranger, wasn't in the Army nor any other branch of the military.

"Fleck remained threatening and menacing until the tail end of the investigation when he conceded he was not in the Army, was embarassed and wanted to go home," the prosecutor's affidavit reads.

He was free on $11,000 bail, according to online court records.

(Photo: burningkarma)

Overhead on the scanner:

A car into a building at 128th Street and Meridian.

The vehicle struck Timberland Bank, 12814 Meridian St. E., this afternoon, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

No other information was available.

UPDATE: There were no injuries. Information was exchanged. A police report was not written.

A long-haul trucker faces a sentence of between three and eight months in jail after pleading guilty today to assaulting a woman he met at a Tacoma strip club.

Bobby Lee Lawson, 49, entered guilty pleas to two counts of third-degree assault, a Class C felony, Pierce County deputy prosecutor Jared Ausserer said.

Lawson originally was charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of second-degree assault in the case.

The 20-year-old woman, who worked as a waitress at the club, told police Lawson held her against her will, shocked her with a stun gun and leaned on her neck until she passed out during an encounter in his truck Oct. 18.

The woman reported that she eventually jumped out of Lawson's truck and ran for help.

Ausserer said today that the forensic evidence did not corroborate many of the woman's claims and he felt lucky to get the convictions he did.

The woman and her family did not support the plea bargain, the deputy prosecutor added.

Lawson has been held in the Pierce County Jail since his arrest in early November.

Just getting caught up on a little housekeeping here.

For those of who have been wondering why Robert "The Traveller" Hill hasn't been speechifying at recent Tacoma City Council meetings, it's because he's locked up.

Last month, the failed Pierce County Sheriff's candidate was sentenced to 95 days on assault and weapons charges stemming from pulling a fake gun on a courthouse security guard, according to court records.

He's currently scheduled for release on May 19.

A fire at an abandoned home near a Puyallup housing development is considered suspicious.

At about noon Tuesday, fire crews returning to their station noticed a heavy plume of smoke coming from the area of 23rd Street Place South East and 22nd Ave. Court South East in Puyallup. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from a vacant home and another structure behind the Stonegate Housing Development.

The structures are in a fenced, overgrown area behind the development. There were no injuries.

The New York Times has a story on its Web site this morning on a new study that raises the question whether surveillance cameras deter crime.

The story points out that while the cameras might not cut crime, they help law enforcement solve crime. Pierce County law enforcement agencies have had success in solving crimes - in particular bank robberies and the like - after releasing still images and video footage to the media.

Another person who claims he was sexually abused by Weldon Marc Gilbert has sued the millionaire Lake Tapps pilot for damages.

"John Doe" filed a civil suit against Gilbert last week in Pierce County Superior Court.

The plaintiff claims he was a minor when Gilbert offered him rides in his boat and gave him part-time jobs in an effort to gain his trust.

Gilbert used that trust to "engage in batteries by spanking and paddling plaintiff John Doe," the lawsuit states. The plaintiff also claims he was sexually abused.

He asks for damages for physical injuries and emotional distress.

Another alleged victim sued Gilbert in December 2007, making similar accusations.

Gilbert is charged with more than 30 crimes in federal court. He is scheduled to go to trial in April.

Local clergy will gather Wednesday for a brief, spiritual ceremony for a 60-year-old woman fatally stabbed last week in Sumner.

The Moment of Blessing ceremony for Shirley Miluk is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at her home in the 6100 block of 153rd Avenue Court East. The location will be marked by bamboo poles laced with red and purple ribbons bearing the names of Pierce County's homicide victims.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged Miluk's 20-year-old daughter with first-degree murder in the death. Court documents allege Miluk was killed after an argument erupted over living arrangements. Sumner police found Miluk's body Feb. 23.

Associated Ministries host Moment of Blessing ceremonies to cleanse the places where homicides occur in Pierce County. The short events are intended to provide support to the victim's family and friends as well as the neighborhood where the crime happened.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a man suspected of leading law enforcement officers on an early morning, high-speed pursuit Friday from Fife to Day Island Boulevard.

