A rollover collision is blocking the left lane of northbound Interstate 5 at Portland Avenue.

The collision happened at about 6:35 p.m., but drivers can expect delays. No injuries have been reported.

UPDATE 7:46 p.m.: All lanes are open.

Tacoma Police say the shooting that left one man dead early Sunday began as a bar fight.

Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said a group began to argue at a bar near South 56th Street and South Tacoma Way at about 2 a.m. One group left in a car and a SUV, the other in a car. The group in the car and SUV began to shoot at the second group, then the group began to disperse.

The two cars found each other, and began shooting again. The driver of the first car was shot and killed, and the passenger was injured. Their vehicle barely missed a Tacoma Police cruiser, and came to rest at South 74th and Oakes streets.

Shortly after the shooting, officers found the SUV involved in the first shooting at a gas station at South 72nd and Hosmer streets. The five passengers were arrested and are being questioned.

The shooters and their car have not been located. No description was available. All involved are young men in their 20s, Fulgum said.

Tacoma and Seattle firefighters will take the baseball field Sunday to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Camp Goodtimes West.

The charity softball games begins at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cheney Stadium. The gates open at noon. Tickets are $10.

Members of Tacoma Firefighters Local 31 will go to bat against representatives from Seattle Firefighters Local 27.

There will be activities for the kids and entertainment for the adults.

From DOT:

DATE/TIME: May 29, 2009, 4:30 p.m.
DESCRIPTION: Fire crews attempting to put out a brush fire on the right shoulder of I-5 near 72nd Street block the right lane.

LOCATION: Northbound I-5 at milepost 129 in Tacoma
START: May 29, 2009, 4:30 p.m.
Est. END: Unknown
OTHER: WSP,Fire and WSDOT incident response are on scene. Motorists can expect delays through the area.

UPDATE FROM DOT, 4:45 p.m.: All northbound lanes lanes open now but backup is eight miles long.

From DOT:

DATE/TIME: May 29, 2009, 3:35 p.m.
DESCRIPTION: A multiple-vehicle collision blocks the center and left lanes.
LOCATION: Northbound I-5 milepost 119 at Dupont
START: May 29, 2009, 3:35 p.m.
Est. END: Unknown
OTHER: WSP on scene. WSDOT Incident Response en route.

UPDATE:

DATE/TIME: May 29, 2009, 4:42 p.m.
DESCRIPTION: All lanes of I-5 northbound near Dupont are open to traffic. Earlier, two separate collisions blocked the left lane.

LOCATION: Northbound I-5 milepost 119 at Dupont
START: May 29, 2009, 3:35 p.m.
Est. END: May 29, 2009, 4:42 p.m.

OTHER: The residual backup extends eight miles to Marvin Road. Motorists should expect delays until backups dissipate.

Pierce County prosecutors have filed charges against a man who allegedly assaulted a Tacoma gas station owner after the owner refused to sell him a beer.

Bobbie Simmons, 55, was charged with first-degree assault and resisting arrest Thursday in connection with the Wednesday night incident at a gas station in the 2300 block of South 12th Street.

Court documents provide the following information:

Officers responded to the gas station just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. They found the victim standing next to a van parked at the gas pumps. It appeared the victim was fighting with someone in the van.

"Police observed (the victim) fall backwards as if he had been hit, pushed or shot," court documents state. "(The victim) was bleeding profusely from the forehead and face."

Officers tried to detain the driver, who was later identified as Simmons. The officers struggled to get him into custody.

Officers noted Simmons appeared to be intoxicated. He told officers he tried to buy a beer from the convenience store but the owner refused to sell it because Simmons was already drunk.

The two argued.

"Simmons left and admitted that he knocked over part of chip display," court documents state.

According to Simmons, the victim followed Simmons to the van and tried to prevent him from leaving, grabbing his keys. Simmons grabbed the handle of a socket wrench and hit the victim in the head.

That's when the police arrived. Simmons said he didn't think he had to comply with the officers' commands.

Witnesses told officers that Simmons punched the victim several times in front of the store. The victim demanded Simmons wait for officers and he declined. Witnesses also reported that Simmons hit the clerk multiple times with the wrench handle.

The victim was taken to a local trauma center for treatment. He was expected to survive.

There's a little bit of news to report in last night's gang-related shooting on the East Side.

Two men were shot Thursday night after rival gang members flashed signs from cars as they drove down Portland Avenue.

Tacoma police reported one car contained people wearing blue, the other had people wearing red. A man in blue pulled a gun and shot at the other car, a red 1980s Ford Taurus.

The Taurus drove to the Thunderbird Trading Post on 72nd and Waller Road to ask for help. A passenger who was shot in the back of the head and was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center. He was alert and talking to officers. The driver was shot in the shoulder and talked to officers at the scene.

The two injured continue to get treatment. There is no update on their conditions.

Officers later found the suspect vehicle on fire in the area of East 35th and East T streets. The vehicle had been abandoned.

No arrests have been reported.

Broken water pipes are forcing the early dismissal of students at Weyerhaeuser Elementary School in Eatonville.

The school will early at 12 p.m.

Sumner police cordoned off an automotive shop on Main Street East this morning to investigate possible manufacturing of methamphetamine inside.

City of Sumner spokeswoman Carmen Palmer said three people have been detained and police are waiting for a signed search warrant before they go inside.

Palmer said a patrol officer saw suspicious activity in the business located in the 15500 block of Main Street East about 3 a.m. He also smelled the odor of ammonia and saw plastic tubing which are consistent with making meth, she said.

One of the men arrested apparently worked in the shop, Palmer said, adding that the owners of the business who knew nothing about what was going on in the shop at night are cooperating with police.

The Pierce County Clandestine Laboratory Team which handles meth labs was called, Palmer said.

Further details will be posted as they become available.

DuPont police are searching for the vandals who went joy riding on The Home Course golf course, causing more than $8,000 damage.

Now, Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward to help solve the caper.

The golf course is on Hoffman Hill Boulevard in the City of DuPont.

Between the night of May 16 and Wednesday night, vandals went onto the golf course and took several golf carts joy riding. They damaged or destroyed several trees, putting greens and benches. They also crashed the golf carts, damaging them as well.

Investigators have estimated the vandals caused more than $8,000 damage.

DuPont police want to talk to anyone with information about who might be responsible. Anyone who saw suspicious activity on the golf course is also asked to call.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and charges filed in the case. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Call Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Drivers should expect delays along eastbound Highway 16 this morning after a crash involving a motorcycle.

The crash was cleared at 9:45 a.m. but heavy traffic continues.

The collision occurred on the eastbound Highway 16 ramp to northbound Interstate 5. The ramp was blocked for 30 minutes.

A disabled semi-truck and trailer is blocking the left lane of southbound State Route 509 at Interstate 705 in Tacoma this morning.

Drivers are getting by in the right lane, the state DOT reports.

The incident began about 7:35 a.m. Troopers and transportation crews are on the scene.

Drivers should expect delays.

UPDATE: The semi now blocks both lanes of southbound SR 509, DOT reports.

A sweeper truck is on the scene and clearing debris from the semi.

UPDATE 2: One of the southbound lanes is now open.

UPDATE 3: The truck has been removed and all lanes are now open.

Tacoma firefighters quickly doused flames on the roof of a Nalley Valley business this morning.

The fire was reportedly at Alsco Inc. on South Tacoma Way. Fire crews were dispatched at 7:01 a.m., Tacoma Assistant Fire Chief Faith Mueller said. A strip of black smoke could be seen in the bright blue morning sky in the Nalley Valley area from Interstate 5.

The fire engine arrived four minutes later. They found flames on the roof of the concrete roof.

The flames were quickly extinguished. Crews are doing mop up work now.

No injuries have been reported to workers or firefighters.

Investigators will be looking into what sparked the fire.

NEW INFORMATION: Investigators have determined this fire started in a dryer at Alsco, 2011 South Tacoma Way.

The dryer and its contents caught fire. Flames spread up the shoot that vents the lint from the dryer, Mueller said.

The fire burned the lint that was on the roof.

The employees evacuated themselves when the fire started. They are back inside, working away now, Mueller said.

Lakewood Police have released a sketch of a man wanted in a reported abduction attempt Wednesday evening.

Here's what happened, according to the Lakewood Police:

The female victim said she was accosted by two men after she got off the bus at 40th and 100th. She described their vehicle as a newer white Chrysler 300 with flashy rims. She described the suspects as Samoan males who she said pushed her to the ground and grabbed her arm attempting to pull her into their car. She was able to escape and run to a nearby business to call 911. The case is still under investigation. Anyone who recognizes this man should call the Lakewood Police Dept. at 253-830-5000.

A man in his mid-40s was in critical condition after being shot Thursday evening in the Parkland area.

Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said the man was shot about 6:30 p.m. in the 11400 block of Eighth Avenue Court South. It appears to be a robbery or drug deal gone bad, Troyer said. Deputies believe the victim, who has a criminal history, was targeted, Troyer said.

The shooter is described as a 6-foot, 200 pound black male with braided hair who was wearing black and white clothing. He left the scene in a black mid-1990s Cadillac.

The victim was being treated at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.

Crews stand at the scene were two shooting victims stopped to ask for help Thursday evening. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

What started as rival gang members flashing signs from cars ended with two men shot Thursday evening in Tacoma.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said the two cars were driving on Portland Avenue about 8 p.m. Passengers dressed in blue in one car and passengers in red in the other car started flashing signs. A man in blue pulled a gun and shot at the other car, a red 1980s Ford Taurus.

The Taurus drove to the Thunderbird Trading Post on 72nd and Waller Road to ask for help. A passenger who was shot in the back of the head and was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center. He was alert and talking to officers, Fulghum said. The driver was shot in the shoulder and talked to officers at the scene.

The rival gang members drove away westbound in a green compact car. Witnesses said there were four of them in their 20s.

Michael Reed, 26, of Midland, pulled in right behind the Taurus as it stopped at the Thunderbird.

The car’s back window was shot out, he said. The man who was shot in the shoulder was frantically pacing and the man with the head wound was sitting up in the front passenger’s seat, Reed said.

“He was coherent and everyone was talking to him,” Reed said.

“I just came in for one beer, and it ended up being something totally different,” Reed said.

About 30 patrons were inside the Thunderbird about 8:45 p.m. and Puyallup tribal police weren’t allowing them to leave, Reed said.

A bloody T-shirt sits on top of the vehicle the shooting victims were in. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

All lanes of northbound I-5 near Dupont are back open to traffic.
The backup from an earlier collision extended five miles to Nisqually. Motorists can expect delays until the backup dissipates.
All lanes of northbound Interstate 5 near Dupont were blocked due to a multi-vehicle collision, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The collision occurred at Milepost 119 and started about 4:15 p.m.
Further details about the crash aren't available,
The Washington State patrol, WSDOT Incident Response, fire and tows responded.

A Gig Harbor man pleaded not guilty today to killing his infant daughter.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Bonifacio Velasco Velarde with second-degree murder with an aggravating factor in the death of his daughter, Ava.

They contend the girl was "particularly vulnerable," which could qualify Verlarde for an sentence higher than the standard range.

Ava, born on April 29, died May 21 after being taken off life support at a local hospital.

An autopsy found that she died of "cranial cerebral trauma," according to court documents.

Pierce County Medical Examiner Eric Kiesel told detectives the girl's injuries may have resulted from "having her head squeezed or by an impact with blunt force trauma," court records state. Kiesel ruled Ava's death a homicide.

The girl was hospitalized May 18 after Velarde called 911 to report his daughter was unconscious, not breathing and turning pale, according to court documents.

Later interviewed by detectives, Velarde, 38, said the girl's injuries happened "on my watch" but gave no plausible explanation about what happened, court records state.

His wife, who since has filed for divorce, said Velarde took the girl out of their bedroom at one point May 18 and that she then heard Ava crying very loudly.

The defendant then returned to their bedroom, saying something was wrong with girl, the woman told investigators.

The couple have two other children, according to court records.

Detectives arrested Velarde on Wednesday and booked him into the Pierce County Jail.

Deputy prosecutor Mark Lindquist on Thursday requested that Velarde, reportedly a native of the Philippines, be jailed in lieu of $1 million until the resolution of his case.

Lindquist said Velarde faces a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted as charged and should be considered a flight risk.

Velarde's wife told investigators her husband had been suffering "rage attacks" recently, the deputy prosecutor added.

Defense attorney Philip Thornton argued for bail of $50,000, saying his client has cooperated with investigators, lived in the community for several years and works as a contractor.

Superior Court Judge Vicki Hogan set bail at $1 million and also ordered Velarde to surrender his passport.

Tacoma first responders will be hitting the court Friday night for their annual basketball game.

The game between Tacoma police and Tacoma firefighters is sponsored by the Hilltop Action Coalition.

Tip time is 7 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse on North Union Avenue. The doors open at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact the Hilltop Action Coalition at 253-383-3056 ext. 112.

Two 12-year-old boys shared their candy with three older teens earlier this month, then were robbed by the same trio, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department reported.

Now, sheriff's investigators need the public's help in identifying the robbers. The Sheriff's Department and Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers released surveillance images of the three suspects today in hopes of identifying them.

According to deputies, the two 12-year-old boys were sitting on a bench, eating some candy outside a grocery store in the 13300 block of Meridian Avenue East on South Hill about 6:45 p.m. on May 16.

The three older teens walked up to the boys and asked for some of the candy. The boys shared their snack and then the teens left, deputies said.

About 15 minutes later, the teens returned and "demanded everything the boys had in their pockets," deputies reported.

The teens threatened to beat up the boys and "break their jaws," deputies reported. The robbers took cellphones, a wallet, cash and Chuck E. Cheese coupons from the victims. The boys were not injured.

The teens then fled. They are described as white, in their late teens, 5 feet 9 and 160 pounds.

One suspect had a brown mohawk-style haircut and wore a black T-shirt and dark jeans. Another suspect wore a black, short-sleeved, button-up collared shirt, dark jeans and a black baseball hat. The third suspect wore a green T-shirt, light blue jeans and a red baseball hat.

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.

Kent police need the public's help to identify a man suspected of robbing a downtown bank branch Tuesday.

The department released surveillance image of the suspect (seen here) today.

Police say the suspect walked into the Home Street Bank, 505 W. Harrison, about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. He carried a briefcase and had a surgical mask over his face. No weapon was displayed, police reported.

After getting an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect fled. No one saw him get into a vehicle, police reported.

A police dog conducted a track but did not find the suspect.

The bank robber is described as a Native American man in his early to late 20s and 5 feet 7 with a thin build. He wore his long, black hair in a pony tail. Some witnesses believed he was wearing a wig.

In addition to the surgical mask, the suspect wore dark sunglasses, a white, long-sleeved shirt and black pants.

The suspect matches the description of another bank robber. A man held up a bank in Covington on May 15 and fled in a 2003-2006 black Nissan Altima with chrome trim and a rear spoiler, police reported.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kent police at 253-856-5910.

A Tacoma man pleaded guilty this morning to stabbing his wife to death then attempting to cremate her remains in a fireplace.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Rosanne Buckner sentenced Jay Nathaniel Poe to 31 years, two months in prison in the death of his wife, Eva Poe. That is the high end of the sentencing range.

Jay Poe, 28, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, second-degree arson and improperly disposing of human remains in the Aug. 8, 2008, death of his 44-year-old wife.

Prosecutors contended Poe stabbed his wife at least 15 times following a heated argument in their South End home.

He then put her body in the fireplace and tried to cremate it, according to court documents. That attempt failed, and the heat from the fire sparked a blaze in the attic.

Firefighters dispatched to fight the fire found Eva Poe's remains in a bedroom closet.

The victim's daughter, Evie Davenport, addressed Buckner before sentencing.

Davenport said the death of her mother "destroyed our family."

"There's nobody in the world that can fill my mother's shoes," she said through tears.

Davenport asked Buckner to impose the maximum sentence available and expressed disappointment that Poe did not qualify for the death penalty.

Poe's attorney, Mark Quigley, said his client suffers from bipolar disorder, which "compromised his ability to control himself" on the day of the murder.

Poe apologized for his actions.

"I'd like to say I'm sorry to the family I destroyed," he said.

Before imposing sentence, Buckner called Poe's crime "heinous" and said he killed the woman who "looked to you as her protector."

Pierce County sheriff's detectives have arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 2-week-old daughter.

The man was booked into Pierce County Jail on Wednesday evening on suspicion of second-degree murder. He's scheduled to make his first court appearance this afternoon in the case.

The baby girl, Eva Velarde, was brought to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Care Center on May 18 from the Gig Harbor-area, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. The incident address is in the 11700 block of 15th Avenue Court Northwest.

Eva died May 21. Investigators say the girl died of trauma, Troyer said. He declined to be more specific. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office reports the cause and manner of Eva's death are still pending.

Sheriff's investigators were notified of the girl's injuries when she was checked into the hospital and have been working the case since, Troyer said.

The father surrendered to investigators Wednesday and was arrested.

University Place police and others were investigating a bank robbery this morning.

The Washington Mutual (Chase) branch on 19th Street. There were reports the bandit fled on a bike.

A police dog was conducting a track behind the old Value Village.

More to come.

UPDATED INFORMATION:

The robbery occurred at 10:20 a.m. at the Washington Mutual branch at 6916 19th St. W, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

The robber was using a black bike with black fenders. He wore a hooded sweatshirt and bandana during the heist.

After the robbery, he fled on foot and shed his clothing, Troyer said. The man disappeared in the apartment complex just west of the bank.

A police dog conducted a track and the Washington State Patrol's airplane was assisting from the sky.

Investigators were not sure if the robber ducked into an apartment or got into a car and drove off, Troyer said.

Gig Harbor police officers and Pierce County sheriff's deputies will be participating today in the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The annual event is part of the activities for the Special Olympics Summer Games, which starts Friday at McChord Air Force base and Fort Lewis.

Officers from eight law enforcement agencies will participate in today's day-long torch run and boat relay. They will carry the Special Olympics Torch, known as the "Flame of Hope," from the Hood Canal Bridge to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, according to a joint press release from participating Kitsap County agencies.

"This year, as in the past, local law enforcement officers and executive staffs have arranged their off-duty schedules to join in support of Special Olympics Washington," the press release states. "This relay is part of the nation-wide Law Enforcement Torch Run to raise community awareness to the needs of Special Olympics. The run is Special Olympics' largest grass-roots vehicle: since its inception, some 85,000 law enforcement officers have carried the 'flame’ around 50 states and 35 nations raising awareness and funds for Special Olympics."

The agencies participating in today's torch relay are: Bremerton Police Department, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Northwest Field Office, Poulsbo Police Department, Port Orchard Police Department, Washington State Patrol, District 8, Gig Harbor Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Non-law enforcement county employees and civilians also will be participating.

Find the tentative schedule for the torch relay below. If you're in the Kitsap County-area, you might see some of this activity.

=> Read more!

There have been a handful of crashes this morning that have clogged up the commute for some drivers.

A crash blocked was reported on northbound State Route 167 just north of Highway 18 this morning. The incident was cleared at 7 a.m., the state DOT reported.

Troopers were at the scene of a blocking collision on State Route 162 at 74th.

Volunteers will be sprucing up Tacoma and painting over graffiti this weekend.

The daylong event - the 2nd Annual Operation Graffiti Cover-up - is sponsored by Safe Streets and its partners. Teams of block group members, business professionals, students and other volunteers will hit the streets Saturday morning to paint over pre-identified graffiti eyesores in Tacoma and unincorporated Pierce County.

Volunteers are asked to check in at 9 a.m. and one of the following sites:

Portland Ave. Community Center - 3513 E. Portland Ave.
Metro Parks Headquarters - 4702 S. 19th St.
Parkland Fire Station - 100 114th St.

Organizers encourage volunteers to bring their own brushes and rollers. Refreshments will be provided.

During last year's event, 257 volunteers painted over graffiti at 243 locations in the county, Safe Streets reported.

Safe Streets is partnering with the Click! Network, Pierce County, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Puyallup Tribe, City of Tacoma, Tacoma Police Department, and Tacoma Public Schools for the event.

To register contact Safe Streets at (253) 272-6824, or e-mail rkhlom@safest.org.

A robbery went wrong at the Spirit gas station on South Trafton Street, with the robber bashing the store owner's head with a socket wrench and getting Tasered twice by arresting officers.

A man walked into the gas station to rob it at about 9:25 p.m. Tacoma Police spokesman said the man began to trash the store and got in a fight with the clerk. It led outside, and the man hit the clerk in the head.

Lupe Caro was driving on 12th Street and saw something that wasn't right at the gas station. When she pulled in, a witness told her "He's getting robbed," and the fight spilled out to the gas pumps.

"When he got hit, I saw blood coming out," she said.

Adam Barth lives across the street from the station and said he came out when he heard the commotion. He came outside just when the suspect was getting Tasered after allegedly resisting arrest.

"I didn't really see anything but I heard him scream," he said. "It was pure pain."

The clerk was taken to Tacoma General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The man was arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault.

Here's what happened, according to the Kent Fire Department:

One person was airlifted to a local hospital following a head-on collision this afternoon between a Honda Civic and a dump truck. The crash took place at 5:39 pm in the 24800 block of 180 Ave. SE.

The male driver of the Honda, who was the only occupant of the car, had to be extricated from his vehicle using forcible entry equipment due to the extent of the damage. Once out of the car, the patient was transported by Airlift Northwest helicopter. A Kent Fire Department fire station was used as the landing site. The driver of the dump truck was not injured.

Firefighters remained on scene following the crash to deal with a large amount of motor oil which had leaked from the vehicles into a drainage ditch. A private contractor has been contacted to remove the oil.

King County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the incident to determine the cause.

Central Pierce Fire and Rescue crews are trying to find the source of smoke that forced Ferrucci Junior HIgh in Puyallup to be evacuated.

Central Pierce Assistant Chief Matt Holm said crews were called to the school, at 3213 Wildwood Park Drive and found smoke in a second floor hallway. The initial call asked for a second-alarm, but no fire was found.

Holm said crews expect the smoke to be related to an air conditioning system.

VIDEO: Clerk fights back

Tacoma police are looking for help in identifying the man who tried to rob an East Side gas station early Tuesday while wielding a large stick.

Detectives released surveillance images and a description of the would-be robber today in hopes that someone recognizes the man. They are investigating the man on suspicion of aggravated assault and robbery.

Tacoma police have said the man entered the Chevron gas station at East 72nd Street and McKinley Avenue just before 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. He had a stick spiked with nails, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The man demanded money from clerk and swung the stick. The clerk was hit in the hand, Fulghum said.

The clerk responded by punching the suspect in the face. The would-be robber dropped his stick and fled the store with a bloody nose, Fulghum said.

A police dog responded to the scene but was not able to find the suspect.

The attacker is described as white, late 30s to early 40s, 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall and 215 to 220 pounds. He had dark-colored hair and no facial hair. He wore a button-up shirt, shorts, light-colored socks and tennis shoes during the robbery.

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

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

For those of you who don't also keep up with the Political Buzz blog, but here's something I think has some bleed-over.

Lately, I've been blogging and writing about a recent performance audit of Pierce County's major 911 center, known as LESA (Law Enforcement Support Agency).

I'll soon be coming out with a story that looks closer at the job itself and the impact of the some of the funding and staffing issues. But I also wanted to show, or at least hint at, what it's like for the men and women answering the constantly ringing 911 calls. The first video contains a difficult emotional situation (ultimately no one was hurt) the second is more comedic.

It can also lead to criminal charges.

At least that's what two men have discovered.

Prosecutors on Tuesday charged Douglas J. Dumbleton, 37, and Christopher S. Salais with residential burglary after they were found at the Graham home of an elderly woman who died several months ago.

Court documents provide the following information:

A neighbor called Pierce County sheriff's deputies Monday after seeing a vehicle pull into the driveway of a home in the 28200 block of 68th Avenue East. The truck was quickly parked in the garage and the doors closed.

"The neighbor reported that he was not sure who owned the property because the elderly woman who had lived there had passed away approximately six months ago," court documents state. "The neighbor reported that no one should be at the residence, and that it may have gone to the bank."

Waited outside the home, the deputy could hear things being moved in the garage.

A short time later, Dumbleton walked out of the weeds with his hands up.

"I'm coming out," he said.

Salais also walked out.

Dumbleton told the deputy the two planned to take the wood stove from the house and other things from the garage.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," he told the deputy. He also said he knew it was a mistake and wrong.

The deputy found two tables, fencing wire, a box of DVD movies, a box of holiday lighting and other household items in the truck.

Here's a link to the video report prepared by our news partners at KIRO.

Here's the TNT's story.

Also, KING 5 had an interview with the male half of the equation.

KOMO-TV talked to the female half.

A Lakewood police motorcycle officer was injured this morning in a collision on Steilacoom Boulevard.

The officer was taken to a local hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said.

Preliminary reports indicate the officer was driving in the 8600 block of Steilacoom Boulevard when a car pulled out in front of him, Hoffman said. An investigation is under way.

The condition of the other driver was not immediately available.

UPDATE: Here's a few more details about what happened and the officer.

The officer was headed westbound on Steilacoom Boulevard, approaching 87th Avenue Southwest.

A witness told police that a red compact car was pulling out of a parking lot to take a left turn in front of the officer. The 42-year-old motorcycle officer didn't have time to stop and T-boned the car.

"He couldn't stop," Hoffman said.

The car's driver, a woman in her early 80s, suffered minor cuts but was not taken to a local hospital, Hoffman said. The traffic officer was seriously injured and talking to others at the scene.

At the time of the crash shortly before 11 a.m., the motorcycle officer was following his partner. His partner was pulling over a violator and had pulled ahead of him, Hoffman said.

The injured officer has been in law enforcement for 13 years and with the Lakewood Police Department since its inception in 2004, Hoffman said. He's been assigned to the traffic unit since he was hired.

The Lakewood Police Department is not releasing the hospital where the officer is being treated, more information about the officer's injuries or his name at this time, Hoffman said.

Puyallup police officers responded to the crash scene and were doing the scene reconstruction.

The other driver was interviewed by officers.

The investigation was continuing.

(Photo courtesy of reader Verita Whitman)

Pierce County prosecutors have charged three young men with assault after a shooting Friday night left three others seriously injured.

Prosecutors on Tuesday charged Dedrick T. April, 18; Reginald T. Lester, 19; and Jerell M. Jackson, 18; with three counts of first-degree assault and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.

They are accused in the shooting of three men shortly after 11 p.m. Friday in the 5100 block of South Pine Street, charging documents state.

Court documents provide the following information:

Lester told officers he and the other two defendants were driving Friday night around when they spotted one of the victims on the street. April and that victim had a long-standing feud.

April and Jackson discussed the victim. At one point, Jackson got out of the car then Lester heard gunshots.

Officers were called to the scene and found one victim with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Two others were found nearby. One - the man whom April had a feud with - was shot in the chest. The third victim was shot in the abdomen and twice in the leg.

The victims were taken to local hospitals for emergency surgeries and treatment.

They reported they'd been walking on the street when a man approached and asked a gang-related question.

"Apparently not getting proper responses, the male opened fire with a handgun," court documents state.

The victims provided suspect descriptions. Neighbors and other witnesses provided details on a vehicle seen fleeing the area.

Lakewood police stopped that vehicle a short time later in the 9200 block of South Tacoma Way. The three defendants were inside and all were arrested.

Tacoma police found several .380-caliber shell casings at the scene of the shooting. After getting a search warrant, they located a .380-caliber handgun in the glove box of the car the defendants were in.

All three defendants have prior felony convictions.

A disabled semi-truck is blocking the southbound lanes of State Route 509 near Taylor Way this morning, the state DOT reports.

The incident began about 8:10 a.m. It is blocking both southbound lanes and one northbound lane.

Troopers, transportation crews and a tow truck are on the scene.

UPDATE: The northbound lane is back open to traffic. The southbound lanes are still blocked, DOT reported at 8:55 a.m.

UPDATE No. 2: The disabled truck has been removed and all southbound lanes are now open to traffic, DOT reported at 9 a.m.

Drivers should expect some delays while the backup clears.

Lakewood police and firefighters will hit the basketball court Saturday in a game to raise money for charity.

The fifth annual Helmets vs. Shields game begins at 6 p.m. at Clover Park High School, 11023 Gravelly Lake Dr. S.W. Tickets are $5. Children age 4 and under are free, the Lakewood Fire Department reported.

Tickets are on sale at Lakewood Fire Station 20, 10928 Pacific Highway, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Life Safety Charity Fund, which doles out grants and donations, and the Lakewood Police Independent Guild Charitable Fund, which aims to help crime victims that police officers contact.

During the game, prizes from local businesses will be raffled off.

A Pacific child was burned while trying to cook Tuesday afternoon.

Valley Regional Fire Authority crews were called to a home on the 200 block of Ellingson Drive in Pacific and found the 9-year-old boy badly burned. When he was cooking, his clothes touched the burner and caught fire, VRFA spokesman Dave Berg said.

He was suffering from second- and third-degree burns on his back, and his mother had second-degree burns on both hands from trying to extinguish the fire. Both were treated at the scene and taken to Harborview Medical Center.

"Remember to always be alert and supervise children while cooking," Berg said. "If your clothes ever catch on fire remember 'Stop Drop and Roll.' "

The state Department of Transportation says Memorial Day weekend travel increased 10 percent this year compared to last, which led to long delays and a few collisions.

Here's the state's numbers:

The Memorial Day weekend travel roundup from across the state in comparison to 2008:

I-90 Snoqualmie

199,000 vehicles traveled over Snoqualmie Pass between Friday and Monday, an increase of just more than 9 percent (16,500 vehicles).

57,000 traveled Friday, an increase of close to 7 percent. The largest increase was morning and early afternoon drivers. On Friday, a number of early afternoon minor traffic collisions on eastbound I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass led to 17 miles of stop-and-go traffic through the evening.

1,400 more vehicles Saturday.

4,900 more vehicles Sunday. There was good attendance all weekend at the Sasquatch music festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre, especially for Sunday performers Jane's Addiction and Nine Inch Nails.

56,000 traveled Monday, and increase of 8 percent, with the largest increase before noon. Those drivers coming back Monday faced 22 miles of stop-and-go traffic.