Jeffery Lynn McDonald, 55, was arraigned Monday on charges of attempting to elude a pursing police vehicle and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

The wild scene played out like this, according to court documents.

A Fife police officer spotted a vehicle slowing for the light near the Interstate 5 on-ramp from Port of Tacoma Road about 2:20 a.m. Friday. The vehicle drifted side to side, then accelerated hard through the intersection (past a red light) and onto southbound I-5.

"Several oncoming vehicles had to slow and take evasive action to avoid the left turning
vehicle," court documents state.

The officer activated his emergency lights and siren and tried to catch up to the car. The vehicle sped up to 100 mph as it went south through Tacoma. The pursuit was con.

A records check revealed the car's license plates were canceled and its registered owner had a suspended license.

The car got off at the Highway 16/South 38th Street exit, then swerved onto the exit for South 38th Street.

"The speeding vehicle ran the red light at the top of the off ramp to S. 38th then accelerated to 50-60 mph in a posted 35 mph zone as it proceeded westbound on S. 38th," court documents state.

The vehicle turned on Center Street and sped up to 75 mph as it passed Steele Street.

"The vehicle turned north onto M Street, then east on 28th St, then back around to westbound Center Street and accelerated back up to almost 100 mph," court documents state.

The vehicle went into Fircrest going 75 mph in a 25 mph zone, then ran a red light at the intersection of Regents Boulevard and Mildred Street. The driver was able to avoid spike strips put out by a Pierce County Sheriff’s deputy.

Law enforcement officers pursued the vehicle as it went onto Day Island Boulevard. The vehicle eventually pulled into a driveway and the driver tried to flee.

Officers caught him a short distance from the vehicle.

Turns out, McDonald also had warrants for his arrest.

UPDATE: Pierce County sheriff's deputies believe they have identified the suspect. No arrests have been reported.

How many times have I written this story: A man stealing security cameras got caught on tape during the heist.

The cameras captured the man's face as he worked to remove the cameras.

The most recent example of security camera theft occurred last month at the Canyon Grocery and Deli at 84th Street East and Canyon Road East.

The same man is suspected of stealing the cameras between 3 and 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 and early Saturday. In both cases, the thief drove up to the store in a white van and climbed on the van or an ice machine to get to the store's surveillance camera.

"The suspect uses hand tools to cut the camera wires and pries the cameras off the building," Crime Stoppers reported.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 30s with a slender build and short, brown hair. He has a brown mustache and beard. He's worn a red-and-black jacket and blue jeans during both thefts.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies released the surveillance images of the suspected thief Monday. They also released the surveillance footage. To sweeten the pot, Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the thief's arrest and charges filed against him.

Tipsters may remain anonymous. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a man who tried to steal items from a South Hill store Saturday night and roughed up a 72-year-old greeter in the process.

Paul William Bruglia, 22, was arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree robbery and unlawful drug possession.

Court documents give the following account:

Pierce County sheriff's deputies were called to Wal-Mart, 16502 Meridan Ave. E., just before 9:30 p.m. to investigate a robbery.

A store security agent told deputies he saw Bruglia selecting electronics from the store shelves. He watched as Bruglia cut open the packaging and place the merchandise in his pockets.

Bruglia then left the store without paying for the items in his pockets. The security agent stopped Bruglia outside and identified himself.

Bruglia tried to run and a struggle ensued.

"At one point Bruglia grabbed 72 year old female greeter SW and pulled her to the ground," court documents state.

The greeter and the security agent were injured during the scuffle.

Deputies arrested Bruglia. They found a bag containing 15 grams of marijuana in one of his pockets.

Bruglia was ordered to remain in jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Tacoma police were looking for those responsible for a home-invasion robbery late Monday.

The robbery took place in the 8000 block of South Ainsworth Avenue just before 11:15 p.m.

According to Tacoma police, shots were fired during the incident. Only property damage was reported.

The suspects are still at large. The investigation is ongoing, police reported.

UPDATE: Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum provided a few more details about this incident.

Three suspects went to the victim's home and demanded money he owed them. The victim denied owing the men money.

The suspects beat up the victim, took some cash and video equipment.