US 2, Stevens Pass

38,200 vehicles traveled US 2 from Friday through Monday, an increase of 12 percent (4,300 vehicles).

10,000 traveled Friday, an increase of 13 percent.

800 more vehicles Saturday.

1,200 more vehicles Sunday.

10,800 traveled Monday, an increase of 12 percent. Westbound drivers noting the Monday backups on I-90 may have gone to US 2, as traffic was stop-and-go between Peshastin and Leavenworth between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday.

Olympic Peninsula/Hood Canal Bridge

The Hood Canal Bridge closure, along with increased holiday traffic and boaters headed to Shrimp Fest, contributed to significant backups and long delays on southbound US 101 at Hoodsport in Mason County. At one point, backups stretched nine miles and WSP reported it took them between 1 and 1 1/2 hours to get through the backup.

I-5 Thurston/Lewis counties

269,700 vehicles traveled I-5 south of Olympia into Lewis County between Friday and Monday, an increase of 7 percent (17,700 vehicles).

79,100 traveled Friday, an increase of 5 percent.

6,000 more vehicles Saturday.

5,900 more vehicles Sunday.

65,000 traveled Monday, an increase of 4 percent.

Just north of this area, holiday traffic resulted in significant congestion on northbound I-5 Monday afternoon and evening from the I-5/US 101 interchange in Olympia to Fort Lewis (mileposts 104 to 121).

I-5, near US/Canada Border

There was a communications outage at the traffic counter and no data is available.

WSDOT photo.

A crash is blocking the two right lanes and backing up traffic on southbound Interstate 5 in Federal Way.

The Washington State Patrol, fire and aid crews are on the scene of the crash, near 348th Street. It is unknown how many cars are involved and the extent of the injuries.

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: All lanes are open. Traffic was backed up four miles at one point.

An East Side convenience store clerk fought back early today when a would-be robber demanded cash and wielded a baseball bat, Tacoma police reported.

The suspect entered the Chevron gas station at East 72nd Street and McKinley Avenue just before 2:40 a.m. He had a baseball bat spiked with nails, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The man demanded money from clerk and swung the bat. The clerk was hit in the hand, Fulghum said.

The clerk responded by punching the suspect in the face. The would-be robber dropped his bat and fled the store with a bloody nose, Fulghum said.

A police dog responded to the scene but was not able to find the suspect.

The clerk declined medical aid at the store, Fulghum said.

No arrest has been reported.

The Washington State Patrol's King County office reports success over the three-day, Memorial Day weekend.

Troopers say there were no serious injury or fatality crashes on King County highways.

The agency put 15 extra troopers on the road over the weekend. They looked for suspected drunken drivers and speeders, according to a press release.

The troopers arrested 66 suspected impaired drivers and responded to 78 crashes. Of those, 19 involved an injury.

As part of the emphasis, nine troopers worked 3.5 hours Saturday morning, concentrating on southbound Interstate 5 in Federal Way. The emphasis lasted from 6:30 to 10 a.m. and resulted in 107 speed contacts, two drunken driving arrests, six drug arrests and the recovery of one stolen car.

"To not have a serious injury or fatality collision during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year is outstanding," State Patrol Capt. Steve Burns stated in the press release.

Pierce County had one fatality and Thurston County had one. A 33-year-old man was killed early Sunday when his Jeep left the road and overturned in Parkland.

UPDATED INFO: Over the three-day weekend, troopers arrested 17 suspected drunken drivers in Pierce County and eight in Thurston County, trooper Brandy Kessler reported. There were two drug-related arrests - one in each county.

Here's the press release from the State Patrol with the statewide picture:

This Memorial Day weekend the WSP reported four traffic fatalities and two non-traffic fatalities statewide. This figure is up from 2008 when there were three traffic fatalities.

The Patrol also arrested 320 drivers for DUI; which is down from the 345 arrested last year.

There were no motorcycle fatalities during the Memorial Day weekend.

"Any loss of life from a traffic fatality is tragic," said WSP Assistant Chief Les Young. "What makes it so tragic is these are easily preventable."

Washington State Patrol had additional troopers on duty throughout the state focused on aggressive driving, speed, seatbelt, and DUI enforcement.

Traffic Fatalities:
• May 22, 2009 – Linda Harden, age 56, Upper Nile Road, Yakima
County
• May 24, 2009 – Anthony McDonald, age 33, State Route 7 near
State Route 512, Pierce County
• May 24, 2009 – Jueventino Arredondo, age 45, Emerald Road, Yakima
County
• May 24, 2009 – Natalie McLaughlin, age 22, State Route 12,
Thurston County

NON-TRAFFIC FATALITY
• May 22, 2009 – (no name released by Lewis County SO) Carr Road,
Randall, Lewis County
• May 25, 2009 – Robert Baer, age 67, Liberty Market on State Route
20, Island County

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 37-year-old man with 16 counts of theft, alleging he cost a home improvement store nearly $100,000.

Jeffrey Scott Powell was charged Friday in Pierce County Superior Court with 14 counts of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft.

Investigators believe he was involved in a scam that cost Lowe's stores in Pierce, King, Thurston and Kitsap counties $92,249.19. Pierce County's Lowe's stores lost $32,994.30, charging documents state.

Court documents provide the following information about how the scam worked:

A person would call different Lowe's stores throughout the country and request Powell be added as an authorized buyer on a business account. He was allowed to be added without much question.

Once approved, Powell would visit Lowe's in the Puget Sound region and make large purchases such as washer/dryers, appliances and pressure washers. He put the merchandise on the business accounts.

The sales were made on the weekends or after 7 p.m. during the week, times when the store could not verify Powell's purchasing status.

Several of the sales were caught on surveillance tape. Powell used his own ID when he bought items and often carried a notepad.

The purchases were billed to the companies. When those companies received their bills, they would dispute the charges. Lowe's then reimbursed the company and took the financial loss for the fraudulent purchase. (In Pierce County, those companies were mainly construction businesses.)

Lowe's officials contacted the Washington State Patrol about the fraudulent transactions and the agency launched an investigation.

Thursday, Powell was detained at a Kent Lowe's store after he made a fraudulent purchase.

A State Patrol detective arrested him.

Apparently, there was word this morning over the marine radio channels about a small spill in the Foss Waterway.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports a cup of transmission fluid spilled from a recreational vessel. It was self-reported.

The Coast Guard and Department of Ecology were involved.

A medical emergency is blocking the left lane of eastbound Highway 16 in Tacoma this morning.

Troopers, firefighters and paramedics are on the scene near Union Avenue, the state DOT reports.

Drivers are getting by in the right lane but should expect delays because of the emergency response.

UPDATE: This has been cleared and traffic is slowly returning to normal.

Eastbound drivers are backed up two miles, DOT reported at 8 a.m.

A multiple-vehicle crash briefly blocked the left lane of southbound Interstate 5 in Lakewood this morning.

The lane was blocked for roughly 15 minutes at Thorne Lane, the state DOT reported.

The crash was cleared by 6 a.m., though drivers can expect heavy traffic through the area.

Extra holiday traffic is causing congestion on highways from Interstate 90 to the Canadian border, but the worst is on the Hood Canal Bridge detour on Highway 101 near Hoodsport.

As of about 4:30 p.m., traffic is backed up nine miles there, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelly Stowe said.

Extra holiday traffic has mostly caused headaches, but no serious collisions. A few fender-benders on highways across the South Sound snarled traffic a bit more.

"Any place where people are coming home from, there's a backup," Stowe said.

And as the day wears on, more roads will be packed with cars. Crews expect a large bottleneck on Highway 512 and Interstate 5 soon.

Officials hope the roadways clear up by about 9 p.m. when most holiday travelers have made it home.

The state DOT provides these tips:

* Call 1-877-595-4222 for trip-planning help
* View Hood Canal area traffic cameras
* Download the transportation options map at www.HoodCanalBridge.com
* Subscribe to e-mail updates and text messaging updates at www.HoodCanalBridge.com

On the road:

* Tune to the following stations for Highway Advisory Radio

Kitsap County * SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge – 530 AM
* SR 104 Kingston – 1610 AM

Jefferson County * SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge – 530 AM
* US 101/SR 20 – 1580 AM

Clallam County * US 101/SR 113 – 1580 AM
* US 101/SR 112 – 1580 AM

Thurston County * US 101/Mud Bay Road – 530 AM

* Pay attention to electronic readerboard signs
* Call 511 for traffic information

UPDATE 5:19 p.m.: A multi-vehicle crash briefly blocked the center lane of southbound Interstate 5 at M Street.

The Pierce County Sheriff Department is asking for the public’s help to locate a 90-year-old Roy man suffering from dementia who was reported missing by his family after he failed to return from a morning outing.
Robert D. Walker was last seen about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when he left his Roy residence in his silver 2007 Mazda CX-9 bearing Washington license plate number 665-XTS.
Family members believe Walker was going to the Little Park Restaurant in Spanaway but hasn’t been seen since. The restaurant staff did not see him, either.
Walker is described as a white male, six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds. He has gray hair, blue eyes and wears glasses. He walks with a cane and uses a hearing aid.
He was last seen wearing a tan hat, a dark brown winter jacket, gray slacks and brown shoes.

UPDATE: 90-year-old found in car outside Wenatchee after six days missing

A 90-year-old Roy man who was missing since Tuesday was found in his car in a remote area outside Wenatchee late Saturday.
Robert D. Walker was last seen early Tuesday when he left his home in a silver Mazda CX-9 en route to a restaurant in Spanaway. He was found in his car by three men who were looking for shed antlers, The Wenatchee World reported.
“It was just a miracle that these guys were out there.” Shawn Ballard of Ballard Ambulance, who was at the scene, told the World. “
There is no hunting season right now, so there is no reason for anybody to be out there except maybe for shed hunting.”
Walker had reportedly driven through a closed road, through a field and into a wooded area where his car was stuck between trees. He apparently sat in the car for four days before he was found. He was treated at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee for dehydration, the World reported.
- The News Tribune and news services

Police say they've arrested three teenagers suspected of using the online classified-ad site Craigslist.org to lure robbery victims to Tacoma.

Heavily armed officers arrested an 18-year-old man and two 16-year-old boys about 10 p.m. Thursday near East 36th and East McKinley, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

"Our guys responded to one of their Craigslist ads, and they made contact and agreed to meet," Fulghum said Friday. "Instead of being met by the 'victims,' they were met by the SWAT team."

Police booked the man into jail and the juveniles into the Remann Hall detention center for investigation of robbery, Fulghum said.

Detectives believe the trio is behind a series of heists where people responding to ads – usually for cars – have been threatened, attacked or robbed. In one case, a Bellevue man was beaten with a hammer, Fulghum said.

Detectives have been scanning Craigslist for similar ads, spotted a match recently and set up Thursday's sting, Fulghum said.

Police recovered a handgun near the scene of Thursday's arrests.

The weather looks promising for the Memorial Day weekend. The three-day holiday is typically a time when families start playing and camping more outdoors.

They'll be firing up the barbecue and stoking campfires.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal wants families to be safe while enjoying the sunny, holiday weekend.

"It doesn't take much for a small fire to turn into a large blaze. Be aware and careful about any activity that could trigger a wildfire," said State Fire Marshal Mike Matlick in a press release.

The office provide these safety tips:

Campfire Safety

It is important to follow the park's rules for the use and extinguishing of campfires. Build campfires where they will not spread. A 5-10 foot circle around the fire should be cleared of all flammable materials and your tent should be at least 15 feet away.

Keep campfires to a reasonable and manageable size – do not let them get out of hand.

Thoroughly drown the fire, stir it and douse it again with water – do not leave a fire until it is OUT COLD.

Barbecue Safety

Always inspect your grill at the beginning of the season, checking all connections and supply hoses. Make sure the venturi tubes that deliver gas to the burner are not blocked.

Do not overfill the propane tank. Always store tanks outside, in a well-ventilated area.

Keep barbecue 5-10 feet away from your house or other flammable material. Never barbecue in enclosed areas – carbon monoxide could result.

Do not add fluid to hot coals. The flame can flash back up into the container and explode.

Dispose of hot coals properly - douse them with plenty of water and stir them to ensure that the fire is out. Never place them in plastic, paper or wooden containers.

General Fire Safety

Ensure children and pets are kept well away from fire. Teach your children to immediately report any loose matches or lighters to an adult.

Make sure everyone knows to Stop, Drop and Roll in case a piece of clothing does catch fire. Call 911 if a burn warrants serious medical attention.

Never leave your fire unattended and keep plenty of water nearby.

Do not wear loose clothing while tending a fire and tie long hair back.

Puyallup police are asking for the public's help to find a young woman missing since May 11. Here's the gist of their news release:

The missing person is Evita Cheng, who lives in unincorporated Pierce County with her mother and brother. The family has not heard from Cheng in the past eleven days. Cheng is a Pierce College student and was dropped off there by her mother on May 11th. Cheng did not attend her classes that day.

Investigators found evidence that Cheng may have left on her own free will. The family is very concerned about Cheng because this is unusual behavior for her. There is no indication of foul play. She has a cell phone but it is not powered on.

Cheng has been entered into NCIC/WACIC as a missing person. She was last seen wearing a brown jacket, a pink shirt with flowers on it, blue jeans, tennis shoes, and carried a yellow purse. Cheng is 5’02” and weighs approximately 150 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and wears glasses.

Cheng recently transferred from Trinity College in Everett, said Lt. Dave McDonald, police spokesman. Apparently, she was unhappy with the move. Her mother overheard her on the phone talking to someone, asking how to take a bus back to Everett, McDonald said.

That information caused police to wonder whether Cheng left voluntarily. However, she is active in social networking, and police have found no new Myspace postings since her disappearance. They have sent notes to roughly 100 online friends, looking for signs of contact. So far, they've got nothing, McDonald said.

Anyone with information on Cheng is asked to call police at 253-841-5415.

A state judge approved a plan this week allowing an 82-year-old man suspected of killing his adult son to move from a state mental hospital into a private Tacoma care facility, relatives of the victim said Friday.

Clarence Munce, once charged with first-degree murder, will transfer from Western State Hospital to a "supervised, 24-hour care facility" some time next week, said his stepdaughter, Sunny Rhone.

Rhone had opposed the move, saying Munce was too dangerous to live outside the state hospital.

"We still can't believe what happened in court," she said.

Munce's attorney, Erik Bauer, had argued that his client is too debilitated, both mentally and physically, to be a danger to anyone and that a nursing home is the best place for him.

State officials will not say which nursing home Munce will live in, citing privacy laws. The hearing regarding the move was closed to the public.

Pierce County prosecutors last year charged Munce in the June death of his son, Gerald Munce, 58. They alleged that the elder Munce shot his son in the back after the two had argued over a hood ornament.

In December, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper dismissed the charge against Munce after ruling he was incompetent to stand trial because of a mental disease or defect. Munce has dementia.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht today asked for and received a postponement of his criminal trial until Sept. 8.

Hecht, who is charged with one count of felony harassment and one misdemeanor count of patronizing a prostitute, had been scheduled to go on trial June 8. The judge has pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Hecht's attorney, Wayne Fricke, requested the continuance of King County Superior Court Judge James D. Cayce during a morning hearing at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Cayce's been assigned to preside over the case so Pierce County judges can avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Fricke said this morning the trial of a Pierce County murder defendant he's representing has gone on for longer than he anticipated and probably won't finish until the week of June 8 at the earliest.

That would conflict with Hecht's June 8 trial date and leave him little time to adequately prepare to defend the judge, Fricke explained.

Assistant state Attorney General John Hillman, who is prosecuting Hecht, said he was ready to go to trial June 8 but did not object to a postponement.

Cayce picked the Sept. 8 date because it appeared to be the earliest that meshed with everyone's schedule.

Cayce also set June 18 as the date to argue motions in the case, including Hecht's request to move his trial out of Pierce County.

Federal Way police said today they've arrested a 62-year-old man on suspicion of first-degree murder in the poisoning death of his wife.

The 53-year-old woman died Nov. 28, 2008, at house in Federal Way.

"Preliminary investigation and autopsy resulted in nothing suspicious," the Federal Way police department said in a news release.

Further tests revealed lethal levels of poison in the woman's body, and detectives launched a homicide investigation in January, police said.

Detectives arrested the woman's husband Wednesday. He is scheduled to make a first appearance in King County Superior Court today.

Officers from seven Pierce County law enforcement agencies and the Washington State Patrol will again be looking for unbuckled drivers who are traveling the roadways at night.

The officers hit the streets for the spring nighttime seat belt patrols tonight. They'll be part of a statewide contingent of cops from 70 law enforcement agencies looking for violators between today and June 7.

Law enforcement officials target drivers in the evening and night time hours because the rate of people getting killed at night in traffic accidents is four times higher than during the day, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

As part of the spring enforcement campaign, an aerial banner reminding drivers to "Click it or Ticket" will fly over the Tacoma Dome during Sunday's commencement ceremony for Pacific Lutheran University. The banner will be circling overhead between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

This isn't the first nighttime Click It or Ticket enforcement.

The first large-scale nighttime seat belt emphasis took place in May 2006, with 75 law enforcement agencies and the Washington State Patrol participating statewide, the commission reported.

The commission reports the first enforcement campaign netted:

* 4,671 people who were not properly buckled or had an unbuckled child in the vehicle.

* 706 motorists suspected of driving recklessly, aggressively or without a license.

* 325 suspected impaired drivers.

* 182 drivers arrested for other criminal behavior.

* Eight stolen cars.

The nighttime campaigns have occurred periodically ever since.

The results of one round of patrols this fall can be found here.

An AMBER Alert has been issued for a Tonasket infant missing since Monday afternoon.

A court order was issued to place Joshua Pier in specialized foster and medical care. He was diagnosed with PKU metabolic disorder, his health is at imminent risk. The suspect is 18-year-old Gretchen Pier, who is 5-foot-4, 165 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. The vehicle is a gold 1989 Honda Accord, Washington license 351-YOU.

Anyone with information should contact the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office at 509-422-7232.

UPDATE 9:30 p.m. The AMBER Alert has been lifted. The infant was found in Sedro-Woolley in Skagit County, KOMO News reported.

Associated Ministries will host a Moment of Blessing ceremony Thursday for a 61-year-old Buckley-area man who was fatally shot in his home last week.

The brief, spiritual ceremony for Robert Irby begins at 3:30 p.m. at his home in the 12100 block of 275th Avenue East. The location will be marked with bamboo poles laced with red and purple ribbons bearing the names of those killed in acts of homicide in Pierce County.

Irby was shot in the head and torso Thursday in his home. Pierce County sheriff's investigators have arrested his 41-year-old girlfriend in connection with the case. She's being held in lieu of $1 million bail and prosecutors have until Thursday to charge her in Irby's death.

The Associated Ministries created the Moment of Blessing ceremony to cleanse the places in the county where homicides occur. The events are intended to provide support to the victim's family and friends as well as the neighborhood where the crime occurred.

The Moment of Blessing ceremonies are open to the public.

A lahar warning siren looms over Orting and Highway 162 in 2004. Dean J. Koepfler/The News Tribune.

Pierce County will be sounding the alarm this weekend, but don't worry. It's only a test.

Beginning Friday, May 22 through Thursday, May 28, work will begin on 13 of the Puyallup Valley’s lahar warning sirens, requiring intermittent tests using chimes and verbal announcements. The sirens are located in Orting, McMillan, Alderton, Sumner, Puyallup, Riverside, and Fife.

Pierce County Emergency Management is in the process of upgrading half of the 26 lahar warning sirens this spring and summer. The other half of the sirens should be replaced by the end of the year.

Pierce County sheriff's investigators were on the scene this afternoon of a collision that critically injured one person.

The crash involved a garbage or dump truck and an SUV, sheriff's Sgt. Jerry Bates said.

The crash scene was 196th Street East and Canyon Road East. The crash occurred just 12:25 p.m.

Exactly how the person was critically injured isn't quite clear.

UPDATE:

A 32-year-old woman was killed this afternoon when her garbage truck collided with an SUV at the intersection of 196th Street East and Canyon Road East.

The woman was thrown from the Lakewood Refuse truck, Bates reported. She was declared dead at a local hospital.

A woman and two young children were in the SUV and transported to local hospitals for precautionary purposes, Bates said.

The Sheriff's Department continue to investigate the details of what happened, Bates said. The two vehicles collided in the intersection but it wasn't exactly known why.

The department's commercial vehicle enforcement officers will do a full inspection of the garbage trucks. They'll also be looking at whether the driver was wearing a seat belt, Bates said.

Tacoma police are investigating why a 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg today on the East Side.

The boy's injuries were not considered life threatening, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The incident is in the 2100 block of East 38th Street. Officers were called there just before noon.

Fulghum said the boy is not saying much about what happened.

Also ...

Tacoma police responded to the 1100 block of South 13th Street a short time ago after receiving reports of a man with a knife. Officers have at least one person in custody.

Tacoma firefighters now have a fire under control in a two-story, eight-unit apartment building at Sixth and Grant Avenue but are still putting out hot spots.

Ten people living in the building fled before firefighters arrived, Tacoma Fire Department spokeswoman Jolene Davis said. No one was injured.

Two second floor units in the older wooden structure were charred. Firefighters entered through the roof of the apartment units to fight the fire.

A fire investigator is on the scene, conducting interviews and waiting to examine the scene. The initial fire call said there was an explosion and fire in the building.

Multiple fire engine crews and at least 30 firefighters responded to the call at 10:16 a.m., Davis said. The fire was under control by 10:46 a.m.

UPDATE: Sondi Grooms had just gotten out of the shower and was talking on the phone to a solicitor when she heard popping noises outside her second-story apartment.

She looked outside her patio sliding glass door and saw flames coming from her neighbor's unit. Meanwhile, her downstairs neighbor, Thomas Osborn, stepped outside as he waited for a telephone company representative.

"I seen flames coming from the upstairs apartment," Osborn said.

The windows were breaking. Osborn dashed up the stairs, pounded on Grooms door and told her to get out. She had enough time to pull on some pants.

"I didn't have time to do anything," Grooms said a short time later, as she stood outside the burned apartment building.

Osborn kicked in the door of the apartment where the flames were but saw no one inside. He went to other units to make sure the residents got out.

"It all happened in a matter of 30 seconds," Osborn said. "I am not afraid of fire but that was really scary."

The flames quickly spread to Grooms' unit, destroying everything inside.

"All of our belongings, family pictures, baby pictures," Grooms said. "Everything is gone."

Virginia Strader built the apartment building with her husband in 1964 and has owned it every since. She said she's had no problems with the building in the past, though she's always worried about it.

(Photo above courtesy of reader Jay Hewitt, who snapped several pictures before the Tacoma Fire Department arrived.)

News Tribune photo Joe Barrentine has put together a gallery of photos from this morning's fire. Find it here.

Fire at 6th and Grant this morning.

It appears this is the same grant that was announced earlier this year, according to the state Office of Financial Management.

There is a new deadline for local agencies to apply.

OLD VERSION:
More federal stimulus money will be flowing into the state - and Pierce County - soon for law enforcement-related efforts.

The U.S. Attorney General announced today that the state will receive more than $22.4 million in Recovery Act funds. In addition, the City of Lakewood has been awarded $340,124 and Yelm $10,190.

The grants are on top of millions in other federal grants announced for the state earlier this year. (Read what local agencies want to do with a round of grant money announced in March here.)

The $22.4 million grant (called a Edward Bryne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant) announced today is part of $4 billion in Justice Department Recovery Acts funds that are being doled out to state, local and tribal law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, the federal Department of Justice reported in a press release.

In its grant application, the state Department of Community Trade and Economic Development noted it planned to spend money to:

* Help hire a person to assist the agency in complying with and evaluating the grants.

* Hire people for a narcotic task force peer review process.

* Hand out to ineligible local jurisdictions.

* Endorse competitive programs directed at law enforcement, prosecution and courts.

* Support efforts between the state Department of Corrections and local law enforcement agencies to suppress gang activity.

* Support drug task force initiatives.

* Keep prosecutors employed.

* Support state initiatives that provide gang enforcement, intervention and prevention.

Under the terms of the grant, the state must dole out 40 percent of the award to local jurisdictions. That allocation is based on a formula of population and violent crime statistics.

The state keeps the remaining 60 percent.

Agencies must "apply" for the grants - meaning they need to tell the Department of Justice on the money is going to be spent. Those applications are due June 17.

Construction crews will begin work today on a stretch of South Tacoma Way, the City of Tacoma reports.

Crews will be grinding the roadway and then paving South Tacoma Way from South 38th Street to South Pine Street. The paving will begin on the northbound side of the street, then switch to the southbound lanes.

The work is expected to last through the first week of June, the city reported.

Businesses in the work zone will be open during the construction. Signs and detour routes will be posted to alert drivers.

The project is weather dependent and the schedule could change if the weather doesn't cooperate.

One man was killed and three people injured in a head-on crash in Auburn Tuesday night.

The Valley Regional Fire Authority reported that it responded to at crash at 8:19 p.m. and in the 5500 block of A Street Southeast. One man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another person was critically injured and was taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. Two other people were taken to the Auburn Regional Medical Center.

The accident is being investigated by the the Auburn Police Department.

Community leaders and residents will gather Wednesday to mark the 20th anniversary of a violent sexual assault on a 7-year-old boy that appalled the world and eventually led to changes in the state's sex offender laws.

The Moment of Remembrance for "the little Tacoma Boy" begins at noon at Celebration Park, 8000 S. D St., in Tacoma.

"The ceremony ... is a reminder of the community's commitment to safety," a press release from Safe Streets state.

Twenty years ago, convicted sex offender Earl Shriner raped, stabbed, strangled and cut off the penis of the boy, then left him for dead.

The boy survived. Shriner was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 131 years in prison.

The violent incident May 20, 1989, appalled the community and touched thousands. The boy's name was withheld from news stories at the time because of his young age but that didn't stop people from reaching out and donating nearly $1 million to "The Little Tacoma Boy."

The boy got medical care, reconstructive surgery and counseling.

From the tragedy, state lawmakers passed the Community Protection Act of 1990. The new laws publicized when sex offenders return to neighborhoods and allow for violent sexual predators to be committed to special commitment center.

The boy grew up and learned upholstery work at Bates Technical College. His name, Ryan Hade, was revealed after he died in 2005 in a motorcycle crash. He was 23.

The money that had been donated to him was put into a trust. When he turned 18, the young man decided that if he died without heirs, it should go to children who've suffered serious abuse.

Wednesday's ceremony will be attended by the boy's mother, Helen Harlow, who became an advocate for victims of sexual abuse after the attack and led the Tennis Shoe Brigade. In addition, Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, Pierce County Prosecutor Gerry Horne, Tacoma Police Assistant Chief Jim Howatson, Tacoma City Councilmember Connie Ladenburg, Sexual Assault Center Interim Executive Director Ken Maaz, HopeSparks President David Duea and Safe Streets Executive Director Priscilla Lisicich are scheduled to attend.

Kent Fire photo.

Kent firefighters are cleaning up a fire that destroyed a century-old home Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was first reported at about 2 p.m., and by the time crews arrived to the house, in the 23400 block of 115th Ave. Southeast, was engulfed in flames. Crews were forced to ensure that the fire wouldn't spread. No injuries were reported. The fire was extinguished within about an hour.

"Because of the amount of fire and the confirmation that no one was in the house, firefighters fought a 'defense fire.' This means attacking the fire from the outside with several hose lines so that overwhelming heat and possible collapse are not as much a concern," Kent Fire spokesman Kyle Ohashi wrote in a news release.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The residents are being cared for by family members. The house is a total loss.

State investigators say a fire sprinkler quickly extinguished a fire and let residents escape from at a Tacoma mental care facility.

On May 14, 2009, at approximately 5 a.m., a fire occurred in a resident’s room at Park Place Comprehensive Mental Health Facility in Tacoma. The fire was determined to have been deliberately set in a bag of shoes in the room where the fire started. Fortunately, the facility has a complete automatic fire sprinkler system equipped with quick response sprinklers. The fire was quickly extinguished by only one fire sprinkler head. The facility was evacuated by staff, and no one was injured. The damage was limited to minor smoke stains on the resident room walls.

In 2008, fire agencies reported 140 fires in buildings such as nursing homes, boarding homes, alcohol or substance abuse centers, and similar properties. While not all of the facilities are licensed and inspected by the state, many are protected by fire sprinklers. State Fire Marshal Michael G. Matlick credits the limited damage to the quick response fire sprinklers. He adds that this is but one example of where disaster was averted with the proper installation of fire sprinklers, and coupled with facility staff that were trained and prepared to respond to a fire emergency.

Pfc. Wheatley

Fort Lewis officials have identified the soldier missing from the Nisqually River as 23-year-old Pfc. Robert Lang Wheatley, Jr.

Wheatley, of Arcadia, Calif., was rafting with fellow soldiers on Sunday when the rafts capsized. He is assigned to Battery C., 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade.

Thurston and Pierce County officials are working with fellow soldiers from Wheatley's unit to find the missing man. More than 200 soldiers are searching along with divers, police dogs, helicopters, and an airplane.

Wheatley joined the Army in 2005. He was deployed in Iraq from April 2007 to June 2008.

There is some talk in the greater Tacoma blogosphere about a lockdown this morning at Whitman Elementary School.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum reports the Pierce County Sheriff's Department was serving a warrant nearby. He had no other information because it's a Sheriff's Department case.

UPDATE: I am trying to get a hold of the Sheriff's Department to find out what the warrant was.

The National Safety Council has reported that the number of people killed across the country in traffic accidents is down for the first three months of this year.

The number is down in Washington as well. The Washington State Patrol reports that 91 traffic fatalities were recorded in the first three months of this year, down from 108 in the same period of 2008.

"With summer rapidly approaching and generally accompanied by an increase in fatal and injury collisions, we appeal to Washingtonians to continue to drive responsibly," said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste in a press release. "We also want you to know our troopers remain vigilant to the use of strict enforcement in order to change bad driver behavior and to ultimately save lives in our pursuit of Target Zero."