As the suspects left, they fired off some shots. The victim got his gun and fired some shots in return, Fulghum said.

No one was injured.

Three cars parked in the neighborhood were struck by the gunfire.

Rescue personnel have pulled two boaters from the water off Point Defiance and are bringing them to shore aboard the Tacoma fireboat. The two were reported in trouble late in the afternoon. It's unclear at this point what type of craft they were in; it was reported to be either a kayak or canoe. Reporter Brian Everstine is on the scene and will write a more complete report when he returns.

WSDOT photo

A collision is blocking the right lane of eastbound highway 18 at highway 164 in Auburn.

The state Department of Transportation said traffic is backed up about 3.5 miles. Emergency crews are on-scene and there is no estimated time for when the collision will be cleared.

An elderly couple was able to escape a mobile home fire on Puyallup's South Hill this afternoon.

Central Pierce Fire & Rescue crews responded to County Dale Mobile Home Park, in the 12200 block of 112nd Street East, and found heavy smoke coming out of a double-wide mobile home. The residents of the home were able to make it out :thanks in part to their smoke alarm and a quick-thinking care giver who had stopped to check up on them," Central Pierce Fire & Rescue said in a news release.

There were no injuries and the home, which sustained about $50,000 in damage, was insured. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

The fire started when an overheated electrical appliance was placed in a bathroom cabinet, where it smoldered for several hours and eventually caught fire.

Here's the story by the Associated Press. A link to the full report is at the bottom.

By RACHEL LA CORTE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington ranks near the bottom in the country for the number of people it incarcerates, but like many states, it's having to find ways to pay for a steadily growing number of people on probation and parole.

One in 30 adults is under correctional control in the state, according to a report released Monday by The Pew Center on the States.

With more than 165,000 people either incarcerated or on parole or probation, Washington state ranks 17 out of all the states. But Washington ranks 44th for the people it puts behind bars - just over 32,000 are incarcerated in either prison or jail.

The vast majority are either on probation or parole - more than 133,000, or about one in 37 people, ranking the state 12th in the nation.

=> Read more!

A Pierce County judge sentenced a 33-year-old man Friday to more than 11 years in prison after he was convicted of killing a man last year in a car crash.

Last month, a jury found John Nicholas Woods guilty of vehicular homicide, failure to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in death and driving with a suspended license.

Prosecutors had charged Woods in the Feb. 3, 2008, death of Radion Plyut, 51.

According to court documents, Woods was driving a BMW on Brookdale Road East when he struck Plyut's car as Plyut turned left onto 157th Street. Investigators suspected the BMW was speeding at the time.

A sheriff's deputy found Woods walking in the 5300 block of Brookdale Road East. He had blood on his hands and in his mouth and smelled strongly of intoxicants.

Plyut, 51, was taken to a local hospital and died of his injuries.

Pierce County Judge John McCarthy sentenced Woods to 11 years, one month. Woods will get credit for spending more than a year in jail, awaiting trial and sentencing, deputy prosecutor Tim Jones said.

The community is rallying around the children who lost their mother and their Hilltop home to a fire Friday morning.

Tacoma firefighters rescued Judith Abson, a 43-year-old mother, from the burning home but she died a short time later at a nearby hospital. Two others also had to be rescued but were not injured.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. A fire inspector planned to return to the home in the 1300 block of South Eighth Street this morning, Tacoma Deputy Fire Chief Jolene Davis said.

Investigators do not believe the fire was intentionally set. The basement where the fire is believed to have started is badly charred and might not yield an exact cause of the blaze, Davis said.

"It could easily remain undetermined," she said.

A donation account for Abson's daughters has been established at Wells Fargo. Donations can be made to Svancara Children Benefit Memorial Fund, account No. 5917369182 at any branch, according to a Facebook group page set up for the cause.

Cards can be sent to:

Svancara Children
C/o Pete Lazzaretti
33819 36th Avenue SW
Federal Way, WA 98023

Friends of Abson's have been posting comments and sending e-mails, remembering a kind-hearted, generous woman who was known for making great cookies.

Find some of those comments here.

Here are some more comments.