Here's more from the State Patrol press release:

Target Zero is a combined effort of Law Enforcement, the Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Licensing, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, and many others to eliminate traffic fatalities and disabling injuries by 2030.

There are many contributing factors to the reduction of traffic fatalities and disabling injuries. When DOT designs a road they do so with the safety of the motoring public in mind. The rapid response of Emergency Medical Services getting the trained personnel with the proper life saving equipment to a collision scene is also a major contributor to saving lives. The safety products built into today’s motor vehicles, such as air bags and anti-lock brakes, also add to the reduction in traffic fatalities and injuries. The safety messages sent out by the Traffic Safety Commission educate the drivers are also helping reduce this number.

However, the major causes of traffic collisions and fatalities are speed, aggressive driving, driving while impaired, and following too closely. These are all controlled by the drivers. Make the wise choice this summer; Drive Safely.

Pierce County sheriff's detectives have arrested a woman in connection with the shooting death of a 61-year-old Buckley-area man last week.

The woman was booked last night into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Robert Irby, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. She's expected to make her first court appearance this afternoon in Pierce County Superior Court.

The News Tribune is not naming the woman until charges are filed.

Irby was found shot to death in his home in the 12100 block of 275th Avenue East on Thursday afternoon.

The circumstances leading up to the woman's arrest were not immediately known. She's known to Irby.

UPDATE: According to Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer, the woman arrested was Irby's girlfriend.

She initially was the one who called 911 to report Irby was mortally wounded.

Detectives worked the case Friday and through the weekend. Troyer said investigators found inconsistencies in the woman's statements to police and delved further to find the truth.

"The consistency of her story unraveled," Troyer said. "Through the investigation we discovered she was our suspect."

"At this point, we are still looking at the reasons for it and trying to determine if anybody else is involved," Troyer added.

James Russell Knox admits he’s one of those people who never seem to learn.

The serial bank robber got himself labeled a “career offender” Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma and was sent off to prison for another 14 years, this time for the 2008 robbery of the Gig Harbor branch of Kitsap Bank.

Knox, 52, robbed the same branch 10 years earlier and was only 10 days out of prison when he walked into the bank on Oct. 30, demanded money and faked like he had a gun in his pocket.

He grabbed some cash, climbed aboard a bicycle, pedaled to his getaway car then led police on a high-speed chase that resulted in a Tacoma police officer and a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy colliding at an intersection.

Knox finally surrendered outside Tacoma after ditching his car and trying to hide in some bushes along the Puyallup River.

It was the sixth bank he’s robbed, according to court records.

Knox, who pleaded guilty, summed up his actions that day in a letter to the court:

“I am writing to you to convey my sentiments in regard to the latest situation I find myself in yet again. The choices I made and the action I took was, is and will always be deplorable, wrong and unjustifiable.”

No argument from federal prosecutor Kurt Hermanns, who asked U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle to declare Knox a career offender and to sentence him to 12 years, seven months.

“This was a significant crime involving threats of harm to bank employees and ended only after a high-speed chase placing both the police and public at risk,” Hermanns said.

Federal public defender Russell Leonard did not try to gloss over his client’s conduct although he did point out that Knox was under “plenty of financial strain” after his release from prison.

“What should have simply been a rocky start for Mr. Knox turned into a dangerous and hapless re-enactment of his earlier failures,” Leonard wrote in a sentencing memorandum in which he asked for a sentence two months short of 10 years.

Knox’s family sent letters to the court saying he is a good person but lapses into crime when desperate or on drugs.
“He has made poor choices, but I hope he has learned from them,” his sister, Melissa Roman, wrote to the court. “I know that it takes some people longer to learn to live differently.”

Judge Settle wasn’t moved, opting for a sentence even higher than Hermanns’ recommendation.

“The public needs to be protected from you,” the judge told Knox, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “When you’re out of custody, you’re a danger.”

Pierce County sheriff's detectives are continuing to investigate last week's shooting death of a 61-year-old man at his Buckley-area home but reported no new leads Monday.

Robery Irby's girlfriend found him mortally wounded Thursday afternoon inside a home in the 12100 block of 275th Avenue East. Irby had been shot in the head and torso. His death was ruled a homicide.

Detectives spent hours at Irby's home Friday. They continue to interviewing the people that knew him and verify their whereabouts, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Investigators have not identified any suspects but don't believe Irby was the victim of a random shooting.

"He was targeted," Troyer said. "We are working on different possible motives."

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.

Tacoma police arrested a man early today and booked him into Pierce County Jail after he allegedly assaulted two officers.

The man was kicked out of a tavern and fought with the bouncer, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

When Tacoma police officers arrived, the man also reportedly struggled with them. He was eventually taken into custody.

The man was placed in the back of a patrol car. He reportedly kicked the door of the police car. The door hit an officer in the chest and leg, Fulghum said.

The man repeatedly spit on and then threw up in the police car. Because of his level of intoxication, the man was taken to a local hospital for treatment. While there, he reportedly spit on another officer, Fulghum said.

Tacoma police booked the man into Pierce County Jail about 5:40 a.m. on two counts of third-degree assault of a police officer.

Transportation crews have cleared a disabled semi-truck that had been blocking traffic on Highway 18 early today.

The truck was removed from the scene at 5:34 p.m., the state DOT reported.

The incident started about 2:50 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Highway 18 at Auburn Way.

Just a heads up ...

If you plan to be driving north along Interstate 5 near the Pierce-Thurston county line this weekend, expect some delays.

Transportation crews will be conducting routine inspections of the Nisqually River Bridge today through Monday.

Crews will block off the left lane Saturday and the right lane Sunday for the work. The closures are expected to start at 5:30 a.m. each day. The lane should be reopened by noon each day.

Officials will close the left and center lanes of northbound I-5 from 1 to 5 a.m. Monday while crews stage construction materials and equipment for a repair project, the transportation agency reported.

This just in from the state Department of Transportation:

DATE/TIME: May 15, 2009, 6:05 p.m.
DESCRIPTION: A vehicle facing the wrong way blocks the left lane of northbound I-5 at Thorne Lane.
LOCATION: Northbound I-5 at milepost 123 Lakewood vicinity of Pierce County
START: May 15, 2009, 6:05 p.m.
Est. END: Unknown
OTHER: WSP is on scene. Motorists can expect delays.

UPDATE:All now clear.

State DOT reports there's a car fire on the ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to Mounts Road near DuPont.

Expect delays.

UPDATE: Ramp now cleared.

A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty today to one count of first-degree animal cruelty for using a bow and arrow to kill a goat last year.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Susan Serko sentenced Timothy Douglas Brown to 30 days in jail, which she converted to 240 hours of community service.

A man found the dead goat tied to a tree in the Graham area Aug. 22, according to charging documents. An animal welfare group investigated and recovered five arrows at the scene, the documents state.

Sheriff's 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 it bled to death after being hit by at least four arrows, the documents state.

Two boys also have been charged in the case and are being prosecuted in juvenile court.

The White House announced today the names of some of President Obama's choices for U.S. District Attorney seats.

The nominee for the Western Washington District was one of those announced. Here's the nominee and a little bit about her from the White House.

Jenny Durkan: Nominee for U.S. Attorney, Western District of Washington

Jenny Durkan, 51, is a noted civil and criminal litigator in private practice. Since 1997, she has owned the Law Offices of Jenny Durkan in Seattle, WA. Ms. Durkan began her legal career as an associate at the law firm Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender, and later worked at Williams & Connolly, and Foster, Pepper & Riviera. She has served as counsel to Washington Governor Christine Gregoire and taught trial advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law. Ms. Durkan graduated from the University of Notre Dame (1980) and the University of Washington School of Law (1985).

UPDATE: Here's Gov. Chris Gregoire's statement about the nomination.

"Washington state's judicial system and the public will be well served by Jenny Durkan as head of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington. I congratulate Jenny on her much deserved nomination today, which would make her the area's top federal prosecutor.

"Jenny's excellent credentials make her amply qualified for this important federal position.

"Jenny is known for her wide-ranging legal experience and her successful criminal and civil litigation practice. In addition, she is highly regarded for her civic leadership. I am so pleased the Obama administration also recognizes Jenny's leadership and experience, and nominated her for this important position. I hope the Senate will act quickly on the nomination to confirm her."

A 22-year-old man is being held in Pierce County Jail in lieu of $500,000 after a recent arrest on suspicion of drug dealing.

Prosecutors have charged Maurice Lamont Houston Jr. with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. At the time of his arrest Wednesday, he had been out on bail on another drug case, court documents state.

His arrest came after an undercover investigation conducted by Tacoma police. Detectives used an informant to conduct controlled purchases of cocaine from Houston earlier this month, court documents state.

On Wednesday, Houston went to meet the informant for a planned buy. Meanwhile, Tacoma police set to serve warrants on Houston's home and to serve him with an arrest warrant.

When officers went to arrest Houston in the 4800 block of Tacoma Mall Boulevard, he fled in a Lincoln Navigator and drove in a reckless manner, court documents state.

"Houston drove off at a high rate of speed, striking several vehicles as he left the parking lot and eventually crashed his vehicle into another vehicle and fire hydrant before fleeing on foot," court documents state.

Officers caught up to Houston a short distance away and arrested him.

Inside the Navigator, investigators found a cellphone and bag of suspected cocaine.

Houston told officers he fled because "he was on his way to sell 'dope' and he knew he already had 'a lot of charges on him, so he might as well make a run for it," court documents state.

Cayuse Pass is back open.

The state Department of Transportation reopened the pass at noon today.

Cayuse Pass connects Chinook Pass and White Pass at the east end of the Mount Rainier National Park.

The pass is closed annually during the snowy, winter months.

I just talked to a reader who lives in downtown Tacoma.

She called wondering why the flags had been lowered to half staff at several buildings.

I found the answer on Gov. Chris Gregoire's Web site. There is a page dedicated to flag lowering.

She directed the flags to be lowered today for Peace Officers Memorial Day.

This week is National Police Week, an annual event to remember law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty

A King County sheriff's deputy was seriously injured early today when his patrol car went over an embankment as he responded to a reported burglary in the White Center area.

The 30-year-old deputy, who was found unconscious, had to be extricated from his crashed cruiser and was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. He's reportedly in serious but stable condition, according to a press release from the King County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office reports the following:

The deputy, who's been on the force for more than a year and is assigned to the City of Burien, was headed to a burglary-in-progress call about 2:15 a.m. His patrol car went off Des Moines Memorial Drive, down an embankment in the 10000 block and struck a tree.

The crash took out part of a cyclone fence, sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart wrote in a press release.

"One of the fence rails went through the vehicle windshield and impaled the shoulder harness the deputy was wearing," the press release states. "The harness ended up around the deputy's neck and he was unconscious when found."

Three people in the neighborhood heard the crash and ran to the scene. Another deputy who was headed to the same burglary-in-progress call also stopped.

"They were able to pull out the smashed windshield and pole, likely saving the life of the deputy," the press release states.

Firefighters needed 30 minutes to extricate the deputy. They had to cut off the top of his patrol car.

Investigators had the road closed until 9 a.m.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Local police arrested two males Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of shooting at - but not hitting - two siblings as walked along a roadway in Lakewood.

Lakewood police responded to the 9100 block of Lawndale Avenue Southwest about 1 p.m. Wednesday and talked with a brother and sister, court documents state. The two said they were shot at while walking.

Both identified one of the gunman and indicated a second man who also fired some shots. Officers recovered shell casings from two different caliber guns at the scene, charging documents state.

A short time later, one of the suspects was arrested in the 1900 block of South 17th Street in Tacoma as he prepared to jump a fence. Officers found an empty handgun on the other side of the fence, court documents state.

The man initially denied any involvement, then later admitted he fired one shot at the siblings. A warrant also had been issued for the man's arrest in a 2008 robbery case and assault. The 20-year-old man was arrested in Wednesday's shooting and on the warrant.

Officers found the second suspect in Wednesday's shooting in a vehicle in the 1900 block of South Sprague Avenue. He too initially denied his involvement but later told officers he and the 20-year-old suspect were driving around Lakewood and spotted the brother.

The suspects believed the brother had set fire to a car. The brother ran when the suspects found him so they shot at him.

The second suspect, a 16-year-old boy, was booked and charged with assault.

Sumner school officials plan to resume classes Friday at Lakeridge Middle School.

The school sent students home this morning after diesel fumes from a backhoe began drifting into the school's ventilation system.

The fumes didn't sicken students.

District spokeswoman Ann Cook says the school will run the heating-ventilation system tonight and conduct additional air tests Friday.

About 550 students attend the middle school.

Here's the automated e-mail the district sent at 4:22 p.m. today:

=> Read more!

The Puyallup Police Metro SWAT team is negotiating with a man barricaded in an apartment on Valley Avenue.

At about 12:30 p.m., Puyallup Police responded to a domestic violence call at the Meridian Pointe Apartments, 407 Valley Ave. Northeast. A man refused to cooperate, and barricaded himself inside the apartment after a woman was able to flee. The man has threatened to use a gun.

The suspect has talked to negotiators intermittently but has not cooperated. Police have blocked off the area, and residents are asked to stay in their apartments.

UPDATE: 6:03 p.m. Puyallup Police say the suspect is dead in the apartment from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Police are still at the apartment and residents can return to their homes.

Law enforcement officers have found a Kent man who was reported missing Wednesday afternoon.

Clarence Perkins Jr. was found about 10 a.m. today as he traveled from Canada into the United States at the Sumas border crossing, Kent police reported.

"A routine check of his vehicle license by US border security identified Mr. Perkins' vehicle and then him as being listed in the national computer as a missing person," the police agency reported. "He is well, and will be waiting at the border crossing for his family."

Investigators believe Perkins went into Canada Tuesday before the missing person report was entered into the computer. (That was done at 8 p.m.)

On a 5-4 vote, a Washington Supreme Court composed of pro-tem judges has ruled that the public had no obligation to defend Justice Richard Sanders from ethics violations back in 2004.

Sanders (seen here) sought reimbursement of his legal fees in battling charges brought against him by the state's Commission on Judicial Conduct following his 2003 visit to the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.

A complaint was lodged with the commission shortly thereafter that Sanders should not have been talking to residents there who had cases pending before the Supreme Court.

Sanders sought the assistance of the Attorney General's Office in defending himself, saying he was acting in his official capacity as a judge when he visited the SCC and had a right to a public defense.

The request was denied, and Sanders paid for his own lawyer. He later appealed.

In its decision, the majority ruled Sanders' visit was not an official act.

"There is no dispute that Justice Sanders is a state official," the majority said in an opinion written by Justice Pro-Tem Donald H. Johnson. "But the determinative question for purposes of his entitlement to representation by the Attorney General is whether Justice Sanders' ethical violations were official acts. We conclude they were not."

Dissenters concluded the majority made its decision based on the outcome of the ethics complaints – Sanders was admonished – rather than on sound legal reasoning.

The law says the state has an "unqualified duty to represent judges accused of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct," Chief Justice Pro-Tem Robert Utter wrote in one of two dissents.

"Indignation about Justice Sanders' actions should not override established principles of statutory interpretation," Utter wrote. "Properly interpreting the plain language of the controlling law does not constitute an endorsement of his conduct."

Pro-tem Justice David R. Draper also filed a dissent in the case.

Pro-tem justices were brought in to hear the case so the sitting members of the state's high court did not have to sit in judgment of one of their colleagues.

It's a bad morning to be on the roads ... the rain is making a mess of the highways. Here's one more crash ...

A crash is blocking the right lane of northbound Interstate 5 and the left collector-distributor lane of the highway at Tacoma Avenue.

The incident began at 10:35 a.m., DOT officials reported. Troopers were headed to the scene.

UPDATE: The crash has been cleared and both lanes are reopened to all traffic.

Sumner school officials just alerted parents of Lakeridge Middle School students that diesel fumes are closing the school for the rest of the day.
Students are safe. Here's the 9:50 a.m. e-mail to Lakeridge parents:

Parent Alert: Lakeridge Middle School closure

Classes are canceled today at Lakeridge Middle School. Diesel fumes from the contractor working on the site entered the school. All students are safe and have been moved to the gym or other areas of the school as a precaution. The air circulation system is shut down to prevent further fumes from circulating through the building.

Families are asked to pick up their child at school as soon as possible. Please enter the school through the main entrance; there will be three areas designated for student release. Students will be released to parents or authorized adults, please remember to bring photo id.

Additional information about school operations tomorrow will be posted the Web site and the District Hotline at 891.6001 for updates.

A crash was blocking the two right lanes of southbound Interstate 5 at the Highway 512 interchange in Lakewood, the state DOT reports.

The crash was reported about 7:15 a.m.

Troopers and transportation crews were on the scene. Southbound drivers were backed up for one mile. Westbound drivers on Highway 512 were also backed up for a mile.

UPDATE: This crash was cleared shortly before 8 a.m. There were residual backups at the time.

The southbound lanes of River Road are blocked this morning after a deadly crash.

Drivers are being directed to the northbound lanes.

The crash was reported about 5:30 a.m. at River Road and Gay Road, two miles north of Tacoma, the state DOT reported.

Local media have reported that a 19-year-old died in the crash.

Washington State Patrol troopers were on the scene, investigating the deadly crash. Transportation crews also were in route.

UPDATE: Fife police officers found a 19-year-old woman who had been involved in the crash. She was found on the Fife side of the Puyallup River, "huddled in the little puddle," Fife police reported.

She was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment of hypothermia.

UPDATE 2: Our news partners, KIRO TV, has a slideshow of the violent crash posted here.

UPDATE 3: Crews have reopened one of the southbound lanes to traffic. The right lane remains blocked. However, the two northbound lanes and the left southbound lane are now open to drivers.

Tow trucks are on the scene.

UPDATE 4: Here's the details of what happened ...

Washington State Patrol troopers suspect alcohol might have played a role in a violent crash on River Road this morning that left a 19-year-old woman dead and a young man critically injured, the agency reported.

The woman was driving northbound on River Road, also known as Highway 167, just after 5 a.m. when her Mercedes began to fishtail, trooper Brandy Kessler said.

The car fishtailed into the southbound lanes near Gay Road. An oncoming car crashed into the side of the Mercedes, Kessler said.

"The force was so great it cut the car in half," Kessler said of the Mercedes. The back half of the car spun into the nearby Puyallup River.

A third car struck the southbound car. A fourth car also was involved but troopers were still trying to figure out how.

The 19-year-old woman driving the Mercedes was killed at the scene. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released her name.

A 14-year-old girl in the front passenger seat suffered minor injuries and was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center for treatment, Kessler said.

The driver of the southbound car, a man described as 25 to 30 years old, was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries. His condition is not known.

A dive team responded to the scene and were looking for the back half of the Mercedes that fell into the water.

As officers investigated, Fife police found a young woman on the city's side of the Puyallup River. She is suffering from hypothermia, Kessler said. She can't remember what happened.

Troopers were investigated whether she was involved in the crash and if not, what happened to her.

"There is evidence found with her that's led them to believe she was not involved in crash," Kessler said. "They are trying to piece it together."

UPDATE 5: The final lane of River Road has been cleared and reopened to traffic.

UPDATE 6: KIRO TV, The News Tribune's news partner, is reporting the following:

The State Patrol said the 14-year-old passenger in the Mercedes told detectives she and the 19-year-old woman had been drinking and doing drugs at a gathering for a friend or family member who passed away a year ago.

She said she remembered falling asleep in the car around 3:30 a.m. and then waking up on the pavement in pain.

"She doesn't know who was driving, how many people were in the car, or if the person who was driving was actually under the influence or not," said WSP Sergeant Patrick Pronovost.

Also, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department's swiftwater and dive teams responded to the crash. They located the back half of the Mercedes using sonar devices and underwater cameras, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

They determined no one was inside the car piece, hooked it up and pulled it out of the river.

Troyer said he's heard the involved vehicle was a Mercedes SUV.

UPDATE 7: The woman who died in the crash has been identified as Amanda Young, 19, of Tacoma. The teenage passenger was a relative.

Both were ejected from the Mercedes. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Young died of blunt force trauma to the head and torso.

(Photos courtesy of Zachary Tibbitts of Puyallup)

Emergency crews from around Pierce County will gather this morning for a training exercise in the waters of Chambers Bay.

Members of 17 agencies will conduct rescue missions and security response drills, Pierce County Department of Emergency Management reported.

The exercise will begin at 7:45 a.m. near the county's wastewater treatment plant off Chambers Creek Drive West. The drills begin two hours later.

"The goal is to evaluate both individual agency capabilities and their ability to effectively communicate and work together," DEM officials reported.

The drills are scheduled to last eight hours. They include rescue swimmers hoisting victims into a helicopter.

"Responders have the opportunity to practice their skills using personal water craft and boats in rescues, as well as practice response to a vessel fire simulation," DEM reported. "A subsurface dive rescue team is also included as responders for the first time this year. Marine units will train using different vessels simultaneously during the water rescues."

The agencies participating in the exercise are: Anderson Island Fire Department, Browns Point/Dash Point Fire Department, Gig Harbor Fire Department, Gig Harbor Police Department, Graham Fire & Rescue, Key Peninsula Fire Department, Lakewood Fire Communications, Lakewood Fire Department, McNeil Island Fire Department/Washington State Department of Corrections, Pierce County Emergency Management, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Puyallup Tribal Police Department, South King Fire & Rescue, Tacoma Fire Department, Tacoma Police Department, United States Coast Guard, and the University Place Fire Department.

Perkins

A 76-year-old man is missing from a Kent home he is visiting, and police say he is endangered.

Clarence Perkins Jr. left at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning to repair his car in SeaTac, but never arrived. His family drove the route and checked with area hospitals, and ended up reporting him missing to Kent police.

Family members say Perkins has diabetes and is in early stages of dementia. He is becoming more forgetful, and his not carrying a cell phone. He has identification and phone numbers for his wife and son, who lives in Tacoma.

He is a 5-foot-7. 180-pound black man with gray hair, side burns and a mustache. He was last seen wearing a black hat with "Riviera" on the front, a gray sweatshirt, brown pants and a black jacket. He was driving a white 1995 Chrysler Concorde with Nevada license plate PH54630. The right tail light is broken and covered with red tape.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Doug Garrett at 253-856-5924 or call 911.

Puyallup police are searching for a man who robbed a bank branch Tuesday evening.

The man (pictured here) entered the Columbia Bank in the 4200 block of South Meridian about 5:50 p.m. He walked to the counter and handed the teller a note that demanded cash and indicated he was armed, police reported.

The suspect gestured that the gun was in his pocket. The robber took an undisclosed amount of cash and ran from the bank to the the parking lot of a nearby shopping center.

Witnesses spotted a man matching the robber's description get into a small green pickup truck. The truck had a black canopy and sped off, police reported.

Witnesses described the bandit as white, 40 to 45 years old, 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds. He had brown, collar-length hair, a mustache and beard, police reported. He wore a dark jacket, dark hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black baseball hat during the heist.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers released surveillance images of the robber Wednesday. The non-profit organization is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the bank robber's arrest and charges filed.

Tipsters may remain anonymous. Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

The online bulletin board Craigslist announced today that it was ending its "erotic services" ads, notorious for being prostitution come-ons.

The service will be gone when the current ads expire in seven days.

Here's a story I wrote last year for which I posted a couple of fake ads in order to get a sense of who was actually responding to them.

Men respond to Web ads trying to gauge prostitution
Local law enforcement agencies fighting prostitution target the street corner more than the Web. But there's plenty of it online.

By Ian Demsky

Tuesday,January 1, 2008
Edition: SOUTH SOUND, Section: South Sound & Local, Page B01

When it comes to finding clients, the modern streetwalker lets her fingers do most of the work, the click clack of a computer keyboard replacing the sound of stiletto heels pacing the pavement.

Just how much illicit e-commerce is going on in the area is hard to measure. But after Fife drew attention to the issue recently when it passed an ordinance targeting online sex solicitation, we decided to set up an experiment to attempt to find out.

=> Read more!

Crews have cleared away a semi-truck that was blocking a left lane of westbound Highway 512 this afternoon, the state DOT reported.

The crash was reported just west of Portland Avenue about 1:30 a.m.

The lane was cleared just after noon.

Pierce County prosecutors today filed charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree against a 15-year-old boy suspected of shooting a man on a Pierce Transit bus Friday.

The boy is expected in juvenile court this afternoon for a preliminary appearance. Juvenile prosecutors say they plan to request a hearing to decline jurisdiction over the boy and send his case to adult court.

The 18-year-old victim suffered a chest wound and remained hospitalized.

Tacoma firefighters and police officers were on the scene Tuesday afternoon of an attempted suicide in the 2100 block of South 90th Street.

A man set himself on fire inside a car about 2:20 p.m. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with first-degree burns, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The man was expected to survive.

The medical helicopter touched down at nearby Birney Elementary School.

Today is the final installment of The News Tribune's "online exclusive" "The Stolen Child."

The three-part series recounts the investigation into the 1992 disappearance of 14-year-old Misty Copsey, who was last seen leaving the Puyallup Fair.

She's never been found.

News Tribune investigative reporter Sean Robinson spent two years looking into the case and conducting interviews.

You can find the stories, a "how we got this story" and a FAQ here. (You'll need a few hours to read it all but it's worth the time.) He'll have a recap of the story - with reaction and any new developments - in Sunday's News Tribune.

Crews on the scene of a rollover collision at Highway 16 and Union Avenue.

A rollover collision is blocking the ramp form Union Avenue to eastbound Highway 16.

The Washington State Patrol and fire crews are on the scene. Drivers can expect delays, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Crime dropped throughout the state last year, but increased slightly in Tacoma and unincorporated Pierce County, according to preliminary statistics released this week by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

Statewide, violent crime fell 1 percent and property crime dropped 6.2 percent between 2007 and 2008. The violent crimes that are counted are murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults. The property crimes are burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

In Tacoma, overall crime increased 2.1 percent despite a drop in violent crime. The Pierce County Sheriff's Office had a slight increase - 0.2 percent - in overall crime despite handling fewer property crimes, according to the crime statistics release by the state agency. (The numbers in the preliminary state report are slightly different than the 2008 crime stats reported in The News Tribune last month. The state report has slightly different numbers for 2008 than what I received from the agencies.)

Statewide, law enforcement agencies reported more homicides and robberies. There were fewer robberies, thefts and arsons.

The most prominent change came in car thefts, which dropped nearly 25 percent, according to the report. Law enforcement agencies handled 27,730 motor vehicle thefts in 2008, down from 36,932 in 2007.

The report included these other numbers:

* $329,005,833: the value of the property stolen in 2008.

* $104,666,693: the value of the property recovery in 2008.

* 886 officers were assaulted last year. One officer was killed in the line of duty last year.

* 235 incidents involving 318 criminal offenses of hate or bias crimes were reported last year. This was an increase of 26.7 percent over 2007.

* 42,500 domestic-violence crimes were reported in 2008. That was a decrease of 11.7 percent from 2007.

An agency by agency breakdown of reported crime statistics is available here.

Pierce County sheriff's deputies arrested three men on Saturday after they brawled with deputies outside a home in Parkland.

The deputies suffered minor injuries, according to court documents filed Monday.

One deputy responded to a home in the 13100 block of 12th Avenue South about 12:45 p.m. Saturday for a report of a disturbance.

The deputy noticed several vehicles with broken windows when he arrived, charging documents state. Two men were standing outside the home. The deputy asked where the suspect was and learned he was inside.

One of the men stopped the deputy and then grabbed the deputy by the wrist. The deputy tried to arrest the man and the man fought him, court documents state.

The second man joined in. During the fight, the suspect ran out of the house and punched the deputy in the face.

"A significant struggle ensued," charging documents state.

Another deputy arrived and got into the fight.

"The deputies were eventually able to gain control over the three attackers," court documents state.

After the fight, the deputies found several neighbors who said the suspect had been throwing rocks through windows and at cars in the neighborhood. The suspect also damaged a car belonging to him and his wife, court documents state.

The three men were booked into Pierce County Jail. Prosecutors charged them with various crimes Monday in connection with the weekend incident.

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass are closed this morning because of an unstable hillside.

The interstate is closed near North Bend. The unstable slope is near Denny Creek.

Crews will examine the slope in the daylight and determine what to do next.

The westbound lanes are open.

UPDATE: The state DOT is allowing traffic back onto eastbound I-90 after clearing away a rockslide and inspecting the hillside.

There is snow and slush near the summit, the agency advises.

MORE INFORMATION: The morning closure of eastbound I-90 was prompted by a large boulder that fell off the hillside, bounced over a concrete jersey barrier and landed in the eastbound lane about 2 a.m. today.

The boulder didn't hit any vehicles. However, a commercial truck struck the boulder in the roadway.

Transportation experts climbed to the top of the hill where the boulder fell this morning. They found two loose boulders and pushed them down the hill to the roadway. Crews cleared the rocks away and reopened the road at 7:15 a.m.

The hillside was not on the DOT's list of unstable slopes.

"A more likely cause is the freeze thaw cycle in the area," the agency reported in a press release. "Forecasters predict up to three inches of snow today in the area. It is snowing right now."

(Photo courtesy of state Department of Transportation and posted on Flickr)

An ambulance carrying a man who was shot in the side prepares to leave the scene in Central Tacoma. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

Tacoma Police are investigating a shooting in Central Tacoma.

At about 3:15 p.m., a man was shot in the side near South 10th Street and Trafton Street.

Neighbors say the man walked house to house, knocking on doors, leaving a trail of blood on the sidewalk.

Police are looking for the shooter, who sped away in an unknown vehicle. The man was taken away in an ambulance.

This post will be updated with more information when it's available.

UPDATE 4:22 p.m.: Tacoma Police spokesman said officers are talking to the man's girlfriend and other witnesses to try and sort out what happened. Investigators have received conflicting reports from witnesses and the victim himself.

Initial reports said the suspect fled in a brown Mercedes, but others have said it was another make. The victim told officers that he knew the shooter, but didn't know his name or wouldn't give it. He is being treated and not able to talk to officers.

UPDATE: 8:13 p.m. Fulghum said the victim was riding with a man in a dark colored Cadillac when the driver opened fire. Officers don't know why man shot the victim.

The suspect hasn't been located.