Karl wrote:

Judith Abson or D'Jenchla her game name was a close friend to me in the world of Ever Quest two, she was a person i knew and loved, who would always have a should to cry on if needed and would always be there to help at a drop of a hat. She had friends world wide from her experiences in game from holand to America all the states and from me in Australia. She was such a proud person and and artist. A story writer and teller, A friend to all of the Raven Mythic Comunity.

We would speak for hours and hours about things which were not important she was just there to talk, to help me in bad times and the good.

Judith, i will for ever miss you. and i will never forget the fun, the advice and the friendship you have given to me.

I would also like to say to her family she was a wonderful person and my heart and soul goes out to you all, for loseing such a wonderful person.

Drew wrote:

I can't believe she's gone. We spent an hour and a half talking about Celtic music and enjoying each other's playlists just two days ago. She was one of the most giving, friendly people I met. She greeted life with an open heart, and no matter how many times she ended up with her heart broken, she kept on going, ready to meet more people, love more people, and enjoy the beautiful things she had in life. The world is a little colder, now that she's gone. My heart goes out to her family in this terrible time.

Krystle Cramer wrote:

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is that you are able to hear the stories and words of those whom might not have lived or been a neighbor to Judith, but were nonetheless affected by the woman herself. Thank you truly for this.

It is a shock to wake up and see an online article about a fire that sounds eerily familiar to the life of a dear friend. Even more of a shock to learn within the course of an hour, through a network of online friends and those we consider an extended family, that your worst fears are realized. That the woman in that fire was someone you knew and loved.

Judith touched the hearts and lives of everyone she interacted with and was such a large part of the online community that her passing will leave a gaping hole. Her life was not an easy one, yet she always had an ear and a good word for those she interacted with. Could always be counted on for a laugh when you needed it most. She loved her children dearly which was quite evident whenever she spoke of them, and she lived her life with a passion that few could claim.

A budding artist, a fantastic baker, a woman with whom I struggle with words to do her justice. A dear friend, who is loved and dearly missed. My heart goes out to her family, and to the extended family online.

A woman was critically injured Sunday afternoon when an apartment caught fire in Lakewood.

Lakewood firefighters had to pull her from the second-story apartment in the 8800 block of John Dower Road Southwest. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, the fire department reported. Her condition was not known Monday morning.

The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. A neighbor called 911 and told dispatchers a woman was trapped inside the fiery apartment, the department reported.

Firefighters found flames and heavy smoke coming from the unit.

Lakewood firefighters on Engine 24 and University Place firefighters rescued the woman.

The blaze was under control just before 3 p.m.

The apartment had no smoke alarms.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

A teenager was critically injured Sunday afternoon when he was struck by a boat while kayaking on American Lake in Lakewood.

The boater didn't stop and Lakewood police were working to identify that person. The department's Marine Service Unit and persons crimes detectives are investigating. They will be back out at American Lake today, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said.

The 14-year-old boy, identified as David Ross, was wearing a bright-colored life jacket and paddling a kayak on American Lake between Silcox Island the Veterans Affairs property, Lakewood police reported. Shortly after 1:30 p.m., he was struck by a motor boat.

Ross was found unconscious. A passing fisherman towed him to shore and bystanders started CPR, Lakewood firefighters reported. Paramedics arrived and transported the boy to Madigan Army Medical Center with life threatening injuries.

The boy's father told KIRO TV that the teen underwent more than five hours of surgery after the collision.

Ross remained in intensive care today.

No one witnessed the collision. However, others told Lakewood police officers that a white 19- to 20-foot white Cutty Cabin pleasure craft with full mooring canvas had been speeding across the lake for most of the day. They described it as a Bayliner or Rienell-type boat, police reported.

"We are just interested in talking to whomever was on that boat," Hoffman said.

Officers inspected five boats as they left the lake Sunday for possible damage but didn't find anything suspicious, Hoffman said.

The boy's kayak was recovered.

"It was pretty busted up and there were what appeared to be prop marks on it," Hoffman said.

Lakewood police encourage anyone with information about the collision to call 911 or the department's non-emergency line at 253-830-5000.

UPDATE: Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to a break in this incident.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959. Tipsters may remain anonymous.