State officials have postponed a hearing to determine whether an 82-year-old man deemed incompetent to stand trial in the shooting death of his adult son should be transferred from Western State Hospital to a Tacoma care facility.

The hearing on the case of Clarence Munce now is scheduled for May 20, Munce's stepdaughter, Sunny Rhone said today. The hearing had been scheduled for Wednesday.

Rhone is being kept apprise about the confidential case by stat officials.

Rhone is protesting Munce's transfer to a secure nursing facility, saying her stepfather is too dangerous to be moved from the state mental hospital near Lakewood. Munce's attorney, Erik Bauer, said his client belongs in a nursing home because he has dementia and is not a danger to anyone.

Munce was charged with first-degree murder last year in the death of his 58-year-old son, Gerald Munce. The younger Munce was shot in the back June 21, 2008, following an argument with his father over a hood ornament, according to court documents.

A Pierce County judge found Clarence Munce too mentally ill to stand trial and ordered him into state custody for a civil commitment hearing.

Construction alert:

Drivers will be restricted to one-lane in each direction on South 25th Street for the next 11 days as crews remake the roadway.

The work begins today and is expected to be completed May 22. Over the next several days, crews will be removing the asphalt surface and base section of South 25th Street from the intersection of Pacific Avenue to C Street.

They will replace the asphalt with "geosynthetic fabric along with a new base section and asphalt," the City of Tacoma reported. In addition, the sidewalks, curbs and gutters will be repaired where needed.

Drivers will be forced into one lane each direction each day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exception is Wednesday, when the street will be completely closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. for paving.

The construction zone will be marked with signs and detour routes.

The work is the last phase of the Pacific Avenue improvement project. The project began last summer.

A 21-year-old Tacoma woman was seriously injured Sunday night when her motorcycle missed a curve on Highway 512 and crashed, the Washington State Patrol reported.

She was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma for treatment. Her motorcycle was totaled, troopers reported.

The crash occurred just before 7:30 p.m. The woman was riding the motorcycle west on Highway 512 just outside of Tacoma.

The motorcycle failed to negotiate a curve in the highway, left the road and struck the cable barrier, troopers reported. The motorcycle came to rest underneath the barrier. About 60 feet of the cable was damaged.

The crash appeared to be caused by inexperience, troopers noted.

A serious-injury motorcycle collision is blocking part of westbound Highway 512 near Pioneer Avenue.

The left lane is blocked, traffic is using the right line, according to the state Department of Transportation. Drivers can expect delays.

The Washington State Patrol and fire crews are on the scene. No details regarding the injuries or how many people are involved have been released.

UPDATE 9:07 p.m.: All lanes are now open.

Crews fight a house fire in Tacoma. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

Tacoma Fire crews are cleaning up the scene of a house fire off Pine Street and South Tacoma Way.

Neighbors said they smelled smoke and looked out to see flames shooting from a small house at 7 Clark Place at about 6:30 p.m. Crews arrived shortly after and had the fire extinguished in about 15 minutes. No one was inside the house when crews arrived, Battalion Chief Jim Zuluaga said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Smoke from the fire could be seen across Central and South Tacoma. Neighbors watched as crews cleaned up, many surprised at how fast it all happened.

"It's really bad. It was really engulfed in flames," said Gloria German, who lives a few houses down and watched the crews from her yard. "My heart is pumping."

UPDATE 8 p.m. Tacoma Fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said the fire appears to have started in the kitchen.

A family of four lives at the home. Two were there at the time of the fire and were able to escape. Two more arrived after.
Crews are just now able to investigate the home, and a cause may not be released until Monday morning.

If it is confirmed to be a kitchen fire, it will be the fifth one that Tacoma Fire crews have responded to in the past few weeks. The department has posted tips to avoid kitchen fires on its blog.

• Stay in the Kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling food.
• If you are simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you're that your cooking.
• Keep things that can catch fire - potholders, oven mitts, paper of plastic bags, - away from your stove top.
• Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.
• If you have a fire, cover the pan with a lid and turn off the heat.

Six law enforcement officers were honored today with the state's highest honor for police officers.

Here's the press release from Gov. Christine Gregoire:

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today paid tribute to six Washington State Law Enforcement Medal of Honor recipients at a ceremony conducted at the Washington State Law Enforcement/Peace Officers Memorial.

"Today I honor the Washington law enforcement officers who protect our state, along with those who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our citizens," Gregoire said. "These valiant men and women deserve our highest respect and praise for their commitment and dedication to serving the public."

Two officers were honored posthumously: Skagit County Sheriff's Deputy Anne Jackson and U.S. Forest Service Officer Kristine Fairbanks. One officer was recognized for serious injury: Vancouver Police Officer Christopher LeBlanc. Three officers were recognized for meritorious service: Clark County Sheriff’s Deputies Scott Schanaker and Scott Holmes, and Vancouver Police Officer John Key.

"This recognition of our two officers who made the ultimate sacrifice also goes to their families," Gregoire said. "Our hearts are with you."

Since 1855, more than 280 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in Washington. In 1994, the state Legislature established the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor, which is reserved for those police officers who have been killed in the line of duty or have distinguished themselves by exceptional meritorious conduct.

The Washington State Patrol recognized recipients with a 21-gun salute.

Pierce County sheriff's detectives need the public's help in identifying a man who robbed a Spanaway gas station early Tuesday while armed with a gun. Surveillance video captured the holdup.

The man entered the station in the 15900 block of Pacific Avenue South about 3:50 a.m. Tuesday. He asked for cigarettes, then displayed a gun he'd concealed in his jacket and demanded cash, deputies reported.

The man threatened to shoot the clerk. He took the cash and left.

The robber was described as white, in his 40s and 5 feet 9 with a medium build. He has graying hair and a mustache. He wore a baseball hat, blue puffy jacket, gray shirt and blue jeans during the heist.

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.

A crash is blocking the southbound lanes of State Route 509 near the Port of Tacoma Road this morning.

Vehicles are being diverted off the highway at the Port of Tacoma Road ext, then back onto SR 509 at Portland Avenue, the state DOT reported at 7:40 a.m.

Troopers and transportation crews are on the scene.

UPDATE: The crash was cleared away and all lanes were reopened by 8:15 a.m., DOT reported.

From the AP:

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A 16-year-old Vancouver girl with a type of autism has been found in Tacoma after being missing overnight.

Vancouver police tell The Columbian newspaper that the girl, Carisa Tuck, was found safe Thursday afternoon in Tacoma. Details about how she got from her home in Vancouver to Tacoma were not immediately released.

Police had been concerned about the girl because she has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. She was reported missing by her parents Wednesday evening, and a search was launched

.

A Tacoma firefighter charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal crash last month has resigned from the department.

Joseph Mondau, 47, resigned April 30, Tacoma fire spokeswoman Jolene Davis said Thursday.

Mondau is accused of driving drunk when his SUV hit a motorcyclist April 6 near North Sixth Street and Grant Avenue in Tacoma. The motorcyclist, 43-year-old Mark Kaytna of Lakewood, died the next day.

Mondau, a 12-year veteran, was reportedly drinking at a Tacoma bar before the crash and refused a ride home from a friend, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said his breath registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.121 about an hour after the crash.

One officer is on leave after shooting an armed man Wednesday night in Lakewood.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's office identified the man as 37-year-old Curtis Wetzel.

Five officers were called to the Mt. Tacoma Mobile Home Park at about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday for reports of a drunken man assaulting his wife. police spokeswoman Heidi Hoffman said. The woman, and the couple's 8-year-old boy, were able to flee to a neighbor's house.

When officers arrived, the man refused to drop the weapon and came toward the officers. One officer opened fire, killing the man.

This is the first officer-involved shooting since September, when a man was shot when he tried to ram an officer, Hoffman said. It is the fourth since the department's inception in 2004.

A Pierce County judge on Thursday sentenced a Spanaway woman to more than 23 years in prison for fatally punching her infant son when he wouldn't hold still during a diaper change.

Domenique Astrid Conway, 26, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder in the death of 5-month-old Nathaniel Noel.

Nathaniel died March 9, 2008, from a skull fracture. Conway told detectives she punched the boy twice in the head in a fit of frustration about four days before his death, according to court records.

Nathaniel fussed and squirmed while she was trying to change his diaper and two of her other children were arguing nearby, she said.

Deputy prosecutor Lori Kooiman sought a sentence of 40 years for Conway, arguing that Nathaniel was a particularly vulnerable victim.

The fact that Conway did not seek medical aid for the boy also called for a sentence higher than the standard range, which topped out at 18 years, four months, Kooiman said.

"What happened to this little boy is heart-breaking," the deputy prosecutor said.

Public defender Jack McNeish asked Superior Court Judge Thomas Larkin for a mid-range sentence of 14 years, two months.

McNeish said his client had no previous criminal record and owned up to her actions by giving a full confession.

"She showed exceptional remorse," he said.

Larkin decided on a sentence of 23 years, four months, which is five years more than the high end of the range.

A 28-year-old Spanaway man pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in a 2008 crash that killed an Army veteran.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper sentenced Michael David Vaudrin to two years, 10 months in prison, which is the high end of the standard range, according to court records.

Culpepper also gave Vaudrin credit for 351 days he served on electronic home monitoring while awaiting the resolution of his case.

Vaudrin pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide and one count of leaving the scene of an accident in the May 20 wreck that killed Robert Adam Hawkins, 51. The crash occurred at the intersection of River Road and 66th Avenue East.

Prosecutors contended that Vaudrin was driving drunk when he sped through a red light and smashed into Hawkins' car. In his plea agreement, Vaudrin admitted he was driving recklessly when he hit Hawkins.

The victim's relatives wrote letters to the court in which they described Hawkins, who retired from the Army after a 20-year career, as a devoted family man.

Here's a press release from the zoo:

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's beluga whale Beethoven will be transferred to Sea World San Antonio in early June in time for the breeding season, zoo officials announced in a press release today.

To give visitors an opportunity to see Beethoven up close before he leaves for Texas, zookeepers will hold special presentations Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.. and again on May 16-17, May 23-25 and May 30-31. Community members also may post their photos and best wishes to Beethoven on the zoo's Facebook page.

"Beethoven has touched millions of people with his playful personality during his 11 years here," said John Rupp, the zoo's aquatic animal curator. "He'll be missed but we're excited that he'll have an opportunity to breed with other whales to maintain a genetically healthy population."

As a healthy 16-year-old male who has never sired a calf, Beethoven will participate in a cooperative whale breeding program that matches belugas from eight participating aquariums, including Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Last year, three beluga whales were born in accredited zoos and aquariums as a result of these coordinated breeding efforts.

Rupp said Beethoven's departure in early June represents a significant change for Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and the Pacific Northwest region in the short term. The Tacoma zoo, which has cared for beluga whales since the mid-1980s, is the only aquarium in the U.S. Pacific Northwest with beluga whales. The closest facility with beluga whales is the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada.

After nearly 25 years of caring for beluga whales, Rupp said zoo staff are deeply committed to ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of the species in zoos and aquariums and in the wild. The zoo's conservation committee recently awarded a grant for a scientific study to provide baseline data on health and fitness indicators of beluga whales in the wild.

Rupp said he'll continue to be active with beluga whales as a member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Marine Mammal Taxon Advisory Group Steering Committee. In addition, zoo biologist Derek Woodie, as the beluga whale studbook keeper, will continue to maintain the genetic and demographic information on all whales in the cooperative breeding program.

Beethoven has lived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium since 1998. His companion, Qannik, died in late March. Zoo officials are currently engaged in a long-term strategic planning effort about beluga whales and other animals in the zoo's collection and will make recommendations to the Metro Parks Tacoma board this fall.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the name of a man shot and killed Wednesday night by Lakewood police.

The man's name might be released later today, the office reported.

Here's last night's story about what happened.

Lakewood Police officers stand at the scene of an officer-involved fatal shooting on 96th Street South on Wednesday night. Brian Everstine/The News Tribune

Lakewood Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that began as a domestic violence call and ended with one man dead.

Five officers were called to the Mt. Tacoma Mobile Home Park, 3214 96th Street South, at 8:17 p.m. for a domestic violence call, police spokeswoman Heidi Hoffman said. A drunken man was reportedly assaulting his wife, while his 8-year-old son was there. By the time the officers arrived, the woman and the child were able to flee to a neighbor's house.

When the officers arrived, the man charged them with a weapon – reportedly a knife, according to police radio traffic. At least one officer opened fire. The man, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lakewood Police and the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office are investigating. The officers were interviewed late Wednesday, and the department will decide how many officers will be placed on administrative leave.

Hoffman said this is the first officer-involved shooting since September, when a man was shot when he tried to ram an officer. It is the fourth since the department's inception in 2004.

A Tacoma man pleaded guilty today in federal court for selling crack cocaine and being a felon in possession of firearms.

Investigators say Orlando Alexander, 40, sold crack in the area of 38th Street in March 2008. Tacoma Police searched the man's home, and found a Frestorm .380 pistol, a Taurus .45 and a Ruger .44 revolver in addition to small amounts of cocaine and Ecstacy. He was arrested at the time of the search, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Alexander had prior drug and assault convictions in King County.

Sentencing is scheduled for September. He faces an agreed sentence of five and a half years.

A Kent woman is in critical condition after her ex-boyfriend stabbed her in a bar parking lot Tuesday night.

Kent Police say the 22-year-old woman ran into the bar to get help and patrons ran after her boyfriend, a 24-year-old Federal Way man. The man's red Ford pickup drove quickly out of the lot and into the intersection of 84th Avenue South and 216th Street, where it careened into a passing vehicle, forcing both over a hedge and into an empty parking lot.

The suspect got out of his truck and ran through a warehouse area. Officers set up a perimeter and the department's K-9, Bosco, was able to track him under a Highway 167 bridge. He was arrested on suspicion of felony assault, hit and run, and drunk driving, police said.

The woman was treated for multiple stab wounds, and was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

"This was an extreme and highly visible incident that shows the volatile nature of domestic violence," Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan said in a news release. "Communities nationwide have experienced an increase in violent, public incidents of domestic violence, where others have also been affected."

I came across the following in a federal prisoner lawsuit today and couldn't help thinking of Linda Blair in The Exorcist:

He experiences very difficult breathing, often times having to turn his neck 180 degrees to inhale, accompanied by great pain and discomfort.

Sadly, no photos of the feat were included.

Lakewood Police are asking for help to identify a man accused of robbing a Dairy Queen in Lakewood.

On Monday, the man walked into the Dairy Queen on South Tacoma Way at 12:45 p.m. He reportedly stood in the restaurant for 10 minutes before approaching the counter and ordered food. When the clerk rang up the order, the suspect displayed a gun, demanded cash and threatened to shoot the clerk, police say.

He was last seen driving southbound toward Highway 512 in a mid-2000s four-door Saturn.

Witnesses told police the man appeared to be in his early 20s, about 5-foot-7 with a medium build and brown hair style in a "faux-hawk." He had a thin beard along his jaw line. During the robbery, the suspect was wearing a purple T-shit, blue jeans and a black Northface jacket.

Tacoma/Pierce County Crime Stoppers are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

=> Read more!

A Tacoma man was injured when he suffered a medical condition and lost control of his SUV on westbound Highway 512 and crashed through a cable barrier.

The man was driving his 2008 Jeep Cherokee near 9th Street at about 6:10 p.m.. He crashed through the cable barrier and crossed into the eastbound lanes of traffic and stopped at a fence line on the right shoulder of the eastbound lanes, according to the Washington State Patrol.

He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with minor injuries. The 52-year-old man was wearing a seat belt. No other vehicles were involved.

A state medical commission has filed charges against an Aberdeen doctor, whose Tacoma and Lakewood offices were raided in January.

Dr. Antoine Johnson, who ran the Johnson Family Clinics in Tacoma and Lakewood, is accused of inappropriately prescribing painkillers.

Here's the story from The (Aberdeen) Daily World.

A medical commission with the state Department of Health has charged Aberdeen physician Dr. Antoine D. Johnson with unprofessional conduct, citing more than 30 patients who were allegedly treated improperly.

The commission filed a statement of charges in late February outlining alleged cases of malpractice, negligence, superficial care and missing records. Many of the 32 cases involve what appear to be inappropriate prescriptions for narcotic pain medication.

Tacoma police are investigating a report that a man tried to abduct a 14-year-old girl as she walked home from school Monday afternoon.

The girl told police a man approached her near the On the Green apartment complex in the 4900 block of Fairwood Boulevard Northeast about 4:45 p.m.

He held something sharp to her stomach and threatened to hurt her if she didn't go with him, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The girl said she kicked the man and ran home, where her mother called 911.

"What the guy had in mind, we don't know for sure," Fulghum said.

The girl said the man is white, in his 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build and long brown hair. He was wearing black clothing.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Tacoma Police Department at 253-798-4721.

A teenager tied to a notorious Spanaway murder died Sunday in a car crash.

Casey L. Spence, 18, reportedly drove his car through a red light at high speed and collided with another car at 72nd Street East and Canyon Road East just west of Puyallup, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. The crash occurred about 2:45 a.m.

The News Tribune has been unable to determine whether the driver of the second car was injured.

Spence was 14 when he was charged in March 2006 with aggravated first-degree murder – the state's highest crime – in the death of Clifton Nelson (seen here).

Nelson, 18, died after being beaten, robbed and shot outside the Sprinker Recreation Center. Prosecutors contended Spence was with several gang members who attacked Nelson and two of his friends July 20, 2005.

Originally prosecuted in juvenile court, the case against Spence was sent to adult court where he faced the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted as charged.

He ultimately pleaded guilty to the much-reduced charge of first-degree rendering criminal assistance and was sentenced to time served in jail while awaiting trial: one year and two months.

Spence maintained his innocence, saying he was watching movies at his grandfather's house at the time of the murder.

Prosecutors said they made the deal because there were "credibility issues" with the two witnesses who put Spence at the killing.

Two men involved were convicted of murder and a third of manslaughter in Nelson's death. A number of others also were convicted of lesser charges.

UPDATE:Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer called to say Spence's vehicle was traveling between 80-100 mph when it collided with the other car.

The force of the impact sent the second car crashing into a power pole. The driver of that car sustained only minor injuries, Troyer said.

A 21-year-old woman was injured early today in a hit-and-run crash on Highway 18 in Kent.

The Maple Valley resident was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of her injuries, the Washington State Patrol reported.

The crash occurred just after 12:30 a.m. today in the eastbound lanes of Highway 18.

The injured woman was in a 2007 Ford Mustang, which was totaled in the crash.
The Mustang and another vehicle were going east on Highway 18. The Mustang struck the other and then came to rest on the off ramp to State Route 516. The other car left in the scene in an unknown direction, troopers reported.

The other car was described as a flatbed or utility truck. Anyone with information about that truck or who saw the crash is asked to call the State Patrol at 425-401-7788.

The crash was under investigation.

One person was shot early Saturday in a gang-related shooting in the South End. Here's what happened via Tacoma Police spokesman Mark Fulghum.

It happened just after midnight (0048 hours) so it was actually on Saturday. Victim was standing with friends in the lot at 56th and S Sheridan when a car (no description) drove by and someone fired a single shot-striking the victim in the leg. Victim's friends took him to St Clare Hospital. One friend stayed and the other left ASAP. All had been drinking.

No suspect info and no vehicle info.

Victim is a 28 year old male from Tacoma. No update on his condition or the investigation.

The eastbound direction of South Ninth Street in downtown Tacoma will be reduced to one lane starting today for construction work.

Beginning today, crews are installing new power and communication vaults at the intersection of South Ninth and Broadway, the City of Tacoma reported.

The construction work near the Pantages Theater is expected to last two weeks.

Drivers and pedestrians should expect delays. In addition to the lane restrictions, the sidewalk will be closed.

Pedestrians can cross at South Ninth Street and St. Helens, not at Broadway, the city reported.

Police say at least nine protesters were arrested late Saturday while protesting the deployment of Fort Lewis Styker vehicles. Two more were cited and released.

Protesters demonstrated and blocked Stryker convoys on Interstate 5 at the Fort Lewis gate and in downtown Tacoma. Tacoma Police arrested five protesters on suspicion of reckless endangerment and obstructing traffic, spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

Lakewood Police arrested four on charges of disorderly conduct. An additional two were cited and released, spokeswoman Heidi Hoffman said.

Shyam Khanna, who handles communications for the group, said the protests will continue as long as Stykers ship out through the public port. About 100 have shown up each night, mostly from Tacoma and Olympia.

"We are making more plans as the situation develops," he said. "We intend to do blockades as long as the shipments last."

The Puyallup School District decided today to not close Edgemont Junior High after a student developed a probable case of H1N1 (swine) flu.

Officials were told Saturday that the student may have the virus. Specimens have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be confirmed.

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department officials recommended that the school and Walker High School, where the student's sibling attends, stay open.

District officials last week increased efforts to clean all "high-touch surfaces" – door knobs, desks, chairs, etc.

They called us and sent out this press release after everyone here went home. It's not clear if there were any arrests but I didn't notice anything when I checked the jail roster this morning.

Port Militarization Resisters detained by police

BREAKING NEWS:

LAKEWOOD, WA -- As citizens converge on Fort Lewis to resist the deployment of Stryker vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan, police have stepped up their interference with the legal activities of activists and bystanders. As of 11:40 pm, police have stopped numerous vehicles and detained and questioned their drivers and passengers.

=> Read more!

Here's the press release -- the event is NEXT weekend:

Greetings,

The Lakewood Police Department has recently moved into its’ new, state of the art police station. We are currently in the process of surplusing excess furniture from our previous facilities. So, we are offering an open house to the general public, non-profit organizations, and outside public agencies to come to our old police precinct to select any free surplus office furniture for your use. The furniture will be given away first come, first served and is free of charge. The furniture must be taken for your use and not for resale. We have desks, chairs, tables, filing cabinets, and cubicle wall systems.

Saturday, May 9th
8AM until 12PM
Old Sheriff’s Precinct
5504 112th St SW
Lakewood, WA 98499

KOMO-TV reported on its 4 p.m. newscast that an airplane crashed this afternoon at Thun Field south of Puyallup.

The station broadcast video of a single-engine plane flipped onto its top.

Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer confirmed a mishap involving a plane, possibly during landing.

We've got calls out for more information.

UPDATE (4:13 p.m.): Hunter George, a spokesman for Pierce County, tells Lights & Sirens two people who were on board the small plane walked away from the crash under their own power.

Today's sentencing of Douglas S. Chanthabouly was postponed.

A jury convicted Chanthabouly, 20, of second-degree murder last month in the Jan. 3, 2007, death of Samnang Kok in a hallway at Foss High School.

Kok, 17, died after being shot three times in the school's 300 hallway on the first day back from class after the Christmas break.

There was no dispute during trial that Chanthabouly killed Kok, but his defense team argued unsuccessfully that he should be acquitted by reason of insanity. Evidence showed Chanthabouly has paranoid schizophrenia and most likely was delusional on the day of the shooting, possibly thinking Kok was a gang member out to get him.

How do you keep youngsters from participating in dangerous street races?

In Florida, a new program called Beat the Heat, lets anyone over 18 race a cop for $25.

(Photo: IBS/WPLG-TV)

Two of three Lakewood students identified overnight as possible swine flu victims are in intensive care at Madigan Army Medical Center, TNT education reporter Debby Abe reports this morning after talking to Clover Park School District officials. The other student was released to recover at home.

Lakes High School was shut down as a precaution Friday as health officials determine whether the pair of possible cases develops into probable or definite cases of swine flu.

One of the sick Lakes students had been to Mexico recently, according to district spokeswoman Kim Prentice.

Two of the individuals are boys and one is a girl, Prentice said. One student is 17 years old; the spokeswoman said she didn't know the ages of the other two. All three are friends.

Prentice said she didn't know if the students were taken to Madigan because they are children of military personnel. She also said she didn't know if the students had siblings in other Lakewood schools.

Custodial staff in other schools have been instructed to do extra cleaning on stairway rails, doorknobs and other high-contact areas, as a precaution, she said.

At Lakes, John Horne's crew was busy wiping down surfaces in the cafeteria and hallways. Special attention was being paid to the classrooms where the three students took classes.

Clover Park was notified at 12:30 a.m. Friday when the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department called to say Madigan was treating three students with flu-like symptoms who were undergoing further tests to see if they were infected with the swine flu virus.

The health department advised a one-day closure, and parents and staff received phone calls about 5:15 a.m.

Lakes Athletic Director Joe Keller said all sports have been canceled and will be rescheduled.

A decision about whether to close the school for a longer period, as districts in Snohomish and King counties have already done, won't be made until more conclusive testing comes back from a state laboratory. Prentice said the testing won't be complete until later today or Saturday.

At a news conference this morning, local Health Department Director Dr. Anthony Chen said that officials only know at this point that the students had contracted an Influenza A virus. Swine flu is part of that larger virus family. Local testing can only determine that the students possibly have swine flu.

"We're taking an abundance of caution here," Chen said.

In the school districts north of Pierce County, officials have already classified their cases as "probable" because state testing is more conclusive. A final round of testing is done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Lakewood City Manager Andrew Neiditz learned about the Lakes closure
via a 5 a.m. phone call today from the health department. He said it's his understanding that if the three students are found to be carriers of swine flu, the health department would recommend the high school be closed seven days.

Prentice said Clover Park will do what the health department advises.

Word of the Lakes incident got around early Friday. Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy took the unusual step of mentioning it to a crowd of 1,300 people at the Pierce County Prayer Breakfast.

During welcoming remarks at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, McCarthy said Pierce County government and health-care providers are “ready to deal with any kind of crisis we may have.”

“You’re in good hands,” McCarthy said. “We have people ready and able to really deal with any problems that may occur from this virus.

“I wanted you to know that and feel confident in that,” McCarthy told the crowd.
--------

News Tribune staff reporters Debby Abe, Steve Maynard and Brent Champaco contributed to this report.

Tacoma police stopped a car late Thursday after someone reported an occupant of the vehicle was firing off a high-powered gun.

The 911 call came just after 11:30 p.m. The car was going east on South 12th Street in the 6400 block, police reported.

Officers responded and found the suspect vehicle. The car was stopped in the 6600 block, police reported.

Officers found two men inside. They also discovered a shotgun and a few spent shell casings.

The 24-year-old passenger told officers he'd been removed from a bar for intoxication. He admitted to firing shotgun rounds into the air, police reported.

No one was injured and no property damaged.

Officers arrested the 24-year-old passenger, police reported.

Reporter Debbie Abe talked to custodial staff at Lakes High School about their response to the emergency closure there today.

Three students are suspected to be infected with the swine flu virus so John Horne's crew is busy wiping down surfaces in the cafeteria and hallways, including tables, railings and doorknobs.

Special attention is being paid to the classrooms where the three students took classes.

Lakes Athletic Director Joe Keller said all sports have been canceled and will be rescheduled.

The Clover Park School District has closed Lakes High School today as a precautionary measure because of a possible case of the human swine flu (also known as H1N1).

The decision was announced this morning.

All evening and sports activities have been canceled.

UPDATE: There are three suspect cases at Lakes High School. Two of those patients are being treated in the ICU at Madigan Medical Center, according to Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department officials.

They stressed that the cases are "suspect" versus "probable." King County cases reported so far have been identified as "probable."

Pierce County's three suspect cases have not been confirmed yet by the state health lab. (Those results could be known today or Saturday.) The King County cases have been confirmed by the state health lab and the samples sent off to the Centers for Disease Control for further confirmation the cases are swine flu.

Health officials say that 95 percent of the cases sent to the CDC for testing have come back as positive for swine flu.

The Clover Park School District has posted some information on its Web site here.

UPDATE 2: The Tacoma-Pierce County Joint Information Center has now been open to support the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

The state Liquor Control Board suspended the liquor license for McCabe's American Music Cafe last night.

The emergency suspension will last up to 180 days (or six months).

Here's the press release from the state Liquor Control Board.

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) today issued an emergency liquor license suspension up to 180 days for McCabe’s American Music Cafe, located at 2611 Pacific Ave. The suspension is effective from 6 p.m. April 30, 2009 to 6 p.m. Oct. 27, 2009. During the suspension period, the WSLCB will take action to revoke the spirits/beer/wine restaurant and lounge license permanently.

The WSLCB is authorized by state law to issue an emergency suspension of up to 180 days of a liquor license when it believes the “health, safety or welfare” of the general public is in danger.

Recent public safety violations

McCabe’s has received two Group 1 Public Safety violations in April. These violations are considered the most serious because they present a direct threat to public safety.

On April 25, McCabe’s was cited for Allowing an Apparently Intoxicated Person to Consume following a WSLCB undercover operation, which led to the emergency suspension.

On April 11, McCabe’s was cited for Sale/Service to an Apparently Intoxicated Person following a WSLCB undercover operation. The recommended penalty for the April 11 violation was cancellation of McCabe’s liquor license. McCabe’s has requested a formal hearing before an administrative law judge from the Office of Administrative Hearings regarding the violation.

The WSLCB decided in October 2008 to pursue non-renewal of McCabe’s liquor license. A hearing requested by McCabe’s regarding this decision is scheduled for June 2009 before an administrative law judge.

Violation history and recommended penalties

Officers look at the past two years of an establishment’s violation history when determining a recommended penalty for a violation. The following is McCabe’s two-year violation history and the recommended or completed penalties:

• April 25, 2009: Violation for Allowing an Apparently Intoxicated Person to Consume (Emergency Suspension)

• April 11, 2009: Violation for Sale/Service to an Apparently Intoxicated Person (Cancellation recommended – pending formal hearing)

• March 22, 2009: Violation for Allowing Apparently Intoxicated Person to Consume – three counts (Aggravated 30-day suspension recommended – pending formal hearing)

• Dec. 3, 2007: Violation for Furnishing Liquor to a Minor (Five day suspension or $500 fine recommended – pending formal hearing)

• Nov. 16, 2007: Disorderly Conduct ($500 fine - complete)

Emergency suspensions

Emergency suspensions represent an extraordinary exercise of the state’s power and the WSLCB is mandated to ensure that an emergency suspension is reasonable, justifiable, and legal in every way. The WSLCB issued three emergency suspensions in 2006, three in 2007, one in 2008, and one in 2009.